SPOTLIGHT: MS. OLIVIA CHIN

I had the chance to meet up with one of Toronto’s newest and hottest Drag Queen Stars: Olivia Chin. She’s fun loving, sexy, but has a bitchy side, too.

Ben: How did you get into the biz?

Olivia: My old roomie is a drag queen and gave me inspiration. Lying in bed one day I thought, I want to paint on a different surface!  So I got up, tried her makeup and loved it. I grew up with a modelling and visual arts background so I thought this would be cool. My drag mom, Mahogany Brown, got me my first makeup and clothes. Soon after that I entered my first competition, Candace’s Star Search, and I won it!

Ben: Who are your major influences?

Olivia: My initial inspiration was Nina Flowers from the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.  I have her pictures in my room, right above my bed. She’s so unique and muscular but pulls off an extreme form of drag. Candace Kelly is another role model of mine. She’s like a mother to all us Toronto queens. She teaches us all through everything… she’s just an amazing soul. Love her to pieces!

Ben: You’re known for doing wild and crazy eye shadowing and colouring. Who does your makeup?

Olivia: I do it all myself. I don’t believe in drag queens being drag queens if they don’t do things for themselves because you’re not being a professional impersonator if someone is helping you do it.

Ben: What’s your favourite underwear?

Olivia: Oh my jeezus! It’s hard to say. I like a lot of different types. Aussiebum is definitely one of my favourites. When I’m doing shows, though, I wear all girl stuff. Honestly, dollar store pantyhose is what we end up wearing.  That stuff, because it rips so easily, you can’t be picky.

Ben: You seem to do well and keeping a trim waistline, do you have any advice for any budding performers who need help losing some chunk?

Olivia: Keep on dancin’! Purge… I’m totally kidding! (laughs) But seriously, dance like crazy and go to the gym!

Ben: What’s your favourite candy?

Olivia: Those gummy coca-colas! I love my sugar. But I have to cut down, it makes me phlegm up. Hence why I spit so much. It’s disgusting!

Ben: What songs are you going to do for your next performance?

Olivia: Honestly, I do a lot of improv. I do pop songs that people know like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Evanescence. I like to do fun stuff. Usually one of my sets is what I like to call my “bitch set” because it’ll be songs that basically say boys suck and fuck you! (laughs). I’m really excited for my next show. I always have so much fun and get so plastered!

THE SHOW

Originally, Olivia had invited me to a show of hers in mid- October.  She’s rather busy with school and her non-singing/dancing job as a crisis counsellor, so it came as quite a surprise when an excited Olivia belted over the phone: “This girl’s got a show tonight!”

Apparently, Nicolette Browne didn’t realize that there were four weeks in a month and didn’t clue in that she had one more Wednesday to go. So after the managers at Crews & Tango couldn’t find a way to get Nicolette out of bed, they called their favourite hottie – Ms. Chin.

Olivia had received the call in the middle of a bowling game. She immediately raced home grabbed her hottest black boots, some sequins and ran to the club. She and Catherine Dior were the evening’s saucy hosts.

I arrived at around 11:30pm; the bar was packed and Olivia was hungry for attention. “Are you ladies ready for the next song?!” she belted to the crowd.

Throughout the night she performed fun and sexy numbers:  Alexandra Burke’s Broken Heel got a huge response from the crowd. A heavy breathing, gin-sipping twink behind me grabs his friend and screams the way girls used to scream for the Beach Boys:  Olivia had them like putty.

Overall the show was very impressive. Olivia’s black dress that has sequins that “read like Braille” -- as she puts it--along with her peacock-esque makeup seem to be a style that is embraced by the queer gals, trannies and guys of the scene. Good luck Olivia!