Queen Priyanka opens up about personal struggles and triumphs in her debut album “Devastatia.”
Drag icon Queen Priyanka is preparing to release her debut album, Devastatia, on August 23. This album encapsulates two years of her life, filled with both triumphs and struggles, and reflects her journey and the themes she’s passionate about.
At 33, Priyanka, born Mark Suknanan, recounts a significant and disheartening experience that inspired one of her album’s tracks, “Gucciyanka.” Interview with PEOPL Recalling the moment when she tried to buy her first designer bag, she recalls, “I wanted to buy my first designer bag.
I’m starting to make good money and I’m starting to feel confident and isn’t that what society says is the next step? I mean, you buy yourself a Gucci bag, right?” However, her excitement quickly turned to disappointment when she felt judged by the store’s staff. “Everyone looked at me like I was stealing. Everything is judged based on looks.
Sometimes we feel like we must be the version of ourselves that people think we are. It’s irritating. I mean, I would walk into that motherf—ing store again and wear sweats if I wanted to.”
Priyanka’s journey to stardom has been anything but easy. She remembers the fears and doubts she faced growing up with dreams of being a star. “I remember not even telling people that I wanted to be a star growing up, because I knew they would think I would be a dumb bitch.
But I knew exactly what I had. I had a vision board. I was performing in my bedroom. I knew I wanted to be a pop star, but if I ever said that out loud, people would think I’m stupid.”
Despite these challenges, Priyanka has achieved considerable success. The Ontario native won the first season of Canada’s Drag Race in 2020, which catapulted her into the spotlight.
Since then, she has continued to expand her career, appearing in television shows such as the Emmy Award-winning HBO series We’re Here and the upcoming show Drag Brunch Saved My Life. She also has roles in movies like Backspot and the forthcoming Meet Me Next Christmas.
Yet, music remains her true calling. “This is exactly what I always have wanted. I’m grateful and I’m happy and I would do it all over again. But do I know exactly what’s going on here? Am I still able to find the joy in all of this? Am I going to be OK? There’s a lot of gameplay in this business.
There’s a lot of confusion. There’s a lot of people just being scared to speak up for themselves.”
Devastatia is Priyanka’s way of laying bare her experiences and emotions. “It’s two years of my life,” she says of the album’s creative process. “It’s all the ups and all the downs and all the stuff you’re scared to talk about because you don’t know what stories to share with the world because you’re still up-and-coming. You don’t want to burn any bridges. But then I realized that the people around me are burning their own bridges. I’m the star here.”
Priyanka’s music isn’t just about personal catharsis; it’s about connecting with her audience. Her track “Problem Pageant” is a testament to this. “We are all wired to complain. Imagine a world where you could win a pageant for all your problems. The whole idea is that I like to complain.
You like to complain. Let’s f—ng complain together. You could be the richest person in the world, and we can still complain about the same s—. The true relatability of that song is that it’s OK to complain. It’s OK to bitch.”
Looking ahead, Priyanka is set to headline her fall North American tour starting on October 9. As she prepares for this new chapter, she remains focused on her purpose and the impact she wants to make.
“It’s crazy to think that in a world with so much therapy and so much self-love accounts on Instagram and so many ways to guide us, all of us still cannot figure ourselves out. All I know is that I needed to do this. This is my calling. This is my purpose.”
