“RuPaul’s Drag Race” consistently showcases some of the best and brightest drag talent in the country, but Season 17 presents an ingenue that is very familiar to both New Jersey and Philadelphia fans. Asbury Park, N.J.’s Crystal Envy brings talent and laser-sharp attention to detail that has made her an instant favorite in the competition. We chatted with the drag performer about her path to the “Drag Race” main stage, that viral lip sync, and how Philadelphia has influenced her own drag career.
You are a standout on this season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” this season and you just returned from DragCon in London. What was the experience like as an official Ru girl?
Going with Jasmine [Kennedie] several years ago and then comparing it to this year was a little different. When I went with Jasmine, I was kind of protecting her from the fans coming up in between the meet-and-greet lines. Now, people are coming up to meet me, which was really fun. It just started and it’s crazy to see how many people really know who I am already.
Is there one moment during DragCon that really stands out?
For me, it was [meeting] Alexis Mateo. I went up and introduced myself and she said “Girl I know who you are, how are you? It’s so nice to meet you.” I’ve been watching the show since I was 13 and it has been on for 17 years now. I’ve watched these girls since I was a kid. Now to be in their shoes and to have younger kids come up to you at DragCon and say these same things to you. It’s just wild.
A large part of your career is based in Asbury Park and Paradise, but you just performed in Philadelphia with another former Miss Paradise, Sapphira Cristál. Is Philadelphia where you would do amateur spots and really fine-tune some of your drag?
Yes, when I started doing drag, I was going to shows in Cherry Hill, right outside of Philly. I met a lot of those girls and then I started going to Philly and performing at the nightclubs and the bars there. There was such camaraderie between the girls and we just became friends. I did start a little bit in Philly and coming between both states has been great. I love Sapphira and I actually crowned Sapphira as Miss Paradise! Then she got on “Drag Race” her year, and [then I became a contestant] the year after. It’s pretty crazy.
What has the “Drag Race” experience been like for you so far? Your lip sync against Lexi Love is being buzzed about as one of the best lip syncs in recent memory and Doechii’s streams have rocketed up for the track.
The song has really gone up in streams. It’s crazy! I’ve loved this song forever. I love Doechii. She is a great artist and last year, she was really popping out with all the hits. When I got on the show and saw that this was one of the songs that we would be lip syncing to, I thought “Oh, this is going to be a moment when it happens!” I am so glad that it was a top-two lip sync and not a bottom-two lip sync that I got to do it to. Then you are going for the win for the lips sync. We were battling for the money.
Lexi and I are so close, I mean I love Lexi so much. I don’t look at her like an auntie/grandma. She is more like a big sister to me. Before we went out there, we knew we had killed it in our talent show and we said that if we were in the top two, we have to go out there and eat this and go really hard and go in. It felt like less of a battle between the two of us and more just us going at the song together. It was just so much fun and a really unforgettable experience.
Age has become a conversation this year, specifically when it comes to Lexi. Conversely, some of the more seasoned competitors have truly excelled in this competition historically, so it’s perplexing to see age used as a negative.
I think statistically this cast is one of the youngest in “Drag Race” herstory. I’m only 27, but I am one of the older girls out of the cast. I am the fourth oldest. Everyone else is under 25. Yes, these girls are younger than us, but Lexi has been through so much in her lifetime. It’s less about her age and more about the life experience she’s had. She’s had way more life experiences than some of those people. You get a bit more knowledge or experience on things.
Is anyone going to be able to release a song as immediately infectious as your single “ENVY”?
It really is one of those songs that gets in your head. I also think that this talent show, I think 11 of us had original songs. There are a few catchy ones. I do love Jewels Sparkles’ “La Leche” — I’ll be singing that one. Onya Nurve’s “In & Out” — I like that one too. But Andrew Barrett Cox really popped off on this one, and I also didn’t know that I could sing this well! I was in the studio feeling my Britney Spears fantasy. I am really glad the song did as well as it did and Michelle [Visage] loved it and she said it was so produced. To watch the talent show back and to watch RuPaul, Ts [Madison] and Doechii’s reactions to me and they are all living. I couldn’t be happier.
Seeing the reactions to the judges at home must be an added treat for you as you have only seen it from your perspective initially.
While you’re there, you’re doing the talent show. It’s 60 seconds. It’s fast. You’re really not paying attention to the judges’ faces, they want us to look forward into the camera and you’re not paying attention to the judges’ reactions.
Do you have more music coming perhaps?
Maybe…we’ll see. If this song does well and a lot of people like it, we’ll see…
What is it like having such wonderful support from the women in your life and your family as a whole?
I’ve had that support my whole life and I know that is something that not everyone gets and I am so grateful for it. No matter what it is I wanted to do, my parents and everyone in my immediate family was supportive of it whether it was dance, getting into makeup or coming out. To know that my grandma — who is 92 now — still comes to all of these events, is just surreal. My family are really my number one fans.
Follow Crystal Envy on Instagram @thecrystalenvy. You can watch her on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.