INTERVIEW: Lady Red Velvet spills the royal tea on upcoming Brighton Fringe debut, exporting panto to Spain and her almost-encounter with Jonathan Bailey
"I had a week off and he chose that night to come in and have a drink!"
Ladies and gentleman, theys and thems, welcome to the Brighton & Hove residents' community corner series celebrating our city’s bold drag artists, boundary breaking performers and a new category unlocked for 2026: Brighton & Hove based queer/LGBTQ+ owned businesses.
In 2025 I decided that I wanted to create a series that goes beyond the glam with our legendary, local queer performers (and now queer owned businesses too) so we can all get to know them more because like Lady Gaga said on ARTPOP, "Do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura?" so erm, why not?!
If you’re looking to put your hard earned money where your queer mouth is then I think supporting queer/LGBTQ+ owned businesses is a statement of solidarity. These businesses often operate at the intersection of creativity, resilience and community, bringing fresh perspectives while navigating unique challenges. Their success strengthens our community economically and helps pave the way for future queer entrepreneurs.
This week though, we’re joined by Barcelona based drag artist, theatre star, writer, award winning activist, creative director and wedding celebrant: LADY RED VELVET.
📸Carlos Ocho
If this is your first time stumbling across my centrestage series and you want to catch up on previous interviews, don't panic hun-catch up HERE and come back here next Saturday to see who else I'll be yakking with but right now, it's all eyes on Lady Red Velvet so let's dive in head first!🤿🌊
DALEYPOP: Oh heyyy Lady Red Velvet, firstly, how are you and what are you up to after this interview?!
LADY RED VELVET: Hello darling, I am fabulous thank you very much. I have just returned from 3 weeks touring Japan on an amazing holiday so after this interview I am probably going to have a siesta as still recovering from the epic journey home after the travels.
DALEYPOP: Oh wow Japan is on my bucket list, so jel! For our readers who might not have met Lady Red Velvet yet, how would you introduce her and what parts of you does she get to say that everyday life maybe doesn’t and what are your pronouns in and out of drag?
LADY RED VELVET: Lady Red Velvet is she/her/they and out of drag he/him/his. Lady Red Velvet is a creative tornado. She is everything, everywhere all at once; a drag artist, theatre star and director, a writer, an award winning activist and even a wedding celebrant!
Lady Red Velvet specialises in comedy and making people laugh but isn’t afraid to get dramatic and take her audiences on an emotional rollercoaster.
She is the part of me that dares to do things differently. She isn’t afraid to fail or look stupid so she’s able to create magic in her performances and connect to audiences in meaningful ways. P.s. follow her on Instagram. She loves a new follower!
DALEYPOP: You lived many years in Brighton but actually live in sunny Barcelona now, right?! Do you love it?
LADY RED VELVET: Yes, I lived in Brighton for 8 years but grew up in Storrington (in West Sussex) so have felt a connection with Brighton my whole life. My coming out years were in Brighton so it means a lot to me. I do however now live in beautiful Barcelona and I love it. I have been here 15 years now and it’s such a special creative place. I have a wonderful set of friends here and the city and people never fail to surprise me.
DALEYPOP: Lush, so important question: where's the best place for tapas next time I'm in Barcelona? I love tapas and I trust you wholeheartedly.
LADY RED VELVET: If you love food, like I do, then you will have plenty of places to eat. For me, the best tapas place in Barcelona is called La Bombeta in Barcelona, it's a traditional style tapas restaurant with great food and a lively atmosphere.
DALEYPOP: I bet you're excited to pop back to Brighton in May to perform at the Brighton Fringe? Can you tell us more about your God save the Queen show?!
LADY RED VELVET: I am so excited. I feel like a kid at Christmas, I am counting down the days!
This will be my first time performing in the Brighton Fringe and my first time performing in Brighton too!
God save the Queen is an absolutely fabulous show where you join Queen Elizabeth II in the no-holds-barred, warts and all, one woman comedy show where her maj spills the royal tea! Expect scandal, sass, and secrets you definitely won’t hear at the palace gates! It's a chance to step into the royal inner circle where Liz finally tells her side of the story. I think Brighton audiences will eat it up!
DALEYPOP: I'm so excited that you've just launched season 5 of your Let Them Eat Cake podcast woo, what conversations are you most excited to dive into this season?
LADY RED VELVET: Well, if you’re new to my poddy, saddle up and tune in for the weekly ramblings of a slightly delusional drag queen. Season 5 kicks off next with me gushing over the one and only Catherine O’Hara-celebrating her iconic roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice and Schitt’s Creek, just to name a few! I am planning planning to talk about my travels in Japan too, plus fabulous interviews with an amazing lineup of guests including Drag Race España season 3 winner PITITA, Àlex Marteen, Kika Superputa and many more as well as explaining my journey with God save the Queen and how it’s taken shape from the initial ideas, to the premiere at the Barcelona Fringe Festival and into the lead up to Brighton. It will be quite the slice of cake for listeners to get their teeth into. I’m also adding details of my upcoming newest theatre show, Dragatha Christie and Murder in The Spotlight. This is my latest Dragatha Christie play and I am super excited to see it brought to life. Dragatha recently had a viral moment on TikTok with once video being viewed 3 million times! So I think we will have some new drag murder mystery fans joining us as we try to work out whodunnit!
@dragatha.christie No one threatens Dragatha Christie & gets away with it! #dragathachristie #drag #dragartist #dragqueen #murdermistery @Max Factor Ruby Tuesday Lipstick đź’„
♬ Silencio Blanco Es Asesinato Piano-JP - Thirst Follow
DALEYPOP: Have you ever had a real “this is why I do this” moment in your career? One that reminded you exactly why you chose this path oh and how long have you been doing drag for by the way!?
LADY RED VELVET: I have a whole collection actually but two of my favourites are with audience members of different ages. One was at the Festas de Sants, which is a wonderful traditional street party held in the city every year and I’ve been lucky enough to perform at for the past three years. A few years ago in this even my drag sister, Paprika and I spotted a young boy in the audience singing and dancing along so we invited him on stage to perform with us in front of a crowd of 1000 people and they went wild. He loved it and his mother wrote us a lovely letter the following day thanking us for making him feel part of the show. The other moment was in December at Cinderella, the first drag pantomime ever in Spain, which I wrote and directed and starred with my Bad Drag Productions sisters. It was fabulous to bring panto to Spain but even better when at the matinée show we had a family of four generations including a 100 year old who had the best time! The moments stand out because drag is for everyone to enjoy!
DALEYPOP: Nawww, that's honestly all so wholesome to hear! I can't believe I almost forgot to ask this one, where did the name Lady Red Velvet come from?
LADY RED VELVET: This one is simple, I love cake! I think it works so well as a name because who doesn’t love a slice if red velvet?!
DALEYPOP: Who's your crush of the day? Celebrity, partner, fictional character, or someone who smiled at you once? It all counts.
LADY RED VELVET: Well, I almost met him recently….Johnathon Bailey. Swoon! I love him in Bridgerton and Wicked and narrowly missed out on seeing him last summer when he came to the bar I perform at weekly, La Federica, in El-Poble sec in Barcelona. After 8 years of performing every Thursday I had a week off and he chose that night to come in and have a drink! What a disappointment to have missed out on meeting him!
DALEYPOP: Oh wow I would've been pissed too, well apparently he lives in Hove so you've got another chance in May?! What was the last thing you Googled?
LADY RED VELVET: Moira Rose’s wedding costume in Schitt’s Creek. I adored Catherine O’Hara and was so sad that she passed away recently so I decided to dedicate a show to her character Moira Rose.
DALEYPOP: Do you have any advice that you'd like to share with younger queer creatives or baby drag artists who are still figuring out their voice?
LADY RED VELVET: My first experience in drag was when I was only 14 years playing Maid Marian in pantomime for my local Scout Troop in Storrington and then after many years camping it up in amateur dramatics before becoming Lady Red Velvet, one of Barcelona’s most well known drag artists so I do have plenty of experience to call upon to help others.
I never wanted to be a drag mother myself so I became a drag fairy godmother and gave support to some of Barcelona’s most popular drag artists and I will share with you what I shared with them and that is to enjoy what you do and the audience will enjoy it too.
Be confident and don’t take it too seriously. Treat your audiences with respect and always be professional and last of all be creative. Drag is more than a lip sync!
DALEYPOP: Before I let you go, do you have anything else you'd like to share with our readers?!
LADY RED VELVET: I love drag so much and use it to bring the community together. At La Federica we have raised over €28000 for more than 35 different charities, ranging from Cancer Research to helping the homeless, from children’s charities to helping the aged, we have supported LGBTQ+ organisations and helped people both near and far who are in need. Drag is a powerful art form that connects people and can make a positive difference to the world we live in.
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