The Top Four contestants on this Season of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. was a beyond lofty accomplishment, as the roster of contestants on the second season of the Emmy-winning Drag Race franchise was beyond stellar. Scotland’s Ellie Diamond, despite battles with co-stars and a couple now-legendary lip syncs, managed to focus on eye-popping looks and raw talent to push her way through the completion. As Diamond prepares for a long-awaited tour schedule to start filling up, she caught up with me to chat about her Drag Race U.K. experience, that now-famous running order drama, and how she is ready to now share the “creative, weird and expressive” performer that Ellie Diamond is with the world.
MC: Right off the bat, as a former McDonald’s employee, it is crucial that I know: what is your favorite meal? Do you think we might see you back behind the cash register in a post-RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. world?
Ellie Diamond: McChicken sandwich with cheese, large fries and a large Fanta! Go back?-absolutely not (laughs)! My intro outfit that was McDonald’s themed was certainly something though!
MC: How do you look back on the entire RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. experience as a whole, now that it is in the rearview mirror?
ED: You know, the whole experience was a lead up of so many great things. I have worked so hard within Dundee and tried to make a bit of a scene there. I have tried to help further other queens careers, even though the pandemic definitely didn’t help with that.
MC: Did you ever think that if people just could get exposed to the Scottish drag scene, they would see how amazing it is?
ED: That is just what it is. You go into London and before the pandemic, so many queens were working and there is just so much going on. Up in Scotland, it just isn’t. There is so much beyond Lawrence (Chaney) and I, we are just two from a really good bunch. You may get people to follow you on Instagram, but there is so much talent up here, we just need people to notice it and pay attention.
MC: The running order in one of the final challenges was decided by you and it definitely caused a bit of controversy. Was that a strategy on your part?
ED: Of course it was strategy (laughs)! The night before the challenge, we get some clues as to what we are going to be doing and we were told it would be singing. I thought “I’ve already won”, I went home, rehearsed that song, and wrote the running order that night. I thought how it would work best for me; I won, so therefore, I get to decide.
MC: You have made it to the pages of the fashion bible, Vogue Magazine, which is a monumental accomplishment. What is your influence and inspiration behind your looks?
ED: I take inspiration from everything. Anything bright, colorful, I love playing with the eclectic, and get inspiration from here, there and everywhere. I find inspiration from anywhere really; If I am in the park and I see a little dog in a purse for example, I will create a look where I am the little dog in the purse. If its bright and colorful and fun, I create something where I want to express that in my look.
MC: Your season of Drag Race U.K. is filled with dramatic moments and truly amazingly talented performers. After making it to the Top Four, is there anything that you regret?
ED: No, I dont think I would have changed anything about the experience that we had. The pandemic actually had to happen because we all got to go home in the middle because the stuff I had brought before was shit (laughs)! I needed a couple of new good looks for going back, so everything happens for a reason. There are no regrets from our experience and the wonderful moments that we all shared together.
MC: Now that we all are going to be emerging vaccinated and ready to take in live shows again, what do you want to do as a performer?
ED: What do I not want to do? We just had our Top 4 tour announced, and I have a solo tour coming up in the middle of this year. There are a couple of other tours and I want to go out and share the creative, weird and expressive performances that I do. It’s another side of me; you see the glamourous, beautiful and fun-loving Ellie Diamond, but when I perform I love to do comedy mixes and do soundbite on top of music mixes. I did a Wizard of Oz one where Dorothy was furious at Glinda and started ripping her apart with her ruby slippers, just crazy and weird performances!
MC: How do you think RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. has changed you as a performer and a person?
ED: It sort of has made me for confident in who I am. Before Drag Race, I was a confident person, but watching it back especially, has made me be challenged in the creative expression that I have. I have always known that I was good at makeup, but seeing it on television and getting judges critiques, then hearing it from fans about how talented I was and how young I am, was great. I don’t look at every photo and post and think they are perfect, because nothing it perfect. I don’t strive for perfection; I strive for polish and the finishing touches; those are the little details that people remember that make me a little bit more special.
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