As the first Belgian queen to compete on the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise (as part of the inaugural cast of Drag Race Holland) Sederginne walked into the workroom with something to prove. During her tenure on the show, she was able to show her fellow competitors that comedy queens can also be glamorous (and quite striking out of drag, an opinion shared by the Drag Race online fandom). I sat down with this Belgian bombshell to talk about her Drag Race Holland experience, her very early and one of a kind start in drag, and what it’s like being able to perform in such ultra exclusive locales like the island of Mykonos season after season.
Michael Cook: You are the first Belgian to compete on the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise. What does that feel like?
Sederginne: That is true, I am the first Belgian ever on Drag Race, I am very proud! Although there is a queen who is saying that she is the first Brazilian queen, that is not true (laughs).
MC: You are also part of the first cast of Drag Race Holland, so you are truly breaking barriers all over. What does that feel like?
S: As the first queen from Belgian, I do have to represent my country and it better be good, the drag scene in Belgium is so big! I live between Belgian and Holland, so I am a well known drag queen in Holland. Yes, to be the first Belgian queen the pressure was definitely on! I am sad to leave now, but I am so proud as to what all the girls have done on Drag Race Holland.
MC: Drag Race Holland is giving viewers who may not have the chance to see the drag scene there a chance to check it out and see what the queens have to offer. What is the scene for drag in Belgium like?
S: Drag in Belgium is totally different than the drag in Holland. In Holland they perform more in bars, whereas in Belgium drag shows we have more big productions. Choreography, drag queens with big feathers, productions on stage, it’s almost like Moulin Rouge, what we do. Except what I do, I will always be the comedy of the show, running through the show and being the crazy one!
MC: You have done drag since you were fifteen years old. Did you always know that you were be destined to be a performer?
S: Yes, absolutely. Since I was very young, I wanted to go to acting school, which I did. I think around the age of eight I saw my first drag show in a street festival in the town that I grew up in. There, I made the decision that this is what I want to do and this is what I am going to do. It did take another seven years after that to take my first step as a drag queen. And then I took my first step as a drag queen-cleaning toilets.
MC: How did your entry into the glittering world of drag involve cleaning toilets?
S: They were looking for a toilet lady in a drag bar. I told them that I would be there toilet lady. They were really looking for a woman to do it for the social part of it, and I told them not to worry, “you will have a toilet lady!” I arrived in full drag with two eyebrows, rouge, and mascara and that was my first step as a drag queen.
MC: You have a vast amount of experience and have traveled worldwide, and you are also a pageant queen. What was it like bringing such a vast amount of talent to the Drag Race stage and utilizing them there?
S: It was a big honor to be on drag race and to show the world what Sedergine has in her pocket. I also wanted to show that comedy queens are not a second hand drag in a fucked up wig that they got from another sister. You can be a comedy queen and still be a glam queen and still do so many things. Comedy is so out of the box and so wide and I think people sometimes have the wrong idea about comedy queens. That is something that I really wanted to break and I really hope that I did.
MC: You travel to the island of Mykonos in Greece and perform there with other queens, like Athena Dion from Miami. What is it like bringing your talents to such a worldwide destination like Mykonos?
S: There are only seven drag queens from across the world on the entire island, and Athena is one of them and is one of my good friends from Mykonos. I did a show for Pride with her several years ago. Mykonos is a next level vacation island and it’s gorgeous. I was so happy when they asked my five years ago to do the first season there. It’s very Greek and it was almost like a competition of sorts to get my show, but I did it and got my own show!
MC: As 2021 quickly approaches, what do you want the new year to bring?
S: First of all, Let’s hope this bitch of a Coronavirus flies out of here! I used to take more planes than taxis actually, so I want to travel again. I get so much love and support from all over the world, and I want to travel to some places that you would never think of, like Argentina and Brazil. Those people have been so supportive, and I want to meet those people, see them and perform for them. I want to show them what Sederginne can do!
MC: Out of drag, you are the man that everyone is talking about and you are provably the thirst trap of of the first season of Drag Race Holland.
S: You know that is so wild, because I never looked at myself as a “hot guy” or something. I used to be bigger and then I lost all this weight, but I still never looked at myself and said “now I’m beautiful”, but here we are (laughs)!
MC: How have you stayed creatively fueled during this time in the world?
S: You know, I have stayed creative by getting into the online world and really getting into the web, it is so big. You can find so many ways to really keep yourself going, which I did. Being creative in Holland, I smoke pot and then I get really creative for my act (laughs). Coronoa does not stop me from being creative. My mind is always turning around to do new things. Everything I see in life, I save in my memory and come home and think “that was a situation! Can I make it an act or a parody?” Coronavirus has not made me slow down or be less creative; maybe it has even made me more creative you know?
“Drag Race Holland” airs Thursday on WOW Presents Plus
Follow Sederginne on Instagram