INDEX
“Honesty: The Key to a Better World” (Jaida)
I was incredibly lucky to talk with Jaida and hear her story.
“I was born in a small town called Milwaukee, and now people are cheering me on from the crowd. It’s amazing to think that people believe in me and support me, and because of that, my confidence keeps growing. And strangely, as I gain confidence from the audience, they start to find their own strength and believe in themselves too.”
“It’s like we’re extending our hands to one another, sharing love, and when people shout ‘you’re amazing,’ we feel their greatness in return.”
When I mentioned, “It was striking how the crowd was continuously calling out their love, and the queens responded in kind. There was a unique love in the atmosphere of the drag show,” Jaida said:
“If everyone could be a little more honest about how they feel towards others, even with small things like ‘I love your earrings,’ it might seem a bit insincere at times, but I truly believe it’s important. Especially for people like me—living as a queer person or a queen—that’s something real, something we can feel.”
“If I were to offer any advice to the world, it would be this: when you see something in someone that you admire, tell them. Those words will find their way back to someone else, and it might just brighten their day. It all comes full circle. That’s the essence of it,” Jaida said with a shy smile.
Nymphia nodded in agreement with a simple “Good job.” The clock read 9:40 PM, and with just 20 minutes left before Kabukicho Tower closed, both the staff and performers began to rush their preparations. I bid farewell to Nymphia and Jaida and made my way out of the venue.
By 10 PM, the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku hummed with energy. I let their words settle around me like a dress, walking with a touch of grandeur. Reality and illusion blurred together. If there’s a version of yourself that you long to be, then just step into it. With the queens’ inspiration wrapped around me, I couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of person do I want to become?
OPULENCE Vol.5
Tokyo Performance
Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
Venue: Zepp Shinjuku(TOKYO)
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opulence_official_japan/
