Drag superstar Adore Delano’s punk AF attitude is changing everything—and you’re next
After being launched into the greater consciousness via stints on American Idol and Drag Race, our latest cover star vocalist/performer Adore Delano has become as fierce as any mosh pit, fueled by both a massive, dedicated fanbase and the overarching need to get things done on her terms only.
READ MORE: Adore Delano talks second coming out: Her heavy-rock album ‘Whatever’
After making two albums of electronic-based dance music that made her a club staple, Delano said “eff it” and made Whatever, doing away with the pop and doubling down on the guitar rock that influenced her in her teens when she was devoted to Marilyn Manson and grunge gods Nirvana.
She’s punk AF and is merrily disrupting the drag scene she came up through while carving her nails in the current veneer of rock ’n’ roll. Despite coming from a world that routinely celebrates artifice, Delano’s not afraid of speaking her truth, whether it’s about her ongoing legal battles, what the dating scene is like for a queen, the impact Trump’s immigration crackdown is having on her family (“I have foster tías on my mom’s side who could be affected by everything.”) or the convoluted politics of her mentor RuPaul.
Earlier this year, in a profile for The Guardian, RuPaul disclosed that he likely would not allow a trans contestant who’d had gender confirmation surgery or begun medically transitioning to compete on his VH1 reality television competition show, RuPaul’s Drag Race. Adore, who competed on the show’s sixth season and narrowly missed taking the crown, tells AltPress, “…seeing that the fans are getting younger and younger, and the culture of drag is becoming a lot more accepting, it’s a really fucked-up way of thinking. Drag really starts with trans women. Those comments are very cringe-y, and every time (RuPaul) says something like that, I end up on the phone with some of my homegirls from the show and I’m like, ‘Girl… she needs to chill.’”
When asked if those kinds of comments make her personally question RuPaul’s cultural legacy, Adore confirms that it does. “It makes me question, of course! It makes everybody question. We’re all on the phone together saying, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ We can chalk it up to age, but (RuPaul) grew up in the midst of drag, as well. My friend and I were on the phone that morning and we were like, ‘Is she tired? Was she sleeping when she tweeted that? What’s going on?’”
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Also in this issue:
In this LGBTQ-themed issue, we’re here to report that ROCK ’N’ ROLL HAS ALWAYS BEEN QUEER, from Little Richard in the ’50s to Bowie and Queen in the ’70s and Laura Jane Grace, Julien Baker and Limp Wrist reigning in today’s continuum of today’s pansexual performers. Celebrate and congratulate, accordingly. In addition, this month’s 10 ESSENTIAL column picks resonant songs to show your pride, while TRASH BOAT’s Tobi Duncan encourages everyone to find their true identity in IT GOT BETTER.
This month’s 10 TOPICS finds AGAINST THE CURRENT’s Chrissy Costanza hating on tanning, arrogant people and gross microphones—but loving Bon Jovi.
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This month, we are LIGHTING THE FUSE, setting our sights on 10 new bands poised to shake things up in 2018 and beyond. Deep in our heart, we know that THE ACES, BOSTON MANOR, I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, TILLIE, GRAYSCALE and more are ready to blow up your boredom.
In ALBUM ANATOMY, Korn frontman JONATHAN DAVIS reveals how his debut solo album, Black Labyrinth, took him 10 years to make and what he did to himself to finish it.
For this installment of AP ARCHIVES, MARILYN MANSON goes Westworld, KURT COBAIN gets remembered and JEFFREE STAR asks, “Can you dig it?”
