Mama Ru has made her decision. The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17, America’s Next Drag Superstar is…
Condragulations to Cleveland’s newly-crowned Drag Race winner Onya Nurve. After four maxi challenge wins across the season, including the iconic Snatch Game for her take on Eddie Murphy, Onya made it all the way to Friday night’s grand finale and faced off season runner-up Jewels Sparkles in a final lip-sync for the crown to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”.
On the red carpet at MTV’s official finale viewing party at Hard Rock Hotel in New York, Onya Nurve spoke with The Queer Review’s James Kleinmann, reflecting on her Drag Race experience.
James Kleinmann, The Queer Review: Tell me about tonight’s beautiful look.
Onya Nurve: “This look was made by a New York designer named Andres Caballero. He designs a lot for Sasha Velour and other amazing drag queens. I knew I wanted something that was lace, sexy, and interesting and gave you the vibe of, I’m pretty but also a little dangerous and I think this look really serves that. It’s also in blue which is one of my favourite colours.”
What has it been like to watch your season 17 experience play out on MTV each week over these past few months?
“It has been a wild ride because you kind of always know what you think is going to happen, but then when you see it, it hits you in a different way. It’s really otherworldly. It’s surreal watching yourself on national television.”
What was the most challenging part of being on the show?
“I think the most challenging part for me was that I didn’t do drag full time before coming on Drag Race, so I had to learn to keep up with the demands of drag. It was a lot. It was like two-a-days. It was boot camp. It was like all of that all in one. It was rough!”
What was your proudest moment?
“Winning Snatch Game. It’s the most iconic challenge on Drag Race and I won it! I made herstory and I’m so proud.”
What did it mean to you to have your dad there for the makeover challenge?
“It was amazing. I would have loved it if my mom came or my dad came, but my dad coming meant so much more because he’s missed a lot of moments in my life. So to be there on national television, on Drag Race with his daughter, baby, it don’t get no better than that.”
What did you learn about yourself from being on Drag Race?
“What I learned is that even though I felt that I was open and I had no walls up and that I just let people in, I do still have some walls up. There are walls that can be broken down and I need to realize that usually the spaces that I enter are safe spaces, so there ain’t no need for no walls!”
What does it mean to you to have made it all the way to the grand finale?
“I manifested this day since the first time I got into drag, so to be here in this moment feels right. It feels correct. But I do know that the work is not quite over yet.”
How proud are you of the way that you showcased your drag and yourself in the finale?
“I am so proud. I feel like I represented every Black woman in the world. I feel like I represented Black culture and, most importantly, I represented myself so well.”
What has the support of fans throughout season 17 meant to you?
“It has been amazing. We haven’t had a lot of queens from Cleveland in Drag Race herstory, so the support that I’m getting from Cleveland, Ohio particularly has been amazing. Shout out to y’all. Cleveland rocks!”
As this season comes to an end, what do you want to bring to the world with your drag?
“More joy. I want to let people know that dreams really do come true if you work hard enough.”
Liza Minnelli is being honoured with this year’s Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award from Drag Race, how much of a Liza fan are you?
“I’m a huge, huge, huge Liza fan. One of my favourite songs to sing in drag is “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. It is one of the most iconic songs that I’ve heard her sing. It is a pleasure to be in the same space as Liza Minnelli.”
By James Kleinmann
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