RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Yuhua Hamasaki Discusses “The Ankh Song” & NYC Nightlife.

by : Editor April 29, 2018

Yuhua Hamasaki first sashayed on to our screens on Rupaul’s Drag Race for the season 10 premiere with her Geisha inspired look. She was also one of 5 contestants who hail from the New York City drag scene. Unfortunately, after a lip sync battle against fellow contestant, Mayhem Miller she was sent home. We recently caught up with Yuhua about her elimination and what’s next on her agenda.

You recently debuted the video for the ankh song. The song was inspired from your drag on a dime runway. How did the song come together?

The music video is inspired by children’s music videos, sort of like “Sesame’s Street,” when an adult and a bunch of children are singing along to a song, and a children are watching it from their television screens. In the music video, I’m telling the children viewers to get an ankh, which was featured in the premiere episode when I wore it in the main runway.The ankh symbolizes life and power, and the music video sorts of pokes fun of infomercials telling people to buy things and at the same time, it’s trying to brainwash people at such a young age to grow up to following trends, even though there’s a crazy lady, which is me, telling them all these things. The allegory is that the media plays a big role in controlling the views of the public, that it sets trends, it controls peoples point of views, and it manipulate people’s minds at such a young age to think certain things, such as not accepting the LGBT community. It is catchy and there are some phrases in the lyrics that a lot of Drag Race viewers will be familiar with.

How many times did you audition? What do you think clicked for the RPDR team this time?
In previous audition tapes, I wasn’t myself 100%. I was trying to give them in audition tapes of what I think they would want me to be like so that I can fit into the Drag Race family. But the truth is, being yourself is so easy and so much more fun and they saw that in my Season 10 audition.What did you have packed for Snatch game?I brought Jackie Chan as an option, and also Christina Aguilera! She was my childhood idol!!!! So when I saw her in the premiere week, I was in gasp for air!!!!What are some of the challenges of dating as a RPDR queen?
None? I don’t date. I’m young, let me see the world! I don’t want to settle down anytime soon. I’m also constantly moving around and very fast and it is hard for the other person to keep up.

You have been very outspoken about the specifying the differences in Asian culture references. Are there any specific films, personalities or pop culture references you directly pull from?
I’m going to name these films, TV shows, and artists that nobody are going to get haha, but here we go! War and Beauty, Return Pearl Princess, Virtues of Harmony, and Ayumi Hamasaki.

Who are some of your favorite New York City queens to work with?
Plenty of them!! It is hard to pick just a handful. NYC is filled with some of the most talented and hardest working queens there is! Everyone is so creative in what they do and they are so well-rounded that they can make anything work. It is true what they say, if you make it here in New York City, you can make it anywhere.

Pride season is rapidly approaching, can we expect to see you doing the rounds?
YES!!!! NYC Pride is so huge here in NYC. I also have the honor of working with www.jet.com again this year, and they are so support of the LBGT community.

What’s next for you?
More traveling and more shows. I can’t wait to experience all the opportunities RuPaul’s Drag Race has given me. To keep updated, go towww.yuhuahamasaki.com or www.instagram.com/yuhuahamasaki