Highland drag queen Holly Chic given chance to perform on stage at Glasgow's Hydro during RuPaul's Drag Race Werq The World Tour show
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A regular face on the Highland drag scene recently got the chance to put in the performance of a lifetime at the RuPaul's Drag Race Werq The World show in Glasgow.
Holly Chic, originally from Dingwall, was one of a number of drag queens who attended the show as a fan, and was picked out of the collection to perform on stage alongside some of the most prominent drag queens in the world.
Drag Race winners Jaida Essence Hall and Aquaria were part of the line-up for the show alongside other stars from the show like Ginger Minj, which has been touring the world in various iterations since May 2017.
Becoming a global phenomenon as a result of the success of Drag Race, many people have been inspired to give the art form a go for themselves.
For most, like Chic, that means playing in bars and clubs – which can at times feel like a whole other world than stages as big and bright as The Hydro in Glasgow.
Even having performed at other shows, then, it was a moment that is yet to really sink in.
"It's been crazy – it almost feels like I've been watching a movie of my life, it's wild," Chic said.
"I still think about it every day, and I constantly go back to look at my Instagram and see the videos and the pictures and think about how proud I am. It still hasn't really sunk in yet.
"Earlier this year I booked tickets for the Werq The World Tour, and I was supposed to go with my partner but then I ended up wanting to go with my cousin who let me down.
"I ended up going with my mum, which was my last resort, because if she didn't go I wouldn't have gone at all.
"I got all my outfits packed and made my way to Glasgow, and messaged a photographer the night before to take some photos and videos of me outside the Hydro, which turned out amazing.
"After the interval of the show, Ginger Minj from RuPaul's Drag Race asked all drag artists to come down to the front, and they introduced us and picked me to go up on stage against Gigi L'Amore – another drag queen from Glasgow.
"We had a lip sync lollapalooza, and it was epic. I got some really good footage of it, and it was so fun."
Chic had already decided to attend the show in full drag and get pictures outside The Hydro, regardless of what that might lead to.
There was no guarantee of being called on to the stage – but that did not stop a feeling of excitement from building in the days before the show.
Having performed at a Halloween Drag Night at the Seaforth Club in Elgin the following weekend, Chic is already feeling the benefits of the confidence boost that came with being under the brightest of lights.
"Honestly, in the days leading up to it I almost felt like it was going to happen," Chic explained.
"I said that to Gigi L'Amore backstage, I felt like it was going to happen because I was showing up in drag. I had to be picked!
"I just put my all into it. What a night.
"I even got a follow on Instagram from one of the queens on the show, and she was super sweet telling me I had slayed it. It was so good.
"There were mostly saying how well both of us did. I never really said anything other than I loved them, and they should keep doing what they're doing.
"I've been on their social medias commenting and saying thank you, and they've just kept telling me I smashed it.
"I was 100 per cent more confident coming back up north and performing.
"I don't think I'll ever top the Hydro, at least until I go back on to a stage like that. It was literally thousands of people cheering for you. It was the biggest rush ever.
"Going from that to something that was a lot more personal, it felt a little bit downsized, but everyone was still lovely at the Elgin show."
While being able to perform in a building with a five-figure capacity was the stuff of dreams, it has only inspired Chic to keep working hard to hit those heights on a more regular basis.
"I guess after that show, I would love to be able to do drag on a bigger stage – or any stage really," Chic added.
"I'd love to work in more central and bigger cities.
"I also recently got into DJ-ing, so I would love to do that on the club scene like Jodie Harsh.
"I think if I move to Glasgow, I could definitely make that dream a reality, so that's something I'm looking into."
