Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monjour Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Monjour, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am not sure there is a right way to do drag. Drag is an individual expression of one’s inner self. The best way is to get out there and just do it. Make mistakes, do things wrong. That’s the only way to grow and get better. There are some foundational drag tips that I learned from older queens. They are always ready to share the knowledge in a nice way and sometimes in a shady way. Being a drag queen is not for the faint of heart. From personal experience, some of the strongest people are drag queens and they have to be. In a world, especially today’s world, where this artistry is not completely accepted you have to be strong and listen to that inner voice that lets you know you are on the right path. And that inner voice will lead you to learning the craft in a way that feels authentic to you.

Monjour, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well, for the people who may not know me. My drag name is Kira Phoenix. I am a drag artist from St. Louis, MO. I started dabbling in drag when I was 18, fresh out of high school. I am sure my mother saw this coming because I used to put t-shirts on my head and pretend I was Mariah Carey when I thought I was alone and safe to be completely myself. As a kid I always had to butch it up in order to please and make at ease other people in my life. I was able to explore this femininity inside after I became an adult and could finally live by my own rules. A friend took me to a hole in the wall gay club in East St. Louis called Faces. When I arrived, I had no idea what was in store. I saw all of these beautiful humans covered in sequins and feathers and performing the gay classics like Cher, Tina Turner, Beyoncé. Seeing people expressing themselves authentically and not playing by society’s roles caused my world view to turn from black and white to technicolor. I had found my place. I found my people. I felt like it was safe to let that Queen inside out and it would not only be okay but celebrated. I felt it inside, I knew it. Literally two weeks later I entered myself in the amateur show. I went to the mall to buy women’s clothes and asked a friend to do my makeup. When I hit that stage I was home. I felt so free. Apparently the crowd loved it as well because I won the show that night. I would continue doing the amateur show winning consistently.

While, I was competing at a pageant in 2021 a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to be part of a house that he was putting together. I said why not? At that time, I was introduced to the ballroom community. Ballroom is an underground community where LGBT folks come to show off their creativity and to display excellence. It came to prominence in the late 80s when black and brown trans women grew exhausted from not being completely accepted in a white pageant world. They created houses that accepted gay kids that may be been kicked out of their parent’s homes for being gay. They created a new world where these kids could be celebrated for who they were and could how off their god given talents. This is a world where I too found myself and where my creativity was seen and celebrated. Now I walk and attend balls all around the country and the world.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to have an avenue to express myself. To express what I am thinking or how I am feeling about myself and the world. Before I really started to focus on drag, my life was just that a drag. I found myself in depressive states and looked to drugs and alcohol to numb these feelings. Looking back, I know that it is because I wasn’t being my true self. I didn’t have anywhere to put the energy that was inside. Once I got disciplined with my creativity a lot of those unresolved feelings had a place to go. They were no longer stuck inside. They were freed and I was freed.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to shine and be my most authentic self because I have seen that just by doing that it helps others to feel more comfortable to be their most authentic selves. My job on Earth is to be dangerously authentically me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monji25/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monji29