Drag Queen Spotlight: "Drag was always the big pink elephant in the room ... "

After fleeing his sleepy boyhood home in the Poconos in 2009, Cesar Fernandez moved to Philly in search of a more-queer-friendly niche. Little did he know this would be the start of life as Celia Supernova.

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Drag Queen Spotlight: "Drag was always the big pink elephant in the room ... "

POSTED: Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Interview | LGBTQ

After fleeing his sleepy boyhood home in the Poconos in 2009, Cesar Fernandez moved to Philly in search of a more-queer-friendly niche. Little did he know this would be the birth of Celia Supernova!. I caught up with Ms. Celia at Tabu Lounge, where she'll be performing in Sinful Sundays on April 1.

City Paper: Tell me how you started doing drag.

CF: When I was 10, my sister had a Repunzel wig she bought for Halloween. I was always wearing it, and I literally have videos of me [wearing it while] lip-syncing to Britney Spears. I didn't realize the significance of what I was doing at the time, but I guess that could be considered my first attempt at drag. Then, in my first year in Philly, my roomate's boss was hosting a cupcake-eating contest and everyone was encouraged to come in costume. She dared me to come in drag, so I went to some store in the Gallery and tried on nine different dresses. It actually felt really natural to shop for women's clothes.

CP: How did you move from cupcake drag to your first live show?

CF: One of my roomates moved ... next door to the queen [Goddess Isis] who runs the Sinful Sundays show at Tabu. On the Fourth of July, I went to a barbecue at their house and I got to talk to the queen himself, who was super-sweet. He invited us to the show, and we loved it. I couldn't stop thinking how I wanted to be up there. When I told Isis, he was such a sweetheart about the whole thing. Any insecurities I had melted away. It was so nice to have someone in the drag community say, “You have my support”. It felt like it didn't matter how much I sucked, I had someone who believed in me.

CP: What is your drag persona and where do you draw inspiration?

CF: Her name is Celia Supernova! (Make sure you write the exclamation point or it's not spelled right.) “Celia” is cute and spicy; it fits me. “Supernova!” is a song I love that's really upbeat and happy. I tagged that on the end because that's who Celia is: happy and funny. You can't take yourself too seriously if you're doing drag ... but you have to be genuine. I'm not trying to mock people who are happy, because I'm genuinely happy, too. This is my exaggerated way of expressing it. I like bringing the camp, going over the top.

CP: Tell me about Celia's style.

CF: Celia's aesthetic is inspired by Euro-pop and dance groups. It's catchy music that people haven't heard but they'll enjoy right off the bat. We all grew up admiring pop stars, so I like incorporating that — their semi-fake, larger-than-life image. I'm also inspired by the strong women in my own life: my three sisters. They're all quirky and fun and great. It's hard to look in the mirror in drag and not see at least one of them.

CP: How did your family react to you doing drag?

CF: Right off the bat, one of my sisters was not into it. She used the words “disgusting” and “embarassing” and it really hurt. My younger sister, on the other hand, she's 19 and loves it. I'll post a picture on Facebook and she'll repost it like “my brother is serving, he's so great”. When I have a new concept for a lipsync, I'll run it by her. I know that if no one else gets it, she'll get it. She's the reason I haven't stopped.

CP: What other kinds of obstacles have you encountered on the road to becoming a drag queen?

CF: Well, when I first started doing drag, I thought there's no way I'm going to find a boyfriend. Surprisingly enough, a lot of people in the gay community who don't know about drag are very quick to judge. When I tried to meet men, [drag] was always the big pink elephant in the room. That blew my mind. I feel like they should have an understanding of what it's like to be different. It's not the reaction I expected from my fellow gays. When my last dating experience turned sour from the drag issue, I decided i'm done with dating. It may seem like a small thing, but drag is really important to me, and if someone can't respect that, then he's not worth it.

CP: What makes the drag scene in Philly unique?

CF: In a smaller city like this, there's less tradition to follow, so there's more freedom to do your own thing. I went to this one show and a queen was eating fire! For people who are new to the scene, I would say The Dollhouse Review at Voyeur is a good place to start. It's hosted by the notorious Mimi Imfurst, a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race. Her humor is raunchy; if she can offend you, she will. The Voyeur Show is a big production, with cocktail service and contests. At Tabu, it's more what they call “living room drag”. The performers are right there in your face. It's like you're sitting in your living room and all these drag queens showed up. Not only does the audience feel comfortable, but the queens do, too.

CP: What do you think of the impact of shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race, and the fact that drag is generally reaching more mainstream audiences?

CF: It's a good thing. Some queens hate on it because they think people watch the show and then just casually try their hand at drag instead of taking it seriously. But for me, growing up in a small town, it helped to see people like me on TV and realize, 'hey, I've done that already.' It helped awaken my inner queen. While it will no doubt bring some Johnny-come-latelys, it will also help to discover new talent. If these new queens are truly untalented, then time will tell. And if they're really good, it ups the competition for everyone. It makes the older queens live up to their name.

CP: What can we expect to see from Celia in the future?

CF: I recently auditioned for a gay reality show. If I make the cut, I would use the opportunity to really put myself out there. Even if I'm not on the show, drag will always be a part of my life — a small piece of the Cesar puzzle that I don't see ever going away. And for now, check her out at Sinful Sunday. I guarantee you, this will be my most obscure Swedish pop song to date, brought to the stage hot and fresh like only Celia can do.

Sunday, April 1, 11 p.m., $5, Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar, 200 S. 12th St.,215-964-9675, tabuphilly.com.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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