SPECIAL THANKS TO AOIFE KILBANE FROM BBC

Before she even stomped into the werkroom, RuPaul’s Drag Race viewers were already enamoured and well-acquainted with Karen from Finance. UNHhhh hosts and previous All Stars alum Trixie Mattel and Katya fawned over her unique (and hilarious) drag name, and the former, who won her season, referenced the Melbourne-based entertainer during the Andy Warhol-inspired Ball. So, unlike other contestants this season (apart from perhaps Art Simone), Karen was heavily expected to ‘dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s’. Thankfully, she delivered as she won the Australasian version’s first ever maxi-challenge, triumphed over Anita Wigl’it in a lip-sync showdown and advanced to the final four.

Karen’s appearance on Drag Race Down Under, however, has been mired with controversy. Prior to the premiere, the star issued an apology to her supporters for her previously-owned collection of golliwogs, and for her (now covered up) tattoo of the racist symbol, in which she committed to a journey of “accountability, activism and education and to “uncover and unlearn any and all racial bias”. This, paired with Scarlet Adams’ use of blackface in the past – which was addressed on the series – has ignited a conversation on Australia’s on-going problem with race.

Ahead of the Drag Race Down Under finale, which airs this Sunday on BBC iPlayer, we caught up with Karen to discuss the “twists and turns and gags and goops” of the tumultuous first season, how she plans to be ‘responsible and accountable’ for her past actions and why she deserves to win the title of Down Under’s First Drag Superstar over Art Simone, Kita Mean and Scarlet Adams.

Hi Karen! You look absolutely gorgeous, I’m loving this look.
Thank you! I’m all dolled up, ready for a day in the office.

I’ve really enjoyed your looks this season, you’ve stomped the runway with some polished, whimsical ensembles and last week, you gave us some sex!
I tell you what, sex isn’t all skin and G-strings. Sexy is confidence and I like to think I ooze that at all times.

So, it’s finale week… How are you doing?
It’s finale week! It’s a huge week. The entire journey has been a rollercoaster, but the feelings that we’ve been going through over the last few days is just… It’s almost inexplicable. We turned this season of Drag Race around so fast. We’ve done it in the middle of a pandemic and now we are about to find out who the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is, I mean… I feel like we’ve barely even filmed the show! It’s been so quick and it’s so overwhelming. It’s a wild, wild rollercoaster.

Is this the top four you imagined? And don’t hold back!
I’m not surprised to see anyone that’s in the top four there. Certainly after losing Art Simone in week two, I am surprised that she is there in the finale after having been eliminated already. But, if it wasn’t for that elimination, I expected to see her in the top anyway. So, I’m not surprised at the final four but to be honest, it was such a strong cast. I don’t know if there’s anyone that I would have been surprised to see in the top four. Really, it was anyone’s game.

Absolutely. It was one of those seasons of Drag Race where anything can happen. Some of these eliminations… shocker.
It truly was the case. It felt like, every week when someone went home, the audience reaction was like, ‘Oh my god, no! They were my favourite.’ I think that is the way the game works with everybody. Everybody is such a fierce competitor and such an amazing talent. It’s a really cool cast and it honestly could be anyone.

You were already well known within the fandom due to Trixie and Katya mentioning you on UNHhhh, and you even made an appearance on All Stars 3 for Trixie’s soup can. It already felt like you were a Ru Girl! Did that add pressure for you, going into the season?
Yeah. I felt a lot of pressure. Art Simone touched upon it in the show as well, going in with any kind of reputation is just added pressure on your shoulders. I’ve been lucky enough to have toured to lots of different countries and I’ve done lots of different shows, which means I’ve performed to a pretty big audience before Drag Race, which I was really lucky to do. So, it just means that I felt like I had an even bigger audience watching with high expectations and hopes for me on the show. I’m really grateful to have made it to the end, and I did some really really great things on Drag Race that I’m so proud of, but I did some dodgy things too! I certainly felt the pressure.