What ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Sapphira Cristál Can Teach You About Embracing Your Imperfections

Sapphira Cristál is putting finishing touches on a lot of things these days.

A fan favorite on Season 16 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”—she was crowned co-Miss Congeniality—the operatically trained drag diva with the famed “slue foot” is polishing up her first album, “The Cristál Ball,” completed a North American tour of the same name, and, as we Zoom, getting her glamour-length nails done. (They look fabulous.)

“Mother Sapphira” had just performed a concert in downtown Los Angeles—“It takes you on an emotional roller coaster, but one that makes you feel really good by the end,” she says—before making an appearance at RuPaul’s Drag Con. Wherever she goes these days, she gets the same reaction: “I come out to standing ovations. It’s a cool feeling, you know what I mean?”

Here’s her advice for getting such a rousing reaction in your own life, hunty.

You bring your entire self to your performances. Why bare your soul onstage?

I’m a Libra, so I’m an open book. We tell our life story constantly! I feel it’s very necessary for me to tell my story because you never know who can benefit from hearing it. Being queer and hearing stories that are the same but different lets us connect to each other.

Your new single is “Enough.” How does the song’s message help you as a performer?

Every single time I go out onstage, I tell myself that I’m enough and that I love and accept myself, and [that] whatever happens that night is going to be amazing. People are there to enjoy your presence, and I’m there to be exactly what they need.

You took the time on “Drag Race” to help others, even though you were competing with them. Generosity of spirit seems very important to you.

The biggest exercise for the heart is to reach down and help someone else. That’s how I was raised. My mom used to wake me up every Saturday to go and feed the homeless. It’s instilled in me that if you can help someone, do it. On “Drag Race,” I was there for people. And when I needed help, I had people who were there for me as well. Life can be a competition, but we can still help each other.

You did your research before doing the show. You knew, for instance, that RuPaul loved James Brown before you chose to impersonate him on Snatch Game. Is preparedness a lesson every performer should take to heart?

If you’re going to be working anywhere, find out all you can about the situation. That way, you’re not surprised by anything. Prepare yourself for all the things you might encounter. Then go in and just be you.

You auditioned 11 times before being cast. What’s the lesson there?

The lesson is that every “no” is not a “no forever.” It’s just a “not right now.” You always need to think, Am I ready for this? When I got on, I was completely ready. I didn’t win, but I made it as far as one could without winning. And I did annihilate it while I was there.

All season long, RuPaul teased you about your walk. Did you mind that?

I have a natural turnout when I walk. I basically walk in first position. The first time I walked up to her, she screamed, “Come on, slue-foot!” I was like, “Oh, damn it.” But then I realized it was something that made her giggle. And making RuPaul happy is the name of the game. It’s not called “Anybody Else’s Drag Race.” I had been made fun of [for] the way I walk for most of my life, but once I realized that it made her happy, I stopped being so self-conscious.

How can we all embrace our imperfections?

You’ve got to believe you’re perfect every day of your life and that there’s no one else like you. Once you accept who you are and love that person, you can elevate yourself.

What’s your advice for anyone who wants to try drag?

When people tell me they want to start doing drag, my first question is, what are you bringing to the art of drag that isn’t already there? You don’t have to be an entertainer. You can be a drag queen who just goes to parties. But if you want to jump into the entertainment part of drag, you have to ask yourself: What can I do that’s going to keep people entertained?

What can performers who don’t do drag learn from drag queens?

You can learn how to just really enjoy life. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.

What do you say to people who say it’s not fair you’re cute as a boy and as a girl?

Life’s not fair, hon.

Sapphira Cristál is a classically trained opera singer, composer, and drag queen. She holds 14 pageant crowns and was runner-up on Season 16 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”