Inside ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ tour with the Season 5 finalists

Four months after the Boulet Brothers crowned a new Drag Supermonster, the finalists of Season 5 of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula are hitting the road for a tour across America.

At each show, Blackberri, Orkgotik, Throb Zombie, and Season 5 winner Niohuru X will join The Boulet Brothers to bring their drag monstrosity off the screen and onto the stage. With stops from New York to Dallas to Seattle, and with a special guest from the world of Dragula appearing at each show, the tour is a nightmare come true for fans of the horror-infused drag competition.

INTO hopped on a call with the Season 5 finalists before the tour to learn what’s inspiring their performances, what horror-fueled antics they might get up to behind the scenes, and why the four of them add up to a delicious Dragula buffet.

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Hey, y’all! Congrats on setting out on The Official Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 5 Tour. What are each of you planning for your numbers on the road?

Orkgotik: I think that it’s so connected to my brain to be kind of disturbing, and I think people get that from my style of drag. 

I’ve been doing a lot of songs that my mom likes or my sister likes, songs that are really dramatic and romantic. If I look like a monster and I perform songs that are monster-like, I think it’s so obvious. And so I’ve been enjoying presenting myself as a monster with a heart. I think that’s so appealing for people, in that they can connect with a character that is disgusting to look at, but has feelings. 

Blackberri: In Texas, we love big, huge, gaudy drag. So I would love to bring some of that, with a little bit of comedy, because I think I’m pretty funny. That’s what I hope to put on the stage, and I hope I can get everyone excited and shocked and awed.

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be some songs that everyone will want to sing along with. There are going to be some nostalgic songs.

Throb Zombie: I’m someone with a lot of influences, but I really wanted my performances to be very, very what I’m most passionate about doing, which is bringing a lot of theater, bringing some storytelling, bringing a lot of glamor, but at the same time bringing the sexual appeal of a rock show.

I’m bringing two very different sides of the same coin of Throb. I’m bringing a very, very high glamor piece: very sparkly, very burlesque, very macho, very glamorous masculinity. And then I’m bringing an absolute slutty f*ckboy horror icon.

Niohuru X: Since the show ended, I’ve been traveling America doing shows, and I feel like I have more presence on the stage now. And now that I feel much more confident performing on tour, I’m super, super excited. 

I’m planning to do one Chinese number and one slutty English number. I just want to focus on having fun, giving people the vampire Chinese experience. North America, let’s squirt!

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Niohuru X on bringing culture, concepts, and c*nt to “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula”

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If someone loved watching y’all on Dragula, why should they come see the tour?

TZ: Why wouldn’t you? I feel like the tour is the bonus content of the DVD.

I think the show is great, but I don’t think anything can capture or come close to the energy of a live performance, especially with this cast of artists. It’s kind of like, if you like it at level 10, why would you not go experience it at level 100?

B: On the show, you’re seeing people’s drag to meet a challenge, but you don’t get to see their general ideas and what their brain can cook up for a big production or a big stage. There’s only so much you can do on a runway or a floorshow, so I think the tour would be a perfect chance for fans and supporters to come out and see everyone’s creepy, scary, hilarious, beautiful ideas. 

Also, I get to shake my boobs. So if you want to see that, come see it!

The four of you each bring something very different to the Dragula brand, from Orkgotik’s nightmare fuel horror to Blackberri’s polished drag queendom. How do you think your drag styles will come together on the tour?

B: There’s the monster drag, but then there’s classic drag. Then here’s a little bit of funny. Then there’s fashion, then there’s burlesque, then there’s masculine and feminine. 

I think that because we have such different styles of drag, it’s going to make such a perfect tour, just because there’s something literally for everyone in the audience. Like, you can’t sit in the audience and be like, “Oh, I wish that someone would have done a random number from 1920s polka.” I’m like, “Oh, you’re probably gonna get it today.” I think we all fit everyone’s categories.

I feel like all four of us have such different skill sets that it makes a perfect dish. Like, when you’re making a good soup, you’re like, “Ooh, I need something spicy,” and that would be, let’s say, Orkgotik. And then you’re like, “Ooh, I need something sweet.” Okay, that would be Throb. And then you need something that adds a little pizzazz, and then that’s the Nio. 

TZ: It’s not like a main dish. It’s like a really wonderful buffet of types of drag.

B: Yeah, you can get crab legs. You can get a slice of pepperoni pizza. You can get tacos, and then you can also get pasta.

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Now that your season’s been over for a few months, how has being on Dragula changed your lives?

NX: This beautiful opportunity helped me grow so much as an artist and also as a human being. As an artist, I never thought I was able to do things that I did on the show, and I pushed my artistry to absolute limits. I’m so proud of what I accomplished. 

And as a human being, I feel like I was able to get more in touch with my background, with my past. And by sharing my story I’ve received amazing, amazing feedback, even all the way from China. I feel like the show, the platform, is making such a strong impact, even on the other side of the world. And I’m very happy about that.

O: I’ve had the pleasure to meet so many people that feel really inspired by my story and by my approach to my art. I feel really lucky that I was able to convey those things into the show. Because you never know what’s going to happen, and you never know if you’re gonna be able to connect with people. So realizing that people felt inspired by my journey and what is going on right now in my life as well, it’s been great.

TZ: ​​The show has really pushed my career to a place it’s never seen before. Before the show, I was working multiple jobs in addition to doing drag. And for the first time in my life, I’m able to perform for a living, which has really just changed my life in terms of being able to really fully invest my time and thoughts and energy completely into growing my work.

B: For me, it was a good chance to get out of being complacent. Before the show, I was performing four or five times a week, just doing the same gigs over and over and over again. And doing that kind of burns you out creatively. And I think having the opportunity to do the show gave me a chance to push my boundaries a little bit more than what I was comfortable with doing.

We love to hear it! What do y’all plan to get up to behind the scenes while touring together?

O: What I really want is to be able to film a short film or a road movie with these amazing performers. It’s my perfect opportunity to use them and create stupid, weird, disturbing sh*t with them. We’re gonna be spending a lot of time together, so I think that’s a great opportunity.

And are the rest of y’all down to be in an Orkgotik original movie?

B: Only if I have a dramatic death. Like, very Scream 2.

TZ: Please kill me. ◆

Tickets for The Official Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 5 Tour are now available at dragulalive.com.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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