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[title]The second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is about to drop, and Melbourne’s hopes for taking out the crown rest solely on the petite shoulders of one Aubrey Haive (@aubreyhaive). If you haven’t seen this 25-year-old drag queen working it at a local bar, that might be because you haven’t hit the town since we were allowed out of the house.
After dabbling during Melbourne’s lockdowns, Haive has seen a meteoric rise in the local scene. Originally hailing from Timaru, New Zealand, Haive studied over in Perth and has been settled in Melbourne for a good while since.
Time Out caught up with this tall poppy to find out more about Melbourne’s most successful new drag queen, and what she makes of the local scene.
Love Drag Race? Check out more of the amazing local contenders this year, including our Sydney competition.
Who’s that girl?
Who is Aubrey Haive in a nutshell?
Aubrey Haive is a ’60s dream girl who is very campy, but glamorous at the same time. She’s like an actress who can play any role that you've ever wanted.
What influences your drag?
A huge influence is obviously Austin Powers, given my name, and the really over the top impro that they had in the movies. That sort of silly humour that is taking the piss out of itself a little bit. That's pretty much where I draw my drag.
Photograph: Instagram/@aubreyhaive | Yes, that is a dress made of Myki cards.
How did your drag career get started?
I started in the first lockdown in Melbourne and I have had plenty of time to perfect my drag. I needed a creative outlet to be able to survive the lockdowns and drag was the thing that kept me busy. It was like a forced drag study at a drag college. I worked really hard, perfecting everything, and then by the time we got out, I was pretty ready to, you know, make a big splash in the Melbourne scene… I've always had this burning desire to be a drag queen, and I always loved watching the drag performances both here in Melbourne and over in Perth, they have a really great scene over there as well.
Tell me a bit about your background in performance?
I studied a Bachelor of Arts and Musical Theatre at WAAPA in Perth. I started off as a singer and that took me into the world of theatre and things like that. All of those performing skills are so useful in drag. As much as I love, you know, the looks and being glamorous, being able to perform and entertain a crowd is a fundamental skill of a drag queen, and something that I think is really important. And so I'm very fortunate that I've had that sort of training. I think that's how I've been able to get to where I am so quickly.
What was it like to prepare for Drag Race?
There’s a lot to get ready and I basically had very little drag already in my wheelhouse, so I had to get most of my stuff made for the show and made from scratch. But, I definitely did get all those things, I will say, and the garments that I had made I think are some of the coolest, top tier stuff that you'll see. There's definitely plenty of that to look out for on the show.
Who are the people around you who have helped you develop your craft?
I would have to say my partner, Gloss, who is also a drag queen. I started doing drag just before we met, and then we started nourishing our drag together. She’s much, much better than I am! That's been a huge asset, to have her there to support me.
Photograph: Supplied/Stan
And how did your partner feel about you getting on the show and not her?
Well, she didn’t audition. Because he was too busy at the time, booked and blessed!
Where do you reckon people should be going out to see drag in Melbourne?
Well there’s always the In The Dark tours that are happening at Chasers. There's a Rainbow House Club on Smith Street. Anywhere on Smith Street really – there’s Mollie’s, even Yah Yah's is a great place to go. Anywhere on Smith Street, you're gonna find all of the best drag in Melbourne.
Who are some Melbourne drag queens that we should be keeping an eye out for?
Obviously my partner, Gloss. Max the Drag Queen is a really talented performer here. There’s Sabrina Babyslut and Kali Forni-Kate, who are the Jawbreakers, they’re like this duo DJ drag fantasy and it's fucking amazing. I also live with another drag queen, Aysha Buffet. And I also love working with Tilly Capulet.
RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is streaming exclusively on Stan from July 30, 2022.