You know, I think Beyoncé had it wrong. In her song “Diva,” she said “a diva is a female version of a hustler,” but I think it should have have been written “A Phoenix is a female version of a hustler,” because that’s what this queen does: hustle! You may recognize her season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race, or from her multiple jobs working at Burkhart’s, Jungle, Blake’s, Lips Atlanta and anywhere in between. I caught her in one of her down moments (which are few and far in between) and got to talk to her and get to know a little more about this hard working badass ATL queen!
Hi Phoenix! How are you, darling?
I’m fine, just catching my breath. I just walked in the door from a photo shoot!
Awesome! I can’t wait to see the pictures! Ok, so for those of us who don’t know Phoenix, won’t you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Brian Trapp, AKA Phoenix. I’ve been doing drag for about 12 years. People have seen me on RuPaul’s Drag Race, a couple of different movies and television shows. I’ve lived in Atlanta and LA, but I call Atlanta home.
So, where, and how, did you get your start doing drag?
Well, like I said, I started 12 years ago and it actually kind of started off as a little – not really a dare, but one of my best friends was always so excited about drag and obsessed with it even though he couldn’t do it, it just wasn’t for him. I was always into theater and dance and that kind of thing so he one day just talked me into it. We used to drive down from Cumming, GA to go to the bars and see Shawnna Brooks and I just remember being so amazed by her, and a couple of other queens in the city like EJ Aviance and Nicole; so all those girls but especially Shawnna. Whenever I could sneak into the bars (underage) to see her perform, I would definitely try and I was just obsessed with her. I got help from Martina Diamante and Nicole Paige Brooks and then I just started doing little talent shows and that kind of thing and 12 years later, here I am!
So, you said that Shawnna Brooks is one of your biggest inspirations, if not the biggest. Can you name some other people who have helped inspire you?
You know, now I really find inspiration from everywhere. I change a lot with my drag; like a phoenix, I’m always re-creating myself. My drag is always evolving. Inspiration comes from everywhere, whether it be other queens or anywhere else. I love fashion, it’s always around our apartment, we’re always talking about it and looking at pictures and videos. It just comes from everywhere!
Like you said, you’re always changing, always evolving, so what kind of queen would you classify yourself as?
I don’t really classify myself as any certain type of drag queen. I do drag, I’m an artist. And I think, as an artist, you just kind of go with it. And doing make up, to me, is very therapeutic. Sometimes I may have an idea for a look and I don’t know how it’s going to play out until I’m finished. It’s definitely like an artist with a canvas, you know? Like, they’ll sit down and have an idea about what they want to paint but they don’t really know how it’s going to end up. It’s the same situation with me.
So, I don’t really have a style. I love everything from androgyny to high glamour. I’ve always described my style as “glamorous edge.” I love the high fashion, glamorous part of drag but I like to have an edge, too. So, even if I do something that’s androgynous, I still try to have some type of femininity to it.
Fabulous! So how has life been for you since RuPaul’s Drag Race?
All the girls from Drag Race talk about what a “rollercoaster ride” that show is and it is just that. You literally deal with people all over the world, since Drag Race doesn’t just show in the States. I get emails, Facebook messages, Tweets from all over the world and you know [laughs] sometime’s they’re not that great. It’s slowed down a little bit but I still get hate mail and all that kinda stuff. But it’s honestly cancelled out by the amounts of love I get from people from all over. It definitely has put me in a bigger spotlight for that type of criticism and exposure, but it definitely comes in handy. I’ve had opportunities to travel a lot; it’s just been a great, great thing. I tell all the girls to definitely audition for it!
It’s a huge plus, and as with any plus, it has its negative points, but it’s definitely worth it.
If you had a second chance, would you go back and compete in RuPaul’s Drag Race – hint hint, RuPaul – would you do it?
I would do it again! I would love to do it again, actually. You know, I tell queens all the time, who ask me about auditioning, make sure you are ready. And, I think when I went on it, I wasn’t ready for it. And it doesn’t even mean your drag aesthetic, I mean mentally. It’s a mental game that I was just not prepared for what went on the set of Drag Race. You know, it’s such a stressful situation but I’ve grown so much as an artist, so much as a person, ya know? I’d definitely love to go back!
Speaking of competition, tell me about Dragnificent, your competition at Jungle!
We’ve held Dragnificent a few times before, so I’m excited about a new season. I love competitions like this! Drag is so hard to get involved with here in Atlanta, cause there’s So. Many. Queens! Atlanta is a Mecca for drag & it’s just really hard to get in here. So this kind of opens the door to newer queens for them to come in and it’s a great way to grow and gain exposure. One of the biggest things I look at when I cast these things is a girl’s got to have the want to do this. Like I said, this city is so full of entertainers so if she doesn’t have the want and the passion and the drive, then I really don’t have the want or the passion of the drive to help you out.
Out of the 11 girls that you have cast for this season, who is your favorite?
[Laughs] Oh! I can’t answer that! You know, the great thing about this season is there are so many new girls that I haven’t had the opportunity to work with yet, and I love it. There are a couple of girls that when they messaged me on Facebook, I told them that I was intrigued with them. And that’s such a breath of fresh air for me. I’ve been doing this for a long time and, there are some amazing talents here in Atlanta, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen girls that I’ve been a little intrigued by, and I can’t wait to see what they do and what they bring.As far as picking a favorite, there are girls that I have known going in to this competition and I’m partial to them. But that doesn’t mean they’re a favorite. Not at all!
If you could choose one celebrity, or non-celebrity, to throw in drag, who would it be?
Well, my favorite actor is Johnny Depp. I just think he is amazing, with whatever character he is, he brings them to life, and just to the extreme! He would be fun to put in drag because I would love to see what he would do with a drag character.
So what’s next for you? What’s coming up in the life of Phoenix?
Oh my God, it’s crazy. I have so much going on at this moment. I just took over the position of Entertainment Director at Burkhart’s, so that’s a new little situation for me! We’re about to do some big changes at Burkhart’s. And now that I have that under my belt, when needed, I’m also the entertainment director at Jungle. Plus doing my actual shows [during the week]: Tuesdays at Jungle for We Are Family; Wednesdays, I have Dragnficent; Thursday, I have Dancefloor Divas; Fridays, I’m at Burkhart’s; Saturdays, I’m at Jungle; and Sunday, I am now the host over at Lips Atlanta over on Buford Highway.
So, just drag, drag, drag, drag, drag, drag. Plus out of town gigs; I’m in Fort Lauderdale and I have 2 gigs in North Carolina coming up. Plus, I’m about to start working with an amazing DJ, DJ Cindel, and his music is so hot right now. We’ve decided to do a little collaboration when we slow down a little bit! When Drag Race started, producers would hit me up and I just could not find someone who fit the idea, but Cindel and I, our ideas mesh and we get it. So, we’re gonna come together and see what we can come up with!
Fabulous! Well, I’m so stoked for everything you’re doing! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me and I can’t wait to see you out and about, six nights a week!
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Follow Phoenix on Twitter at @Phoenix_ATL or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Phoenix.ATL!