rupauls drag race

Regardless of where she placed, there’s no question that Plane Jane left an impact on season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
As one of the two most winning queens of the season, Plane entered the finale (which aired Friday, Apr. 19) with plenty of well-earned confidence. She showed off her performance skills with a solo number titled “Bodysuit” (featuring pop singer and TikTok star Chrissy Chlapecka on vocals), making fun of the judges’ critique on her fashion choices. But only two queens could advance to the final lip sync, and the Boston drag star’s time on the show came to an end.

Plane’s run on the show was certainly impressive — she nabbed a whopping four challenge wins, including in the iconic Snatch Game, and earned constant praise from the judges panel for her sharp wit and killer performer’s instinct. But the queen also earned a reputation — both among her competitors and the fans — for her catty behavior. Whether it was in the work room, during Untucked or even on the main stage, the queen reveled in taking almost every opportunity to throw shade and read her competitors for filth.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Below, Plane Jane catches up with Billboard after the finale to talk about fans calling her “self-produced,” the viral meme of her comforting her cast mate, and why she’s proud of showing every part of herself on the show — or as she puts it, “the good, the bad, the gorgeous, the ugly and the nasty.”

Trending on Billboard

[embedded content]

The season is officially over, and you made it to the top three! How are you feeling after watching the finale?

It was a very exhausting, physically straining and draining weekend. But I actually feel really great. I’m so happy for my sister Nymphia for winning the crown, it was so well-deserved. She undeniably won … even if she didn’t do “the best” throughout the competition, she definitely brought it home during the finale. Her performances were absolutely fantastic, so I couldn’t be happier for her. 

That being said, I’m happy for myself as well. I did a great job throughout the entire season, and I think I had a pretty good showing through the finale as well! There can only be one winner, so, all I can say is I did my absolute best, and I’m very proud of myself. 

Your song “Bodysuit” was so different from the other top three numbers — it felt a little like hyperpop, and it had that Plane Jane blend of “fierce drag performance meets something that is at least a little bit stupid.” 

Yes, exactly! Personally, it is my favorite song of the top three solo numbers. Not going to lie, I have been listening to “Bodysuit” all weekend. But yes, why take ourselves so seriously? Drag is supposed to be fun and dumb!

Every year we crown a winner, and we crown a Miss Congeniality, but I genuinely think there should be an award for the queen who brought us the best TV of the season, which you would have handily won. What was it like to watch yourself back as you created these heightened, dramatic moments on the show?

Well, it’s interesting because it feels like two completely different realities, living through those moments and watching them back. Honestly, there were some parts of the season where I would watch it and go, “Oh, God, I fully forgot that I said that, whoa girl.” And then there were moments that I thought would be so much more dramatic and intense, and they came across as tame! It was definitely interesting, I found myself cringing at some of the stuff I said and laughing at everything else. 

[embedded content]

Part of that process means contending with what fans had to say about your performance as well. Fans had a lot to say, both good and bad — what did you make of their reactions to you?

Throughout the season, there were a gaggle of people online who were accusing me of being very self-produced, very calculated — I actually think it was pretty much the opposite. I was quite unhinged! If there was any element of self-production to what I was doing on the show, it was just me reminding myself to not hold anything back. Like, “this is your moment, and it’s time for you to show the world everything that you are.” I wanted to be unapologetic and unhinged, and I think that is what makes for great reality television at the end of the day. So, to those people, I would say that I acted the way that I did because that’s who the f–k I am, and I’m a star! That’s what got me ahead, babe. 

As the season went on, fans also watched you get vulnerable with the other queens and the audience, which in some cases required you to disengage the more cutting parts of your persona. What helped you get to that place while filming?

Being on reality television for the first time, for anybody, is a learning curve. I came into the competition being very hyper aware of my environment, and I realized quickly that I was being a little too intense with the shade and the reading. So, like I said, I had the thought about wanting to show all of the parts of myself, and that there was much more to me than just being a shady, c–ty, bitchy drag queen. I mean, there was a lot of negativity that I was … I don’t know, I guess “spewing,” if you will? So when I realized it was getting a little out of hand, I just had to remind myself that I was supposed to be having fun, and so were the other girls. That’s what got me to reel it in a little bit. 

That vulnerability also gave us one of the most out-of-control memes of the season with “Mama, kudos for saying that, for spilling.” What has that been like, to watch this heartfelt moment between you and Q get spun out into a meme?

Apparently, I have a very unique way of showing vulnerability! [laughs] I think it’s so funny. What’s weird is it did show this culturally relevant thing about how a lot of gay people speak nowadays. We’ve developed such a particular lingo within our community, to that point where, even when we’re comforting each other, it’s so wildly different than how the boring straights do it. It’s special! 

Looking back, you had a lot of big standout moments throughout the season — is there one in particular that stands out as the Plane Jane moment on Drag Race?

It is hard to pinpoint one moment, because all of those memories are special. But honestly, I would say the moment where I thought, “Oh, she’s taking it,” was definitely Snatch Game. It was a situation where, as we were in it, I knew that both Sapphira and I were killing it up there. Like, we were both doing so well that I genuinely didn’t know which one of us would take the win. So, when Ru said my name, that gave me such a huge boost of self-confidence. It’s such an iconic challenge to win, so it really felt like I was leaving my mark on the show with that performance.

[embedded content]

Even Jelena Karleuša herself reposted the clip and said that she loved your impression of her. 

That was so awesome. I feel like the winners of Snatch Game end up getting immortalized in the universe and lore of Drag Race, and it was such an honor to portray somebody who I am truly such a big fan of. To see her living for it and to know that it would be a huge part of Drag Race history was so cool. 

As you’ve been watching the show, are there any particular songs you’ve found yourself listening to a lot?

I don’t want to say this is “old school,” because we don’t want to offend the oldies out there, but I’ve been re-listening to the Pussycat Dolls’ PCD album a lot lately. I mean, that album was genuine pop perfection. “Don’t Cha,” “Beep,” “Buttons,” it’s just hits. It feels like such a sexy, early-to-mid 2000s pop class. 

With Drag Race over, what can fans expect to see next from Plane Jane?

More tomfoolery, buffoonery and shenanigans. I’m somebody who wants to do it all, as you saw on the show — I’m a jack of all trades. And I’m actually kind of happy now that the season’s over, because it means that I can move on to do literally whatever I want from here. 

Sapphira Cristál entered the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 finale as the clear frontrunner for the top prize. As she tells it, she walked away a winner — even if she wasn’t declared America’s Next Drag Superstar.
In the high-octane finale (which aired Friday, Apr. 19), Cristál nearly nabbed the $200,000 cash prize, advancing her way to one final lip sync showdown with Nymphia Wind to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam.” But Wind swept away with the title in the end, despite Cristál’s hilarious, vampiric performance.

But all was not lost — before her showdown with Wind, Cristál made Drag Race history when she and Xunami Muse both won Miss Congeniality, a title bestowed on the queen deemed the kindest by her fellow competitors. It also marks the first time that a finalist has won the prize since season one, when Nina Flowers was crowned as the show’s inaugural Miss Congeniality.

Trending on Billboard

Below, Cristál chats with Billboard about her performance on the show, her love for character shoes, her strange connection to Beyoncé and how she hopes to use her platform to promote unabashed self-love.

[embedded content]

Congratulations on making it to the final lip sync, and on your Miss Congeniality win! How are you feeling after watching this weekend?

I’m feeling great. There were two possible outcomes, and the one that I didn’t wish for was the one that we got. But … as Xunami said [during the finale], “I might not have won the crown, but I have won the crowd.” I did win the hearts of America, and I really love that. 

I’m very proud of Nymphia, I’m constantly in awe of her talent. She is really quite a beauty, quite a queen, and I cannot wait to see what she does with this platform. And I know that, as part of the top two, I have a platform, and we are going to do many great things with it.

If I’m being honest, it felt like an absolute no-brainer that you would take home Miss Congeniality. With that title being voted on by your fellow competitors, what does it mean to you that they picked you?

I feel very seen! Not only to be Miss Congeniality, but to also still be in the top two with that prize, is huge — that hasn’t happened since season one of the American seasons! It feels amazing to know that people knew everything I did was genuine, and that they didn’t think I had some ulterior motive. Honestly, I was just being me, and they could see that. Some people had some things to say about how nice I was being at certain times in the competition, but at thFee end of the day, if someone comes to me asking for help I am going to give it to them. If they don’t ask me for help but I can see that they need help, I’m going to give it! 

There really was a running theme of you being the “mother” of the season. Is that a role you’re used to playing outside of the show, or did that come about while you were filming?

Oh, I am a mother of quite a few drag children. But I am also the only Libra on this cast, and I do seek balance at all times. If I see that things are imbalanced, or if people are having moments where they’re just not in it to win it, I gotta get them out of there. Because I was not there to compete with people who were stuck in their own way, I wanted to compete with people who were in the game. 

Out of the four challenges that you won, which one stands out as your favorite?

Definitely the “Power” performance. Not only was that song about inspiring people to vote, but I also just loved getting to sing, and to dance, and live my full blown fantasy! And now I’m getting to do it in real life — I just teased my new single “Enough” and a six song EP, and y’all are not ready for this music! When I think about the kinds of things I want to do as a performer, it always comes back to inspiring people with my music and performances, and helping people know that they are enough — and that’s what we did with the “Power” number. 

[embedded content]

A really important question I have for you — did your character shoes survive the filming of the show?

Yes, they survived, they are alive and well … and I also already had two other pairs! Listen, the thing about the character shoes is, yes, I am going to wear them all the time. I am not 150 pounds — I have to wear something that is going to properly support my weight. I have broken many a shoe, because I am a stunt queen and I do many things that make it so I constantly bust my shoes. Also, I need to make sure I can do all the same stuff I do now when I’m 40 … and I’m 35! [laughs] 

You got so creative with all the ways you managed to disguise your shoes throughout the competition, it almost became a fun game for viewers!

Exactly! I mean, if you think about it, there are so many girls who wear the same shoe over and over on the show. They’ll paint it one week, they’ll add some glitter another week, they’ll do what needs to be done. I had a lot of shoe covers, because I knew that I was going to wear these shoes many many times. Like, these are $300-$400 shoes. I’m not trying to own 50 different pairs of these! 

Your solo performance for the finale, “Dance!,” was so fun — tell me a little bit about how you approached putting the whole number together.

Yeah, I loved that number. What happened was we gave them a lot of references from our time on the show, laying out what we wanted to talk about in our numbers. And I wanted to talk about self-love, coming into oneself and accepting who you are, because that is very much my platform. Especially in this world of social media, it’s really hard to compare yourself to others and to not feel less-than. So I wanted to make sure the song was a big self-love anthem, and I was so happy with how it turned out. 

[embedded content]

It was so good, as was your performance in the final lip sync. When you started thinking about this final battle, how did you come up with this lusty vampire concept?

Well, we knew the final song was “Padam” — and let me be very clear, I did not know the song that well, because we were all off filming when the song absolutely blew up! So when they gave us the song, we were like, “Wait, what is this?” Everything is different when you’re a part of the sensation as it’s happening, and we were not part of that sensation. So, coming into it without knowing what’s happening, it gives you a fresh perspective.

The more I thought about the line, “I can hear your heart beating,” I was like, “Who really hears and listens to hearts?” Because of that, and because it’s such a seductive song, I started thinking of Blade, of From Dusk Till Dawn, of Interview With a Vampire, all these kind of sexy vampire movies! I was laughing the other day because I saw a meme of my face that said, “The new Nosferatu looks sickening.” 

I know you mentioned a few of your upcoming projects, but what else do you have coming up for fans to look forward to?

I have been so focused on my new music and my tour coming up. The Cristál Ball Tour is going to be a magical, musical comedy extravaganza touring in July and August — it is really just my everything right now, and I cannot wait for fans to see it. 

Anything music in particular you’ve been listening to a lot lately?

Cowboy Carter, obviously. So much of my career and my own music has been inspired by Beyoncé — and fun fact, Beyoncé and I went to the same high school! What’s interesting is the song “Caro Mio Ben,” which she sings on the background of “Daughter,” is a song that every single freshman at our high school had to sing. For the first recital, every single freshman would sing “Caro Mio Ben” back-to-back. So I did have this very special connection when I heard her singing it, because I know that when she was a freshman at my high school, she had to sing that song. 

After a competitive season filled to the brim with drag performers at the top of their game, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 finally crowned its winner on Friday (April 19) — and fans are going bananas.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

After a series of solo lip syncs and one final Lip Sync for the Crown to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” Nymphia Wind was officially crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar and the winner of season 16. The fashionable, yellow-loving queen triumphed over her sister Sapphira Cristál in the final lip sync, dressing herself up as a massive cup of bubble tea and delivering a series of iconic outfit reveals to earn the competition’s coveted prize.

In winning, Wind made history for the show — with her ascension, the queen became the first East Asian performer to win RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the first Asian queen to take home the crown since Raja was crowned on season three, 13 years ago.

Trending on Billboard

Accepting her scepter from RuPaul, Nymphia addressed the audience during the finale. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and have the courage to live your truth,” she said, before declaring “Taiwan, this is for you!”

Below, Nymphia chats with Billboard following her victory, breaking down her excellent showing throughout the season, her love of bananas, her reaction to the President of Taiwan congratulating her, and how she created her memorable finale lip sync.

[embedded content]

Congratulations to you, our current reigning! How are you feeling after a weekend of celebration?

Well, I have two answers. First, I feel very excited to have won this dream of mine, and it’s crazy to be able to live this out for my community and my country. It really means a lot to me to be able to live this. But second, in reality, I am dying. [Laughs.] I want to sleep! I have no feelings anymore! I am dead inside!

I can only imagine that the last 48 hours has been a lot for you. 

Yes, it has been a lot, and the problem is it’s getting to be more and more of a lot. But there are worse problems to have. I am enjoying this torture, because I’m doing something I love.

You spoke before the finale about wanting to break the “Asian curse” on Drag Race, since no East Asian queen had ever won the show, and the last Asian winner was Raja in season three. What does it mean for you to be the one breaking that curse?

It’s truly amazing. That’s why that win means so much to me, because it’s a win for the entire community. Because I remember when I was younger and I would watch the show, I said “I want to be the first East Asian to win this show.” Fast forward to now, and here we are — thinking about it is really crazy. You can dream big, and it will work itself out!

Even the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen congratulated you for your win and thanked you for “living fearlessly.” As someone who has been championing Taiwan throughout this competition, what was that like to see the president say that?

I fully gagged. I screamed so loud, that was truly so crazy. It was such a sweet message, and to be able to get that recognition was absolutely amazing. I mean, she’s the literal President of f–king Taiwan! It makes me feel like I was successful in actually making my country proud. Ugh, it’s so beautiful. 

Congratulations to you, Nymphia Wind @66wind99, for being so accomplished in the difficult art form of drag, and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage and win on @RuPaulsDragRace. Right after being crowned queen, you said “Taiwan, this is for you.”Taiwan thanks you… https://t.co/hrbG7Vnovd— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 20, 2024

You recently explained your obsession with bananas, saying that you look good in the color yellow and you wanted to combine that with some campy, phallic imagery. How many bananas or banana-themed gifts have fans brought you so far?

Girl, too many! No, it’s really fun to see the fans bring banana things, I love it when I see it. I will say, when they bring me actual, real bananas, I have to tell them that I can’t take them. Like, I will sometimes eat them in front of them because that’s fun, but if you give me a bunch of bananas during a meet-and-greet, I’m sorry, I can’t take those. But I will sign it! Like, traveling with bananas is not happening, sorry. But it is really cute seeing fans bring all these bananas to the shows, because ultimately, Nymphia Wind is a cult! I’m going to make everyone yellow bananas! 

This was a truly phenomenal season for you as a competitor, especially when it came to your runways. You have such a good eye, not only for creating haute couture, high-concept fashion, but for always giving it that little twist that made it so camp. The pussycat wig look comes to mind.

Yeah, usually, I got to read the brief on each runway theme and let my imagination run wild. The question always starts with, “What can I do to make this cool?” And then you build off of that. The inspiration really comes while I’m in the process of making the looks, so the full concept is always still in development while I am putting things together. 

That pussycat outfit was originally made for Chinese New Year celebration for the Year of the Rabbit, and it was supposed to be finished in January. But I wasn’t able to finish it in time for the celebration, so I just kept working on it here and there, but didn’t end up wearing it anywhere. So then, when I got the brief for the pussycat wig look, I just knew I needed to fit something into that slot. So that’s where that look came from.

There was a running theory on the show amongst your competitors, where they were convinced that every time you complained about being stressed heading into a challenge, you were never actually concerned and were really just playing mind games with them. What’s the truth?

I, 100%, felt like I had no idea what I was doing during filming. The other girls were definitely a little annoyed at me and kept saying that I was crying wolf, but I had truly no idea where they were coming from at the time. That is my natural process — I complain, I whine, I stress out, I self-doubt, and then ultimately, I know what I need to do and manage to pull it together. Being on Drag Race is genuinely scary and daunting, because you’re living with this fear of going home or someone outshining you, and the challenge is about pulling yourself together and making it work. So, the work room really became the place for me to get all that panic out of my system. 

It did give us some of the most iconic moments of the season, where you would just do and say truly unhinged things on a regular basis. Have you continued your Spanish lessons with Morphine?

Nope! “Dame más leche” is still the only thing I know how to say in Spanish!

[embedded content]

This finale reminded me a lot of season 9, where we have a finalist who never lip synced on the show, and then absolutely demolished their first proper lip sync of the season. How did you come up with this bubble tea-inspired concept for your “Padam Padam” lip sync?

I knew that I was either going to be up against Plane or Sapphira, and with Sapphira, I knew that her looks are always these big, parade float-style looks. I knew I needed to come in with something big, too. I also knew I wanted to represent my country with this lip sync, but I didn’t just want to stick a flag onto my dress and call it a day. That, to me, is a bit too cheesy. So, I thought, “Maybe I should be a giant bubble tea,” because that’s the national drink of Taiwan. I talked with a designer, and they came up with the idea of the balloons floating up. 

Then, I knew I wanted to have a second reveal, and I wanted to do it while doing a cartwheel at the same time, because I wanted to make each reveal a little more interesting. We literally built the look with the cartwheel and the stunts in mind, and the rest ended up working itself out.  

Before we let you go, what can fans expect to see during Nymphia Wind’s reign as America’s Next Drag Superstar? 

Honestly? Expect the unexpected. There’s nothing to expect — all you can do is sit back and watch. 

With season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time for fans of the franchise to look forward … to even more new episodes of the hit series. On Tuesday (April 23), Paramount+ announced the official cast and release date for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season nine. In the new […]