“For the first time in a long time I’m looking in the mirror and feeling like my drag is fully valid.”
It’s been nearly a week since Sabrina Silva also known by stage name ZaZa Gigante was crowned Miss Louisiana USofA Diva and as I sat comfortably in their home receiving the first post pageant interview the glow of the win was still apparent in their cheshire smile. From sitting impatiently by the phone hoping for a win to now, it all seems to have happened in the blink of an eye but ZaZa’s journey to the world of drag pageants has been several years in the making. In this exclusive interview with Knight Life, we’ll be hearing a bit more from Louisiana’s newest title holder and I know you’re as eager to read the tea* as I am to write about it.
Get comfy, turn those notifications on silent and welcome to the Knight Life!
Steven: It’s really, really good to finally sit with you after the pageant. Tell me all about it, how was the experience for you and was participating in your first pageant anything like you ever imagined?
ZaZa: I don’t think there is ever a way to fully prepare for what I felt while competing, and you definitely can’t perfectly imagine the experience. You always get nervous, especially when you’re there. Everybody brings their A-game and all i could think was., ‘am i gonna be able to keep up?’ I was most surprised at how fast it went, it was over in the blink of an eye but I ended up with a crown on my head so I must have done something right! said Zaza pointing to the luxuriously studded crown.
Steven: And win you did! Let’s take a quick step back and look into the past, talk about how this all began for you, this was your first pageant and making the decision to compete wasn’t easy. You’ve been doing drag for a few years and debuted as a performer while fighting cancer, how did you get the courage to put yourself out there?
ZaZa: Well, when I started performing it was to feel seen, especially, with everything that was going on with my health. During that time I found people who believed in me and wanted me to push myself to keep going even though I didn’t think I was capable. Performing, eventually becoming a show director, it all felt like I was building to something though I wasn’t sure what. Now I’m here but all of it is only possible because I stopped getting in my own way; I was nervous about my next steps and engaging in a lot of negative self-talk before. For my first time in a pageant, it was incredible. I’d do it again tomorrow, granted I’d need a little rest but I’d do it! It was exhausting but all the work, tears, pain and fighting through what was going on in my personal life was all worth it. For the first time in a long time I’m looking in the mirror and feeling like my drag is fully valid.
“I’m able to celebrate being the first non-binary, Latinx queen to ever win the state of Louisiana”
Steven: Can we sit on this thought for a second? Let’s talk about your drag and gaining a sense of validity. The pageant was for AFAB* queens and we understand that there is pressure on women performing drag to always be at their best. What is it like to be a woman in the drag scene, though we know you do identify as non-binary? Do people perceive your drag as invalid or that maybe you have advantages?
ZaZa: I wish I had an advantage, drag is work you have to be invested in fully no matter who you are. Drag performance as an art form has a long and storied history. We know women were not always allowed to be actors, it was perceived as dangerous and abominable so men would dawn women’s clothing. As performance art and drag specifically has evolved it’s become an outlet for everyone: men, women, non-binary folks to be larger than life figures, find themselves and overcome societal notions of what it means to be beautiful. You can be the heightened and most potent version of yourself, it’s incredible. I’m not a traditional drag queen and if I as a woman don’t show up to a gig with hair, makeup (get more info about hawaii lotions from this link), every outfit every time I perform it’s ‘oh she’s just a woman playing dress up’, ‘she’s just out there lip syncing.’ Having a pageant like this is so important for AFAB queens because it legitimizes us in the community.
Steven: Speaking of the community, your identity meets at a lot of beautiful intersections. You’re queer, Latinx, non-binary and were able to be a potential point of inspiration for people who may not have seen someone you represent at a pageant like this and may now seriously consider investing in their own goals. What do you think this accomplishment might mean to anyone who might look up to you and follow your journey as a performer?
ZaZa: You can only hope that when you do anything you’re giving voice to marginalized communities and I being that I embody so many of them it’s important for me to stand in spaces where it may not be “common” for someone like me to. The most notable folks in our history books are those who went out, broke barriers and lived authentically to make it easier for others to do the same in their way.
Steven: Speaking of breaking barriers you won in a really significant way! Not only have you been crowned as Miss Louisiana USofA Diva 2022 but you placed first in every category which in itself is a statistically amazing feat! How do you feel and where do you hope to go from here?
ZaZa: Honestly, I don’t know how to completely express the level of gratitude I feel after this experience. I’m so humbled by this shared achievement, there was a team of people who got me here. My only focus was to showcase my drag authentically, to be myself and I believe I completed that goal. Whether I won or lost, it was going to be an incredible learning experience that would prepare me for challenges in my personal life and the rest of my professional career. With that said, having won I’m able to celebrate being the first non-binary, Latinx queen to ever win the state of Louisiana. If I learned anything this past weekend it’s that who I am is lovable, there are people honestly rooting for my growth and success, that’s what’s worth being most excited about.
Steven: You know it’s one thing when you read about it, another when you see the video of your winner’s announcement but hearing all of this from you is even more moving. Let’s talk about your platform, what will you be running on and what positive impact do you hope to make?
ZaZa: I’m looking at this opportunity as one to bring folks into the community, those who haven’t found the voice and courage to be who they are. Creating safe and accessible spaces where we center authentic self expression and leverage allyships to help make that possible is a priority. It’s about community outreach and representation, we flock to people and places where we see ourselves; when we all have equal opportunity to participate in our community, truly buy into it, that’s when it can grow and be more viable for all sorts of people to live and thrive in. If there’s one thing I can selfishly hope for it’s that a year from now at my give up I’ll look into the crowd and see the faces of folks I didn’t when I won, people who found the courage to seek community and their place in it without fear.
“We are all living duct tape and dreams.”
Steven: I really love and resonate with that a lot. The idea we’re here to make this community more viable for all people to participate in and inspire them to go out, live loudly and in turn inspire the next person to do the same is incredible. What’s one thing you’ve walked away from this pageant having learned about yourself or the community?
ZaZa: I think with everything I had going on personally prior to this experience it was a battle with myself not to give up. It’s easy to crumble under pressure but harder to show up for yourself and go after what you want even when it feels like you’re being barraged by adversities. For the first time in my life, I’m actively advocating for myself and successfully. And still I had moments of feeling like an imposter or being unqualified to stand amongst so many incredible talents, all the way until I was announced as the winner. I’ve gained a lot of confidence through this process and I’ve realized I was my biggest hurdle in life, now that I’m here I feel so happy and confident. I don’t ever want to go back to how I felt before.
Steven: First congratulations on such a major accomplishment and so much personal growth, you have obviously worked very hard to be here and have earned it. Ok, so before we wind this down let’s turn it to the reader. There may be someone facing seemingly impossible odds in their personal life, a person who is afraid to be their true selves, perhaps it’s an individual who just needs a little push to go after something they want. What words of advice or encouragement would you give to them?
ZaZa: I think, especially, because social media encompasses so much of our lives it’s easy to forget that most of us are living duct tape and dreams trying to simply make it from one moment to the next and appear like we have it all together but that is not an everyday reality, who people think they see is not our authentic self. We all deserve to live in our truth no matter how messy and if you’re doing anything but being your truest self you’re wasting precious time. It’s important to realize all of us are battling our own demons and trauma, even the people we admire. But the reason we admire them so much is because they are living in their truth and fighting for what they want out of life, you can have all of that too. There are people who will stand behind you and support your every step. I had every person in this community behind me going into a pageant I felt I wasn’t going to win and now I’m able to say “look what we did.” There is room for everybody to experience that level of love and support, we all can win!
So, what’d you think? That was our interview with THE ZaZa Gigante, your Miss USofA Diva Louisiana 2022! We’re all eager to see their next performance and I totally didn’t forget to ask when we’ll be able to. You can see Zaza at Central Station for their first official walk as Miss Louisiana USofA Diva THIS weekend February 5th at 11pm! The first official “bringing home of the crown” show will be at Bear’s on Fairfield, February 25th at 11pm and feature Kandy Cayne, Jacquelyn Cayne, Ladi Phat Kat, Jade DeVayne and of course Zaza for a memorable performance you don’t want to miss.
For more content like this make sure to follow Knight Life on Facebook and Instagram and of course don’t you dare forget to follow the effervescent Zaza Gigante on Facebook and Instagram as well.
