One week before the kickoff of Pride Month 2019, Alaska Thunderfuck, straight from the planet Glamtron, the self-professed drag superfan and acclaimed champion of season two of "RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars", pulled a Beyonce and dropped a full-length album out of fucking nowhere. This new disc, entitled Vagina, seems to be the natural progression of things, considering her first two album’s names, Anus and Poundcake. Much like her first two discs, Alaska switches between serious and silly, confident and comical, and does so almost seamlessly. As a precursor to DragCon Los Angeles, this record shook up the community and reminded us who the hell we’re dealing with.
The title track “Vagina” kicks off the disc, name-dropping major movement’s for women’s rights, such as the Weinstein trials, the #MeToo movement, and the Women’s March. Alaska proudly proclaims that “the future is feminine” over a track featuring her breathy talk-singing, with a chorus behind her driving an epic, anthemic call to action. It is a hell of an opener, rivaled only by “The T,” the opener from her highly-acclaimed Poundcake.
In interviews, Alaska has talked about making drag music for fans of drag. Several tracks on this album, including three of the next four, are just that. “Leopard Print,” “Walk Into the Club,” and “Getting Kicked Out (Of Micky’s on a Monday Night)” are filled with in-jokes and references to fellow queens and drag culture as a whole. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you don’t. Granted, unless you’re a seasoned fan of "Drag Race", chances are you aren’t up to snuff on music made by drag queens.
“Cellulite” kicks the absolute shit out of the “No Fats” culture that has surfaced in gay culture. It is a celebration of the “dad bod,” a praise of plus-size bodies that featured a verse from producer Big Dipper, best known for his work producing Alaska’s podcast alongside fellow Drag Race alum Willam Belli, “Race Chaser.” Again, by reveling in the underrepresented and marginalized among the LGBTQ community, Alaska uses her platform for good, and secures her spot as one of the greatest performers to come out of the "Drag Race" machine.
“Snaked” is one of the catchiest songs on the record. There are plenty of references to her time on All Stars ($10,000 via PayPal, anyone?), but the real high point of this song is the gender inclusivity and transgender positivity in several lines:
“Don’t call me sir, don’t call me ma’am / Don’t address the room ‘ladies and gentlemen…’”
“Some women have dicks and some men have vaginas...”
Through the disc’s 42 minute runtime, Alaska puts the drag world and the LGBTQ community on notice, reminding them who the queen truly is. Through her eclectic brand of humor, mixed with plenty of empowerment and middle fingers to the status quo, exceeds the bar set by her previous albums, and allows her to reclaim her place as one of the most important figures in queer culture today.