On The Standard’s music podcast Life in Seven Songs, we ask some of the world’s most fascinating people: What songs tell the story of your life?
Miss Peppermint wears a lot of hats (and wigs): drag queen, first openly trans woman on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Broadway actress, “Traitors” contestant—and through it all, vocal trans rights activist. She’s also hilarious, fabulous, and unapologetically herself.
“Every single ounce of our being is supposed to be lived through, not confined and ashamed and contorted the way that they want you to go back in the closet,” says Peppermint. “And if you can overcome that, you can overcome anything.”
In this episode of “Life in Seven Songs,” Peppermint dishes on her early queer icons (think Prince and “Amadeus”), her formative romantic encounters, and her wild years as an entertainer in the ‘90s NYC nightclub scene.
“You didn’t know if you were gonna hook up with somebody or get killed. That was honestly the vibe,” Peppermint recalls. “You were like, ‘We don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re gonna have a good time.’”
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Before becoming a drag icon, Peppermint found inspiration in Prince
At the end of the day, Peppermint says she has always known one thing: “I just did not want to be basic and predictable.”
Here’s her playlist.
- Prince, “7”
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385”
- Lenny Kravitz, “Believe”
- Bush, “Glycerine”
- Deborah Cox, “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here”
- Stars On 54, “If You Could Read My Mind”
- Ariana Grande, “no tears left to cry”
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify (opens in new tab) or Apple Podcast (opens in new tab)s
💌 Contact the team: [email protected]