RED: From drag queen to singer stardom

Singer, producer, actor, anime and manga designer, RED knows how to do it all. Recently releasing their song Get It On which they wrote and produced in their own home as well as creating and directing the music video, RED’s on a roll.

Formerly known as Carmen Monoxide, RED has been doing drag since 2011. After visiting the city to visit their sister, the singer decided to move to Bristol a decade ago. What made them decide to move here? “It’s politically astute. It’s artistic. It’s cultured. And it’s also a bit mad. It’s just a city full of festival people who will use any excuse to turn a minor function into a raging street party!”

Since entering into the Miss Retreat competition at Retreat Bristol on Old Market, RED has been doing drag ever since; “my focus has always been singing but I have no idea how to begin a singing career. How to get your foot on the first step of the ladder or make it into a paid job and so drag just happened,” they tell us.

The competition is where they met other drag queens and like-minded friends including “my drag twin sister, Dominique Fleek.” They now run Drag Queen Bingo together, with events being held at different venues across the city. With comedy, prizes, cabaret and live singing, the events are a Bristol staple.

However, like most creatives and performers, the pandemic had a challenging affect on the artist: “I’m feeling like I’m in a rut, I’m feeling like things aren’t working. What is it that’s stressing me out? And as much as I adore being a queen, there are certain elements of it that, coming back into it fresh faced with like a decade of experience behind me, I was like, I could really do without having the pressure of never being seen in the same outfit twice.”

And so, with this in mind, RED turned their attention to their singing career – a career they’ve wanted since they watched singer JoJo go through so much drama over her music career. “She’s one of my biggest inspirations for singing and songwriting,” they tell us. “Because with all of her drama with her, like record label folding at the pinnacle of her career at 16 and then the 10 years of them owning all of her so she couldn’t sing or do anything for money.”

Taking inspiration from noughties pop singers such as Britney and Dannii Minogue, RED has been working on their music from their bedroom in Eastville. Fusing together pop with “something you can bump and grind to.” When asked what genre they would describe their music, RED tells us; “every song I make is a different experiment towards a different kind of genre.”

Working with a tight budget means that the artist is self-taught in 3D modelling, music production and music video production, learning a completley new craft in the height of lockdown. With a successful video premiere party at Unit8 Studios last month, RED hopes to continue releasing tracks, EPs and music videos for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, they will also be hosting Drag Queen Bingo during Pride weekend at Lost Horizon and The Full Moon and performing on the circus stage at Pride as well.

Drag Queen Bingo will be taking place at Pride next weekend. Credit: Red Toulson-Clarke

Main photo: Vonalina Cake Photography

Read more: Astro-Zenica set to perform debut show as part of Bristol Pride

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: