'Fully Lit' Shangela Pierce Takes on America with Tour

EDGE: Let's start with a question about your HBO reality series "We're Here." The show has always been striking and so much fun, but is kicked off the third season with you, Bob the Drag Queen, and Eureka O'Hara visiting a Texas town where the hate was palpable: You were spied on, accused of being groomers, confronted by protesters... were you afraid going there? Or did growing up in Texas prepare you for this sort of thing?

Shangela: Well, I'm glad you mentioned that I grew up in Texas, because that's kind of what made this experience feel very familiar for me. I was not afraid in any way in going to showcase the stories that were in Granbury, Texas. Doing this show for three seasons now, I understand what great importance and what great impact this show can have. And we've been to some places in the past that have been less welcoming and very, very, very conservative, and even very homophobic. Being able to go to Granbury and showcase what the experience is like for LGBTQ people and allies in some of these really red and conservative spaces, I felt like, 'Okay, it's very important. We need to do this. I feel like I understand what it's like to be in the minority, especially as a queer person, so I wasn't afraid, but I definitely felt that there was even greater purpose and importance for us to be in a space like this.

EDGE: Whenever I watch "We're Here," I'm always struck by your composure, compassion, calmness, and centeredness as you listen to the people you work with and sometimes, as you are confronted by hostile people. Where does that centeredness and calm come from for you?

Shangela: I think it comes from growing up in Paris, Texas. I'm not a trained therapist, or anyone related to that particular [field], but I've done a lot of work on myself as an adult, and I think I carry those tools and lessons into every situation that I'm in. I think it contributes to my ability to communicate with people, also in my family. I've faced people in my own family that I've learned, you know, sometimes you're not going to get through to people unless they feel heard as well. It's one thing to be someone who has a message, but also you have to listen to others to understand how they're going to receive your message, and how best to communicate your message so they will be open to receiving it.

I do practice a lot of patience, because just in my personal life I've learned that it's the best way to really be able to create a connection. When we go to these spaces, and I meet people who are either homophobic or just, you know, they've dug their heels into the ground and they are not budging on their way of thinking, I go, "Now, what's the importance of of what I'm doing here? How do I want to bring about change, and how do I want to help my drag kids to really get their message across throughout the show?" For me, it's not the combative way. Always. There's some people you're just not gonna get through to. But for most people, I find in any situation that it's important to be as good a listener to hear why they feel the way they feel, why they're so adamant about that thought, and then try and let them get to know me beneath this preconceived notion of me that they have.

EDGE: Let's talk about your tour. What will you be bringing to the stage? I'm guessing it's your blend of cabaret and comedy, with fabulous fashions, music, and eye-popping costumes. What else? Sketch performances? Guest stars?

Shangela: Well, all of the above! This new tour that I'm putting together is called "Fully Lit." I'm so excited to have kicked off the tour on January 19 in Boston, and going across the U.S. The tour is a combination of everything that people know about Shangela: High energy performance in an amazing concert style, but also including some fantastic and fun storytelling, and just a great way to reconnect with my audience once again from the stage. I'm so excited to bring this amount of energy and talent to the stage, because when I go to someone's show, like Beyoncé or J. Lo, I love to walk out at the end and feel like, "Wow, that was an experience." That's what people are going to get when they come to see me. If they've ever wanted to have a Shangela experience, I'm about to bring it to them. And everything that I've learned, also, the experiences that I've had. It's going to be a nonstop ride over the milestones of a really fun roller coaster of a career. Everything I've learned for the big milestones, including "Dancing with the Stars," will be included in this show.

This is my first time working with a large touring company like Live Nation, and I'm so grateful to have awesome partners in this tour. One of our major sponsors for the tour is AT&T. I want to make sure I say that, because they have really come forward and supported the world of drag in helping me to reconnect, and build a greater connection, with my fans. I'm just excited about being able to work with large brands that say, "You know what? We love queer culture, and we want to support the world the drag" at a time that so many, especially in the U.S., are not showing that kind of love for drag.

EDGE: That's putting it mildly. But it's fascinating that we've got such pushback on drag as an art form, and yet it's never been more popular and it's never been more mainstream. What has changed to bring drag to the mainstream?

Shangela: There are a couple of things. You cannot deny the impact of "RuPaul's Drag Race," which has been on television now for nearly a little over a decade, allowing people to break down their ideas of what they thought drag was and having a greater window into the people of the world of drag. I'm grateful to have been a part of the show for a number of years, and I still have a great relationship over there.

So, I think ["Drag Race"] has definitely moved the needle on the visibility of drag and drag entertainers in mainstream media. I think that just as we evolve as a society and people are starting to have greater visibility — not just of drag, but of the queer culture, in media and also in their own daily lives. People are embracing who they are and coming out sooner. People who feel like, "I've never known a gay person, I don't know anyone gay," all of a sudden, they do: It's their neighbor, it's their son or their daughter, it's the person that bags the groceries at the grocery store. We're all around, and the fact that we're being out loud and proud is allowing people to understand that, hey, we are among you, we are with you, and it's moving the needle on [LGBTQ+] acceptance.

EDGE: Along with everything else you're doing, you're pursuing an acting career, and you have a new movie coming up, "Love Star Bull." And your co-star is Luke Macfarlane! What was it like working with him?

Shangela: We shot it in Savannah, Georgia, a little bit back. I loved working with Luke — [it] was one of the best experiences that I could ask for. Not only is he amazingly handsome, but he's also so talented and has one of the biggest hearts. I can't wait for people to be able to see this film. It doesn't have a release date just yet, but this film is going to be absolutely, riotously hilarious. Baby, hold on to your hat!

EDGE: Speaking of big hearts, you run something called Feed the Queens. Do you want to say a few words about that here?

Shangela: Feed the Queens was an initiative that I kicked off during the pandemic. I was inspired by Lady Gaga, who was contributing so much to helping people during the pandemic. I thought, "What can I do? I want to do something as well." I saw so many of our drag fellow drag entertainers that were out of work due to the pandemic, so I worked with the Actors Fund to kick off an initiative, with a goal of raising $100,000 and giving 100% of those proceeds to out-of-work drag entertainers through food gift cards. And we did — we were able to raise $100,000, and we gave out $100,000 to out-of-work drag entertainers that applied and received grant funds. I was happy to be able to help out, and grateful to continue doing so.

For more on Shangela's "Fully Lit" tour, visit her website.

Watch the trailer to Shangela's "Fully Lit" tour: