Interview by Joel Kim Booster
Photography Kyle Galvin
Creative Direction Craig Hemming and Umar Sarwar
Art Direction Jack Rowe
Fashion Umar Sarwar
Creative Producer Anisa Cleaver
Hair Jason Goh
Nails Natasha Blake
Digi Tech Claire Lewington
Lighting Tech Sarah Merrett
Creative Assistant Lauren Reed-Fisk
Fashion Assistants Bradley Turner, Lily Hobman and Priya Nicholas

“After this interview comes out, you will be inundated – flooded, even – with dick,” Joel Kim Booster tells/promises Nymphia Wind. Earlier this year, the banana activist (bananactivist?) and trailblazing Jane Goodall impersonator ‘Padam Padam’-ed her way to glory on RuPaul’s Drag Race, making history as the first East Asian champion of the OG franchise.

Nymphia’s triumph was widely celebrated by various alumni and stars such as – you might need to Google the following names, as they’re not very popular – Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, particularly those within her community who have been “hungry” to see an “Asian success story” on-screen.

Here, she reunites with season 16 guest judge Joel Kim Booster, Emmy-nominated comedian and mastermind behind Fire Island, to reflect on life post-Drag Race, how she’s observed a “drift between Nymphia and Leo” and their shared experiences as East Asian celebrities. And, as the opening quote to this paragraph suggests, there’s some saucy chitter-chatter about DMs of the… phallic variety. ‘Banana Believers’, rise!

Joel: Hi babe.

Nymphia: Hi!

Joel: Where are you Zoom-ing from?

Nymphia: I’m in LA.

Joel: Oh my god, I’m in New York right now. I can’t believe I’m missing you.

Nymphia: We swapped.

Joel: I fucking hate that. I wanted to start the conversation by congratulating you on being the first East Asian winner of a main season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Nymphia: Thank you.

Joel: I’m sure they will clock me if I’m incorrect on this fact, but I think you are the first winner since Bebe Zahara Benet to be a winner whose English is not their first language. You obviously have a better grasp of English than other English-speaking winners, certainly, but was that a huge worry for you with some of the challenges?

Nymphia: For sure, especially Snatch Game or writing or anything specific to the English language, because my grammar or the words that I can think of is very limited. Talking to RuPaul also [was a worry]. Speaking in general is not my strongest suit and I’m pretty shy, but I could always go the Jessica Wild route where I just confidently speak English or, even if it’s not good, be confident in myself. I’m shy in nature, so speaking is hard for me in general.

Joel: It’s a double obstacle for you. I have to say, people were so hard on you when it came to some of the writing challenges. People kept saying, ‘She clearly speaks English so well, she’s fluid’ and I was like, ‘Bitch, try writing poetry in a language that you did not grow up speaking. Try doing witty wordplay in a language that is not your own.’ It’s a completely different thing to just speaking conversationally. Props to you for doing what you did…

Nymphia: For surviving!

Joel: For surviving and doing it. I struggle to speak a little bit of Spanish, and it’s bad. To try and think about doing a pun in Spanish that would make RuPaul laugh… It’s crazy. It’s insane.

Nymphia: Very crazy. You have to find ways to survive.

Joel: What challenge was the biggest surprise for you, and what was the biggest surprise, as in easy?

Nymphia: Three design challenges was such a gag. As much as I love sewing, three was a bit much. There was no sleeping, it was constantly sewing. I’m a perfectionist and I love things to be made to a certain level, so having to produce in such a short amount of time was really stressful. The one that was pretty easy – not easy easy, but fun to do – was the last challenge about the book. At that point in the competition, it was the time to show who you are and be comfortable in the fact that you are you. I made this revelation, realising that there’s no point being something you’re not because Plane [Jane] and Sapphira [Cristál] are so naturally funny and they make Ru laugh so effortlessly. In my brain I was like, ‘Say something funny! Make Ru laugh!’ At that point I was like, ‘Nymphia… Leo, you are not gonna make Ru laugh by trying to say something funny, you might as well give up. Even if you’re not funny, be yourself and maybe Ru will find something funny in that.’

Joel: Tea! As a viewer watching from home, watching you excel in that moment and go for vulnerability was the moment where I was like, ‘She’s peaking at the right time.’ It built so much momentum for you going into the finale. Again, as a viewer knowing the formula of this show and what RuPaul likes, I don’t think anyone expected you to go into that challenge and be genuine, bring some heart and transparency. You were able to play both sides, be funny and tell a story that was obviously deeply personal for you. Do you think that you knew at the end of that challenge that you were gonna win?