Meet Kalila Dea

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalila Dea.

Kalila, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Drag has always been something that I’ve loved so dearly since I was a kid. I always wanted to perform, but I was scared. It wasn’t until I went to my first local show, and met one of my closest sisters, that I finally decided to just try it out. It was the best decision of my life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not exactly, It’s been a challenge but one that was worth taking. I think one of the biggest challenges for me, and I know other performers can relate to this, is that a lot of people expect more from me and don’t take me seriously as an AFAB performer. That’s been a big struggle since I’ve started. I have to be doing something interesting with myself or people get bored quickly. But I honestly believe my biggest struggles have been internal. A lot of me not believing in myself, struggling with personal stuff, but I have a beautiful community that always has my back and is there for me when I need help.

Please tell us about Kalila Dea.
I’m an AFAB drag queen, and for those of you that don’t know, AFAB means “assigned female at birth”… I host three shows in Tucson, which include, Drags in the Desert, Day of the Dea, and QYAS (formally hosted by Apple Q Bottoms). I think one thing that I am incredibly proud of (and probably most proud of) would be Drags in the Desert. One of my goals, when I started performing, was that I wanted to bring more drag to Arizona for the youth to enjoy. I know a lot of kids who don’t get to see the queens they follow on social media and watch on TV because a lot of gigs are 21+. DITD gave me that opportunity to have a space where I can bring in queens from all over the country to come perform, like Yuhua Hamasaki and Biblegirl666, and have it be ALL AGES so everyone can come and enjoy the show. Our next event will be starring our current reining Season 11 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Yvie Oddly on November 17th in Tucson, AZ.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I have so many plans for the future, so many fun ideas. I can’t wait to hopefully start traveling someday, working with other people, maybe even make merch someday. I’m just so excited to continue growing and changing. I’m so excited to continue to perform and meet new people, I’m so excited to continue to create inclusive events. And I can’t wait to stick around to watch all of my family grow with me.

Contact Info:

• Email: contactkaliladea@gmail.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/kaliladea
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaliladea/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/itskaliladea
• Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drags-in-the-desert-tickets-65886876421?ref=eios

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