Priyanka reintroduces herself with her Devastatia album and tour, coming to Montreal Oct. 11

The self-proclaimed “hardest-working queen on the planet” just keeps on adding Ws to her resumé. Known to many as the first-ever winner of Canada’s Drag Race, Priyanka has worn — and continues to wear — many hats since that moment. She’s found success in the world of acting, including shows like HBO’s We’re Here, and also now has her own TV show in development, Drag Bunch Saved My Life, to be streamed on Crave. 

But her fierce personality has translated just as nicely to music, too. Her debut album, Devastatia, has been out since Aug. 23, with features from fellow drag queen Lemon and singer Ralph. 

October marks the month Priyanka will be going on tour, which begins in Kingston, ON on Oct. 9 before coming to Montreal to play Studio TD two days later — yes, on the same night Sabrina Carpenter performs at the Bell Centre.

Speaking to us on Zoom while she was preparing to film a TV show in Barrie, ON, Priyanka is feeling “sexy” and “thriving,” having just caught a screening of the new Beetlejuice movie the night before. Though she’s out of makeup while talking to us, she’s rocking a very ‘80s-looking Bret “Hitman” Hart shirt during the interview.

Since the album dropped, the performer born Mark Suknanan says she’s been feeling “incredible,” noticing a consistent upward trend in streaming numbers. Clearly, people are responding to the project.

“I knew what the message was in all the music, I knew what stories I wanted to tell,” she says. “But I didn’t actually ever think of the fact that, ‘Oh, the people listening, what are they going to take away from it, as well?’ 

“I knew I wanted them to feel confident, I knew I wanted them to feel like they could do anything in the world… I’m still being tagged in stuff being like, ‘Oh my God, this album! It makes me feel powerful!’ I’m like, ‘Fuck yeah!’”

The process behind Devastatia began in 2022, a year after she won the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race. “Everything was a transition. Everything was new,” she adds. 

After getting accustomed to the whirlwind that comes with winning a reality TV competition, Priyanka hired a music-focused manager, who gave her valuable tips on pursuing a music career. 

She flew to Los Angeles in March 2022 to write songs, eventually cutting more than 30 demos. Whilst there, she met singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Josh Cumbee, who executive-produced the album. The creative partnership was one that bore strong chemistry between the two.

“There’s songs about love, there’s songs about haters, there’s songs about confidence,” says Priyanka. “He was able to be like, ‘Here are all the songs about confidence. If you want to make your first album be about that, these are the songs you would pick for it. If you want to make an album about love, or if you want to have a little bit of variety…’ Each song tells a story, but the whole album is an overarching story as well.”

A native of Whitby, ON, Priyanka describes 2024 as being “one of the hardest years” of her life to date, so the release of her album two years in the making comes at a great time. “The confidence that I was singing about in these songs, I was gaining myself,” she adds. 

“Just because I talk about being confident doesn’t mean I’m the most confident person all the time. I was becoming like, ‘I believe in myself more, I can make the right decision.’ That ended up being me taking the reins and finishing up everything right before we released it.”

Leadoff single “GUCCIYANKA” is a collaboration with Pentatonix member Scott Hoying (“His brain is hilarious,” she adds), and came from Priyanka DMing him one day on Instagram, with Hoying suggesting they work together. He then sent her a demo of what would become “GUCCIYANKA”.

“I’m thinking, ‘stadium pop star, Bollywood queen,’ and he sent me a video that I actually posted online about him pitching it to me,” she continues. “He’s like, ‘The crowd’s gonna be cheering, Priyanka! Priyanka! Priyanka!’, and then the beat is going to hit.’ 

“It captures the essence of the dream of performing in a big arena, while also overcoming the people who think a person like me can’t be famous or successful. But instead of being like, ‘Fuck you, I hate you, why don’t you take me seriously?’, it’s a celebration of my culture and a celebration of confidence. Enough with the trauma porn, you know? It’s too much.” 

The title comes from being jealous of other girls in school who’d have Louis Vuitton bags, while being unable to afford one herself. “Then I was like, ‘What if you were your own designer brand? What if you didn’t have to feel bad, ever?”

As one might notice while listening to the hook, the song takes some influence from Nicki Minaj’s iconic verse on Kanye West’s “Monster.” Priyanka also once called it “the 2024 ‘Bohemian Rhapsody'” — a bold statement to say the least, but she sees various parallels between her song and Queen’s. The biggest one, though, is nerve.

“’Bohemian Rhapsody’ is full of nerve. ‘GUCCIYANKA’ goes in so many different directions, specifically because of that bridge. In what big pop dance song is the bridge all of a sudden turning into a gospel choir? I don’t know.

“I remember hearing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for the first time, and being like, ‘You can make music like this?! There are no rules!’ I’ve been like, ‘How do you make the perfect pop song?’ There are no fucking rules. If this fucking became popular, there are no rules.”

Priyanka’s favourite song, and one that she feels best expresses her artistry on this album, is “I’m a Star,” the opening track on Devastatia. A bold way to set the tone, no doubt (“crazy,” as she puts it), especially as she was brought up by her family to stay grounded.

At the end of the day, your debut album is the first impression you make for a lot of people (with or without a Drag Race victory). 

“No matter what, you’re always reintroducing yourself,” Priyanka continues. “The world is so big. It’s not even a reinvention, it’s just a reintroduction. You have to keep telling people who you are, because they will forget.”

Her 70-minute live show — one with “three or four” costume changes — came together without too much deep thought at first, but working alongside choreographer Tamina Paris helped move the process forward. “She taught from a different place than any choreographer’s ever taught from. It was about feeling, it was about story. It was about ‘who are you as an artist’?”

“The story is so clear, the fun on stage is clear. It feels like a musical, but not a musical, because it’s fully a pop music concert. There’s this fourth wall that’s broken with my show. I’m like, ‘Let’s go out there and give them a fucking arena show they would get at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and do it in a smaller venue. We have sound, we have lights, we have a drag queen, we have two dancers. We can give these people what they deserve.”

Priyanka returns to Montreal after a lengthy absence, having spent a big chunk of 2021 and 2022 in the city. She also counts Montreal-based queens Rita Baga, Kiara and Gisèle Lullaby among her friends. 

She loves Montreal not only because of how much locals appreciate music, but she finds inspiration in the freedom of expression and identity in the city. Aside from Pabllo Vittar or early ’90s RuPaul, it’s not often you see drag performers singing live, but Priyanka has felt nothing but love while breaking the musical drag queen mould.

“Music and any art form is extra-accepted (there) — there’s space for that art to be accepted,” she continues. “There’s not a lot of drag queens that sing in Toronto or L.A…. Not to say that there’s none, but it’s very like, ‘If you’re not lip syncing, then what are you doing?’

“Someone just posted a TikTok being like ‘when drag queens try to sing live.’ It’s someone making a really cringy face. That’s how the drag community sees drag queens who sing live. I think it’s fucked up, because we should be accepting all kinds of art. That’s why I love Montreal — even from the beginning, even when I was competing against Rita, they were so accepting of every piece of art I had to offer.”

For those going to her show at Studio TD on October 11, fans can expect a night full of happiness, escapism and an experience everyone is taking part in — with lots of dancing, of course. 

“The backup dancers are part of the show. The audience becomes a part of the show,” she adds. “It is truly one of the most special shows you will ever see. Mark my words.” ■

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Priyanka plays le Studio TD (305 Ste-Catherine W.) on Friday, Oct. 11, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m., $31.75. For more on Priyanka, please visit her website.

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