TALKING SOUND, SORROW AND SOUL WITH DRAG SUPERSTAR, TODDY

Toddy is a drag artist residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally from Alberta, Toddy is a versatile performer with expertise in various creative disciplines including music, drag performance, and comedy. In 2021, Toddy was crowned the winner of the first season of the reality television series Call Me Mother. Beginning their career in Toronto's drag king scene, Toddy has since established themselves as a prominent figure in the Canadian entertainment industry. Now based in Vancouver, Toddy continues to captivate audiences with their performances, showcasing a unique blend of humour and musical prowess. In this interview, we'll delve into Toddy's artistic journey and the release of their upcoming debut album, Always, exploring the influences and experiences that have shaped their career.

PC: Can you tell us a little bit about how you first became involved with performance?

T: I've been performing since I was a wee little one. I had my big heartbreak at 21 at opera school when I realized that the thing I'd committed my entire life to was ruining me.

I put everything I possibly could into it, but my mental health and my body were suffering. I was having panic attacks, and it felt like nothing I was doing was what the teachers liked or wanted. I wasn't the cookie-cutter of what they wanted for an opera singer.

I failed my third-year recital by one and a half percent. I had the option to add on an extra year or drop down to a Bachelor of Music and voice rather than vocal performance, which, on a resume, looks no different. So I did. Then I started doing stand-up, sketch comedy, and improv acting. I worked two jobs and started living the life that I wanted as a creative. I opened up my world to all of these new opportunities, and now I do so many things.

I just got thrown into the music industry. I am very good at getting opportunities before I'm ready for them and just doing them. I realized that no one's ever going to be if you wait until you're ready for something, you're never going to do it.

PC: How has your experience been working with a record label?

T: Amazing. Turns out, it's really fun to make art with resources. They signed me because they wanted something new and different, and we've given them a product that's new and different, exciting, and marketable. They've given me full creative freedom.

PC: How would you describe your musical sound?

T: We've put it into the world of glam rock. Because I am combining the music with my drag, I've turned my persona, Toddy, into a glam rock persona. Opera will always play a role in my life; you'll see it throughout the album, but it's a mix of pop rock and a little pop punk. It's really fun, but it all lives in this 'Toddy' world.

PC: What is Toddy’s world?

T: I think Toddy is unafraid. And myself, not as Toddy, isn’t fearless. It's music-making that isn't afraid of being perceived, but it's also not being perceived conventionally. I think that's how new art is made–sort of unabashedly.

PC: You have a certain level of attention to detail in the aesthetics that you create performing as Toddy. Do you feel like that translates into your musical persona as well?

T: Toddy is like, anything that you could do at a seven, do it at a 12.

PC: Who are some of your musical influences?

T: Annie Lennox and Mozart.

PC: How do you feel like the elements of comedy, opera and drag converge in your music?

T: The music is very honest. On the album, there's a ton of funny stuff. I got halfway through my album, and I didn't know what to write anymore. Then I had the biggest breakup I've ever gone through.

I think my music is also just one part of me, and I think that's going to show in my live shows. The music is great, but the live shows are going to be amazing.

PC: What's important for you as Toddy to talk about in your art?

T: I think the way that grief is approached in this album is very honest. It's Toddy’s different takes on everyday human experiences. I teach my comedy students that in order for there to be a joke, we have to tell the audience what our POV is, so they can put themselves into the joke. I think that's the same thing with the music.

PC: Do you write from your perspective or Toddy’s?

T: This album is a love letter to Toddy. Toddy has gotten me through so much. After opera school, I physically was not able to sing. I felt like I had a quarter of my lung capacity. I got shakes when I was performing in front of people. Creating Toddy allowed me to just follow intuition rather than everything that was creating my anxieties. Toddy experiences things very raw and at face value. When I'm not performing as Toddy, I can intellectualize my feelings, but Toddy just feels everything in the moment.

The first time I ever sang as Toddy, was the wildest experience. I got on stage and it was like I had all of my training with none of my trauma. I still can't sing when I'm not performing as Toddy–it's the reason that I perform.

This is the first time that the two are being mixed in the way that they are. I think I'm slowly reclaiming what it feels like to just be myself, rather than this image of myself.

PC: Is there anybody in particular that you're speaking to with this album?
T: I think my career in general, I want to speak to two people: one of which are the kids who are going through music school right now and or any art institution. In some way, I think it's important to learn the skills and the foundations, but also it's important to see people who are paving their way in a career. The second are the drag babies, the drag things, and the drag kings. I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I'm one of the first drag things to be making a career out of this. This world of drag is not made to support us. They’ve made it pretty clear to us that it’s not a place for us. Our art is so valuable.

Until enough of us do this, it’s going to be a place where just some of us have to power through and create our paths for other people to follow. I just want to make my art and have fun and bring everyone up with me.

Learn more about Toddy’s work via their website and be sure to follow them on Instagram.

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