By Denny Patterson
As the winner of Miss Miami Beach Pride 2014 and Ultimate Miami Drag Queen 2015, as well as the first alternate to Miss Florida Continental 2010, it’s no wonder that TP Lords is the total package.
Based in Hollywood, Lords can serve up just about anything one can imagine. From traditional glam and avant-garde to pop singer realness and neon creature of the night, this drag entertainer and choreographer is an expert at versatility and will always give audiences a top-notch performance. Currently, she can primarily be seen slaying the stage at The Manor and Alibi’s.
Additionally, Lords is a mother in the original ballroom House of Lords, and she encourages anyone to contact her for advice and guidance.
Lords took some time to answer some questions for OutClique.
Denny Patterson: Thank you for taking some time to chat with me, TP! Can you begin by telling us what kind of queen you are?
TP Lords: I am simply just a performance artist. My style and aesthetic varies, and that’s why I’m the total package. I am a variety of everything. I could be a pageant queen one day, a club kid the next.
DP: How did you discover your love and passion for drag?
TPL: I always loved performing, singing live, and dancing as a child, but I didn’t know much about drag until I saw RuPaul in the music video for “Supermodel.” I said, she’s kind of strange looking, but I had no idea what drag was. I hadn’t put two and two together. I just knew that I loved her shoes (laughs). I’ve always been in love with shoes. So, being the Aquarius that I am, I began creating art and fashion, and letting the creativity flow. I would go out and dress up in drag and go out to the parties. I started clubbing at a very young age, and I would dress up so that I wouldn’t get ID’d. While I was creating looks, I got noticed, and then I started walking balls for the House of Lords and winning trophies for all those different categories. Finally, I started performing. I knew that I wanted to pursue entertainment, but I didn’t know how it was going to happen. It was basically all laid out for me.
DP: Was there an ‘aha’ moment where you were like, yes, this is what I was meant to do?
TPL: I guess my ‘aha’ moment was when I was 23 years old. I left my day job to pursue drag full-time. I decided it was time to believe in myself a little more, and this was when drag was still frowned upon and not considered a real job. They would say, you’re going to be on drugs and alcohol, and things like that. That might have happened a lot back in those days, but now, drag is like a business. You can do all sorts of things with your drag career.
DP: Where can we usually see you perform?
TPL: I perform at The Manor, and I primarily perform at Alibi’s. I’m there three days a week. Thursday evening, Saturday brunch, and Monday karaoke.
DP: What can one always expect from a TP Lords performance?
TPL: They can always expect to be wowed with the performance, the art, the lights – I’m bringing my mind and creativity to the stage!
DP: Is that how you would say TP Lords stands out from other South Florida drag queens?
TPL: I guess so. Everybody has creative parts to them, but the style, aesthetic, and performance I bring is always going to be right and true to who I am.
DP: You mentioned that you are also a part of the House of Lords?
TPL: Yes! I am part of the original ballroom House of Lords. We have created such a wonderful gay family. We don’t really walk balls anymore, but we created this big loving and supporting family for the LGBTQ community, especially the youth. We are their support system.
DP: How many drag children do you have?
TPL: A lot of them have done drag just to do drag, and a lot of them do drag professionally. So, professional queens, I would say about 10.
DP: Wow, you must be a busy mother!
TPL: I know, right? And then the House of Lords has over 100 children that have either passed or are not as active, but we have our children who are active now.
DP: What is your number one piece of motherly advice to any aspiring drag artist?
TPL: My advice to any up-and-coming drag performer would be, enjoy what you’re doing and make sure you have a great time while performing. Get out there, and don’t be afraid to put in the work. Let your talent speak for itself.
DP: What are your thoughts about drag constantly evolving and becoming more and more mainstream?
TPL: I think it’s amazing! Luckily, we’re here in South Florida, where it’s more liberal and less confined. I would love to see that happening in other cities. I’ve been to other cities, and it’s not like that out there. They don’t do private events, or there may be one bar that they’re allowed to perform in, and all the drag queens in the city are fighting to work at that bar. Here in South Florida, we can perform anywhere.
DP: There are plenty of options.
TPL: Yes, we have plenty of options here in South Florida. I consider myself very lucky to be a South Floridian because we do have a lot more acceptance and gay culture here.
DP: You’ve also auditioned for RuPaul’s Drag Race, haven’t you?
TPL: I’ve auditioned seven or eight times! It’s like the gay lottery (laughs).
DP: Do you have any aspirations to keep trying?
TPL: Oh, for sure! I will definitely continue to audition when I have the time. The opportunity will sometimes pop up on you, and they’ll give you around a month to audition, but that can be difficult with our schedules. Especially in January because we have all these parties happening here in South Florida. My schedule is really full around that time, so it can be challenging to put together an audition video, make it good, and make it worth it. It’s then sometimes aggravating when you don’t hear back from anyone because you’re putting all this work in, and you don’t even get a message back from them. You find out who made it when the new season is announced. It’s like, I just spent three days straight in drag making video content and costumes for you guys! But I am determined and I will continue to audition.
DP: What are some of your interests outside of drag?
TPL: Spending time with my family and going out and living life. Enjoying what I can do, and also just getting into creating more stuff for myself and other people.
DP: What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your drag career and platform?
TPL: I would love to start creating some of my own little events here. I am starting a drag consignment sip n’ shop called Consignment Queens Sip n’ Shop, so I’m getting all the girls together so we can sell costumes, raise money, and do different things for charities in that way. We want to always continue to support our community.
