Drag Queen Spotlight: Miss Shu Mai Talks Anime, K-Pop, And Early Drag

June 24, 2023
JORDAN JAYRO

Hello there! And welcome to this week’s edition of Drag Queen Spotlight (DJ airhorn sound)! This week we’re getting to know Los Angeles’ own Miss Shu Mai!! Miss Shu Mai is a sickening performer and a beautiful queen. She and I met around six years ago at a drag brunch we did together. Since then, Miss Shu Mai has slayed the drag scene! She’s an incredible dancer and even teaches dance! This interview is so fun! I can’t wait for you to see it! Be sure to follow Miss Shu Mai on Instagram, and check out her answers below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

How did you get your drag name?

I knew I always wanted a name that celebrates my heritage and culture. During rehearsal for my first drag performance, I let out a stream of consciousness to one of my dancers: "I want a name like Kim Chi but Chinese. What if it was Shu Mai?" and the rest is history!

How long have you been doing drag?

I have been doing drag since 2016, so about 7 years now!

When is your birthday? How old are you?

My birthday is September 6, and I am 29!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

Relationship status?

Single (any eligible bachelors?)

What was your first time in drag like?

My first time in drag was actually at Anime Expo in 2016 dressed up as a gijinika of mega shiny Lopunny (a Pokemon). It was both nerve-wracking to present in a very different expression than normal, and the journey has really caused me both to face and embrace the discomfort around femininity.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

What made you want to start doing drag?

Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a Sailor Scout like Sailor Moon, or like the protagonists from Final Fantasy X-2. These beautiful and powerful ladies were my role models growing up. Later in life, I expressed wanting to dress up like one of these girls and my friends said people would laugh at me, so I locked that dream away along with any desire of presenting more femme. In 2016, while I was working at my nonprofit job, I expressed wanting to go in drag to Anime Expo, and my coworker, Maria Roman, who is now the VP of the TransLatina Coalition, became my drag mom!

Who inspires your drag (celebrities, other queens, etc.)?

A lot of what inspires my drag are K-pop idols, anime/video game characters, and many other queens and artists! To name a few from each category, Chungha, Twice, Dynasty Warriors girls, Kill la Kill, Slayrizz, and all of LA's API Drag artists.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

Favorite song/artist to lip sync to?

Hard question, but right now I love a good sexy R&B number. One I recently did was “Sex on the Ceiling” by Sevyn Streeter.

Have you ever hooked up in drag?

Yes, and in Blue Eyes White drag queen drag at that!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

What’s your favorite thing about drag?

That I get to do this to build community and be an unapologetically queer and Asian star that the younger me wishes she had!

What are your hobbies outside of drag?

I love gaming and cooking! I'm pretty good at Pokemon Unite and I make a mean chili oil.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve witnessed in a dressing room?

Other queens’ faces. Just joking, not sure honestly - probably a drunken emotional breakdown or two.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Shu Mai | 梁燒賣 (@missshumai)

Biggest pet peeve about working with other drag queens?

When they're racist and/or do problematic numbers! I've seen basically Yellowface for drag numbers a few too many times!

Biggest pet peeve about audiences in nightclubs?

When they get on stage while you're performing or think they can touch you without consent!

Any advice for someone wanting to start doing drag?

Have fun and enjoy the journey -- nerd out about different aspects of drag and let the passion drive you! When I first started, I'd practice makeup any chance I got. Then the next fixation was hair, then sewing, and beyond! Drag gives you the power to be who you want to be, who you needed to be for yourself. Use drag as a canvas to express all of you! I use drag to reconnect with my ancestry and divine femininity, and that power is available to you too!