Jaida Essence Hall is the winner of season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and one of four queens who recently joined the rotating cast of the live-in-Las-Vegas version of the popular TV competition program. Since she first hit the stage at the Flamingo Showroom at the heart of the Strip, she’s been dedicated to taking it all in, “opening up to whatever experiences I can have that Vegas can offer me and what I can take from Vegas.” All the performers in this vibrant celebration of a show bring their own unique style and personality, and Hall’s creative spirit is an electric addition to RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!

Have you been enjoying your Las Vegas experience?

It’s been amazing. It’s a lot of work, and this is the first time I’ve done something so big as far as a production show, but it’s been really fun, especially being with all the girls in Drag Race. We’re having so much fun every night, not just onstage but backstage too, and living in Vegas is such a blast. It’s great to be able to see the city off the Strip.

You won on the last season of television’s RuPaul’s Drag Race to be filmed before the pandemic broke out. How did that affect you?

When our season started (being broadcast), we went out for a couple weeks of bookings, but just weekend shows. It did seem like life was really about to take off because I was out in L.A. and San Francisco and Hawaii, and then slowly everything started to get canceled. I was stuck in L.A. for a week, then I had to come home (to Milwaukee). It was difficult to have expectations from the (TV show) and then, for us, it was obviously not going to be like that, and figuring out what it was going to be after making this show that you dream about and having the dream altered. But obviously the pandemic was something no one has experienced before.

I’m sure that makes the Vegas show that much more meaningful for you.

We got really lucky because the fans love the (TV) show so much, and our season was a really good season and the fans have not forgotten us. We were nervous that we might miss out on that connection because of the pandemic, but thankfully, the fans have not forgotten us and they can still show so much support and love here in Las Vegas.

You have created many of your looks and costumes throughout your career. Is that common for a drag performer?

It is common, but also at the same time kind of not. A lot of queens don’t know how to sew, but there are a lot that do. Sewing has been so instrumental in my drag career, because being able to sit down at a machine and create my own garments, or even just sketching them, that has allowed me to create my own unique identity. Our clothes are like a fingerprint to us and what we do in drag.

What are some of your style inspirations?

Inspiration can come from a million different places, especially in drag, because your image can always change, from something extreme and wild to something subtle. I’ve definitely pulled from fashion magazines and runway shows, but there are also a lot of women that are super inspirational to me, and I pull strength and confidence from them to be confident in the looks I choose. Even when I don’t feel that way I’ve learned to play it up, and that’s part of drag but also part of getting by in the world in general.

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