Derek meets Derrick! I spoke with the world-famous drag queen & Britney Spears impersonator.
We talked Kenzo Paris, Ru Girls and Derrick's favorite Britney Spears song. Unfortunately, though, I forgot to gush over how much I love his bop of a single, "Boom Boom (feat. Chris Cox)."
Derek: So I see that you’re already rocking Britney’s Kenzo look.
Derrick Barry: Yes!
Derek: How quickly after [the campaign launched] did you get everything?
Derrick: I actually lucked out, because we were on tour overseas for UK and Europe. We went to Paris - we already had it planned. So when the whole campaign came out, I went and bought the sweatshirt - well you know the pictures - the sweatshirt, the hat, bra, shorts. I think I got one more thing, but I can't remember. Five things within a week of her campaign coming out. So, I was like that’s it, there is a time and a reason that everything happens. That was the fastest I had something recreated, because I was able to go into Kenzo and buy it.
Derek: Yeah, that's so cool.
Derrick: It was very exciting. It was my first time in Paris, just the energy was right and things like that happen and come along every once in a while, you know?
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Derek: Obviously you were very well known before Drag Race. What was it like to going to into the RuPaul universe?
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Derrick: Well, I was lucky, because I worked with so many of the girls already. Many times we would get booked for the same parties, and I would be the one girl that wasn’t on Drag Race. But I was fortunate because America’s Got Talent was in 2008, and Drag Race aired in '09 - and I wasn’t able to do RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1. I was filming AGT. So I was really lucky that it all happened at the same time. I kinda got lumped into, not being a Drag Race girl, but being a part of the family already. Knowing a lot of the girls and being friends with some of them since I started in 2003. Now it is such an honor to be a part of the franchise. It’s so much bigger. I’ve been to more countries than ever before because of Drag Race; it just puts you in a market that you weren't necessarily able to break into before.
Derek: What is your favorite Britney song?
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Derrick: Ooh! "Toxic," I don't even have to think about it! Second places are... I really like “Work Bitch” and “Till the World Ends,” but there’s nothing like "Toxic" with the falsettos. I just love the screams in it. It was next-level production when it came out, and I still think today that song could come out and kill it on the charts again, because it was so ahead of its time musically. I think it’s timeless.
Derek: I think that is why it has so many memes going on right now.
Derrick: Yeah! it’s just so good, I mean, it’s her best song. It’s going to be 15 years old this November, I think, or something like that. So, a long time. Yeah. Still my fave!
Derek: 15 years of In the Zone!
Derrick: Always In the Zone! You gotta always "get in the zone."
Derek: Well, thank you so much.
Derrick: Of course! I love that you wore Britney. That is awesome.
Special thank you to RuPaul's DragCon and World of Wonder for giving us the opportunity to cover their Los Angeles 2018 convention. Buy tickets to RuPaul's DragCon NYC 2018 here.
What's YOUR favorite Britney Spears song? Hit me baby, one more time: @DerekPlease on all social platforms.