Sasha Colby on the Rise of Her Drag Daughter, Chappell Roan

Your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen on your favorite artist’s favorite artist

This article is part ofHarper’s Bazaar’sGreat Motivatorspackage, highlighting the essential voices that are keeping us inspired in 2024.

When Chappell Roan started calling herself “your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” fans ofRuPaul’s Drag Raceknew exactly what she was talking about. The line was a reference to a viral moment fromMeet the Queens,the video segment introducing each season’s contestants, in which the Hawaii-born, L.A.-based performer Sasha Colby called herself “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”

It wasn’t just reality-TV bluster. Colby had been performing for two decades at that point and had a well-informed and devoted fanbase. She’s beloved for her confidence (“It’s a mix of youngest-child syndrome, being a Leo, and being delusionally narcissistic,” she quips), which was on full display as she took on the challenge of becoming the first trans woman of color and first native Hawaiian to winDrag Race.

By obliquely bringing up Colby—and then giving her a shout-out onFallon—Roan was showing drag fans that she wasn’t just appropriating drag aesthetics but really cared about the medium. A few months later, she and Colby took the stage together in Seattle, and at the afterparty, Colby officially made Roan her drag daughter. Below, Colby describes what it’s been like to witness this major extension of the House of Colby.

Honestly, I came up with “I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” by smoking a bunch of weed. My eyes were bloodshot on Meet the Queens, if you’ll notice. It wasn’t in the show, but one of the things that Ru had said to me when I was on the runway is, “You’re a drag queen’s drag queen.” And so that stuck into my head, and I just kind of blurted it out.

Someone was like, Did you write that yourself? I’m like, Write that? That just came out. Imagine the things I say that aren’t captured on film!

So then, it was the day the Season 16 Drag Race finale aired and I was doing the final show in Hawaii for my Stripped tour. I was getting painted, and my agent was like, “Oh my God, Chappell Roan just shouted you out at Coachella.” To be quite honest, my old a**, I’m like, “Who’s Chappell Roan?” And then my friend who does my makeup, he’s like, “Sis, we listen to her all the time. Before the rebranding, the Midwest Princess moment, you would listen to her sad girl songs.”

I didn’t really have time to let it sink in, and I kind of left it alone. But then on Fallon, she said it again, and she actually said, “That’s Sasha Colby’s line.” That was really cool for her to not only quote me but then cite me as well. So I was like, Fine, I’ll meet her.[laughs]

Luckily, our managers had been talking to each other, so I went to a festival she was doing in Seattle. I got to hang out backstage; they really took care of me. She came in maybe 10 minutes before her set started, and that's where we got to finally meet. And then she said, “Do you want to do ‘Hot to Go!’ with me? Do you want to come out?” I was like, “Yes!” I didn’t get in drag for nothing, and who’s going to say no to that? Thank goodness I had learned the dance.

After that performance, we went back to her dressing room and hung out, and I was like, “You have daughter energy. You have to be a Colby.” And so I made her a Colby right then and there.

And then I got to introduce her at the VMAs. It was the first time that she had worked with dancers, and a couple of my friends were dancing for her. So it was really a nice reunion. I was having so much fun, just star-watching backstage and sitting next to Paris Hilton.

What’s the best part of watching her climb? You know, she’s not a nepo baby. She’s just talented, and she didn’t have to use or barter her talent. And her queerness. She can say, Hey, I’m going to be unapologetically queer, and I’m going to be myself, and I know my talent will back it up. She doesn’t have to hide her sexuality, or hide anything. The songs are great. The writing is great. Her voice is insane. I think a lot of Gen Zs, and a lot of people in general, just love that authenticity—like, wow, you got to play the game as yourself instead of an avatar of yourself that may not be as genuine as your art is.

For me, I mean, I have been doing drag for about 25 years, and it’s been only two years of actual public notoriety. Fame has been a wild journey: I feel like I went on a random competition show that people love and now people expect me to know the answers to everything. And that was not the premise of the show! I literally only know drag. I don’t know about the state of the world. I don't know how we’re going to get out of whatever we’re in.

But Chappell’s on a whole other level, and it’s pretty invasive. No one else knows what she’s going through. She could be the next Gaga of our generation or Madonna, but even the stars can't relate to each other. I’m sure it’s really lonely. There’s no support group. Still, I loved how when she had to cancel that last music festival, each of the artists did a cover of one of her songs. They knew how much of an impact she’s already had.