Six years ago, Karamilk was booking drag performers for a show in Carleton University’s residence. Today, she’s one of the newest faces on the reality show Canada’s Drag Race.
Karamilk made her national debut on the sixth season of Canada’s Drag Race, which premiered on Nov. 20, two years after her first drag performance at The Lookout Bar in the ByWard Market.
Though she now lives in Toronto, the performer’s drag journey is drawing attention to Ottawa’s growing drag scene.
“I feel like Karamilk is so rooted in Ottawa,” she said. “It was the first time I found community within the 2SLGBTQ+ realm.”
Map shows venues in Ottawa where Karamilk has performed. [Map @ Marissa Guido]
Karamilk hails from Halifax but moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University, where she organized its first on-campus drag show. She also helped organize the university’s first Pride festival in 2023.
“I worked for the Student Experience Office and I helped plan Carleton’s first-ever Pride festival,” she said. “That makes me really happy to look back on.”
A summer internship with Capital Pride further cemented her connection to the city’s queer community. Karamilk credits Ottawa for helping her find the confidence to develop her persona and step on stage.
“I felt more comfortable in my own skin to start drag, and I think that’s because the people I was around supported me and made me feel like it was something that I could do,” she said.
Drag is an art performance where artists exaggerate gender through makeup, clothing and character. It isn’t tied to a performer’s gender identity; anyone with any identity can do drag.
The art form is also fluid, from high-fashion pageant drag to theatrical and horror drag and other styles. Performances can include lip-syncing, dancing, comedy and dramatic character work.
Karamilk’s journey, as described by her peers, highlights Ottawa’s unique drag scene. Mx. Tique, an Ottawa-based drag artist, called the community tight-knit and diverse.
“The Ottawa drag community, it’s pretty dope,” they said. “There’s more camp, more alternative drag, and just a lot more room to go crazy with it.”
Mx. Tique became interested in drag in 2019 at Carleton, alongside Karamilk, in a dance group.
“I knew I did want to start drag, but nothing was really lighting the fire under me until I saw Karamilk debut,” they said. “When she started, I was like ‘You know what, screw it, I might as well give it a shot too.’”
Karamilk took inspiration from artists such as Rihanna, Normani and SZA, and drew on her competitive dance background when performing. Mx. Tique says Karamilk’s charisma and creativity destined her for drag.
The Ottawa community creates space to succeed outside the conventional high-fashion drag often highlighted in the media, the two performers say.
Vex Scandal, an Ottawa drag performer of two years, echoes this view. They said being represented on a national stage can help the community grow its members and audiences.
“It’s really cool to get Ottawa more on the map television-wise, and then it allows people to deep dive and see what’s here when they come visit,” they said. “There’s a bunch of variety of drag that you don’t even see on television.”
“I would definitely say I’m representing the Ottawa community,” Karamilk said of her appearance on Canada’s Drag Race. “I could say I somewhat represent Toronto because I live there now, but I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily integrated in the Toronto drag scene.”
Despite being smaller than other Canadian cities, Ottawa drag is powerful and would grow further with more visibility, local performers say.
“If you go to Toronto or Montreal, all the events are so well advertised and they’re everywhere, but in Ottawa, you have to follow the correct accounts and you have to know specific people who know of these events,” Mx. Tique said.
As well, “It would be cool to see a bunch of different drag styles become more regular, like more theatrical drag or more campy drag,” Scandal said. “It’s really hard for those shows to thrive because people aren’t exposed to them.”
“My hope is that Ottawa fosters a bigger stage for people who don’t fit into the mainstream drag label,” they added.
The Lookout Bar, a local hub for drag, hosts regular viewing parties for episodes of Canada’s Drag Race.
Karamilk is also performing at Bellwoods Brewery on Dec. 7 in a drag, holiday-themed brunch.
