Debate Catches Up With: Misty Frequency

by Liam Hansen (they/them)

feature writer

There is nobody in the Tāmaki Makaurau drag scene quite like Misty Frequency (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Kāi Tahu and Ngā Rauru). For years, they’ve been doing some of the most stellar and conceptual performances in Aotearoa, weaving Te Ao Māori, takatāpui advocacy, and tino rangatiratanga into their mahi.

From their incredible outfits that consistently stick to a black, white, and red colour scheme, to their performances that reflect their whakapapa and advocacy. They're also their own manager. I sat down with them at Little Turkish Cafe on Karangahape Road - just down the street from many of the venues they frequent, like G.A.Y and Phoenix Cabaret, to chat about their mahi and the kaupapa behind it.

Liam:

So, what got you into drag initially? Were you doing art in

other spaces?

Misty Frequency:

My first jump into the performance space was with my group ‘Whaea & The Rumble’. Our kaupapa was about celebrating Te Ao Māori and being takatāpui. We did that for a couple of years, but we're kind of on a hiatus as we're doing our own things at the moment. After a few years of not really knowing what I was doing, I was led to drag - I've always loved art and design, fashion and makeup, music - combine them all and then you get drag.

Liam:

How would you describe Misty Frequency as a persona?

Misty Frequency:

Misty’s definitely an amplified version of myself. I'm socially awkward in and out of drag - but when performing I definitely feel more confident. I'm just doing the things that I've always wanted to do, but not necessarily had the guts to in everyday life.

Liam:

When was the first time that you tried it out?

Misty Frequency:

I've always had an element of drag in the things I made, even if I wasn't technically doing drag at the time. That was kind of my role in ‘Whaea & The Rumble’ - since the other members are more established musicians, I was coming from a more visual background. We all collaborated on everything, but that was my specialty.

Liam:

What has the response to your work been like so far? Was it easy to start, or was it kind of weird to figure out?

Misty Frequency:

A bit of both - I already had a few close friends in the scene before I started. But like, the way I properly got going was just because I knew one of the owners of a drag bar. He asked who wanted to perform, and I was like, "Me!"

Liam:

Had you been thinking about it before then?

Misty Frequency:

Well, you know, watching RuPaul's Drag Race and The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, I always admired the performances and thought, "Man, I wish I could do that!" And then, well, I realised that I could.

Liam:

What time in your life did you start getting into that scene? Did it coincide with you realising that you were queer or non-binary?

Misty Frequency:

I came out as queer when I was at intermediate, and came out as non-binary five years ago, so it kind of came about after all that. I've never really been the clubbing type, so it was rare that I would have interactions with other drag performers. Well, sober interactions, at least.

Liam:

Alongside TV, did you grow up with the internet?

I found it to be super integral to understanding my queerness - did you feel the same?

Misty Frequency:

Nah, not really. I grew up with two lesbian mums and quite a few queer people in my whānau, so they were all accepting of me. It kind of came naturally in that sense.

Liam:

Did you still struggle with coming into your identity?

Misty Frequency:

I was still terrified to come out, even though I had nothing to worry about in hindsight. You know, when you're young and you're still figuring yourself out...

Liam:

You start thinking that when you come out, you’ll be ostracised.

Misty Frequency:

Yeah, exactly. I'm definitely privileged to not go through that with my whānau.

Liam:

Going back to drag, how has your mahi developed since you started?

Misty Frequency:

I've never actually thought about where I started and where I'm at now - I've just gotten better at it. I've always been considered an alternative, conceptual performer. This is just developing those skills.

Liam:

Was ‘Whaea & The Rumble’ the first time you did performance art, or was there something earlier?

Misty Frequency:

‘Whaea & The Rumble’ was my first proper performance mahi. I'd done a few spoken word poetry events, but my background is fully in visual arts. Growing up, I was really shy, and undiagnosed. I didn't really know how to immerse myself in things like drama and music. I felt comfortable doing visual arts, because the only people I had to think about were myself and my tutor.

Liam:

You mentioned having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - do you think that that informs your

work at all?

Misty Frequency:

I mean, my kaupapa with any creative endeavour is to celebrate and uplift people like me - disenfranchised and neurodivergent people, especially.

Liam:

What’s your routine before you get on stage?

How do you usually get in the zone and put together an outfit?

Misty Frequency:

It all depends on how far in advance I know about the show. But I like to get on to organising everything pretty early so it gives me the time to flesh out the performance, to make the outfits, develop the concepts and all that stuff. I make everything that I perform in, so it all depends on the design and how long it's going to take to make. Before performing, it usually takes me about two or three hours to paint my face. I'll also usually have a drink or something, since it helps dial down any sensory overload. I'll just have some music playing, or have something to watch while I'm getting ready. Nine times out of ten, I'm by myself. I just get ready at home, Uber in, perform, and Uber back.

Liam:

Do Uber drivers have any response to your outfits?

Misty Frequency:

They've ranged from indifferent to positive. If any have had negative thoughts, they've never voiced them, thankfully. I often get Uber drivers that are really inquisitive. They ask me what I'm doing, what I'm up to and say I look cool. Real nice stuff like that.

Liam:

The way you paint your face is very unique among other performers. Does it ever change between performances?

Misty Frequency:

Generally, it's just colour changes. I only ever paint in black, white, and red - the tino rangatiratanga colours. Same colour scheme with the outfits. I'm not going to paint myself black or red, because, you know, I'm not racist. But also, another inspiration might have been the Club Kids of New York City.

Liam:

You mentioned the difficulty of being neurodiverse, and dealing with the sensory overload of clubs. Do you find that there's a difference between performing and being in the crowd?

Misty Frequency:

I find it a lot easier performing. Even now, I think the last vogue war, a competitive night between drag performers, that happened was the first time I've gone out at night out of drag in years.

Liam:

Often performers take inspiration from what other people are doing in their space. Do you find it difficult to be missing what others are doing in the drag scene?

Misty Frequency:

No, not really. I don't mean to sound like I've got a big ego, but no one's doing anything like what I'm doing. I guess because I'm not a very big social person, I've made ‘work friend’ relationships with fellow performers, but not enough where I'd be in their presence constantly. I'm a pretty socially anxious person, so most of my inspiration comes from my whakapapa.

Liam:

You've spoken a lot about the influence of tino rangatiratanga and Te Ao Māori on your work. Do you do much research, or does it come naturally from your whakapapa?

Misty Frequency:

On one level, it just comes naturally, because of how I present myself, and the fact that I am a proud Māori person, taking up space and getting onstage. I think it's also things I've grown up with, like going to my mum’s marae, to the point that it's become subconscious. It's hard to put into words. Sometimes I'll pick a waiata Māori. Or the concept of the performance will be something related to my experiences as a Māori or takatāpui person. Same with being neurodivergent. All of my performances are politically based, with different levels of subtlety.

Liam:

Do you prefer it to be more subtle, or is it ideal to be as brash and out there as possible?

Misty Frequency:

It kind of depends on where I'm performing. Like, if I'm performing at G.A.Y on Karangahape Road, it's usually a 1:30 AM show, and everyone is already drunk. I could still do something more out there but it'll go over everyone's head.

Liam:

Does that bother you at all?

Misty Frequency:

Sometimes it bothers me, but at the end of the day, it's my job to entertain and I'm getting paid for it. I still love what I'm doing, but sometimes I wish I could do more intentional things. What's good is I'm starting to get back into art exhibition spaces. And performing during the day where there's no alcohol, and people can properly absorb and digest what I'm doing.

Liam:

Would you ever try to put that together yourself? I feel like there would definitely be people willing to go to that and take part in it.

Misty Frequency:

I'm actually in the early stages of organising and curating a show where I could do that now. I definitely want to do more mahi like that. If no one's giving me these opportunities, I may as well make them myself.

Liam:

It’s hard to organise and do all that admin on your own, when you'd rather just have the space already exist. But the good thing is that it can inspire someone to do something similar.

Misty Frequency:

Yeah, I have one show that I produce yearly called P.O.P - People of Power, which is an entirely POC drag showcase. I love doing that, but I also hope that I'm inspiring someone else to do something themselves. I don't want to be the only one.

Liam:

Have you heard from anyone that has been inspired by your work?

Misty Frequency:

I don't know. I have recently had someone super similar to me, being neurodivergent, takatāpui, with an artist's background come to me and ask if I could be their chosen mother because they love my kaupapa and they're on a similar kind of buzz. I was like, "Yeah, absolutely".

Liam:

Is there a big intersection between your personal life and a drag life?

Misty Frequency:

I think it's hard for me to distinguish between personal and professional stuff. They feed off each other and because I don't work a nine to five and I go to uni, so I've blurred the lines. I prefer that, because my kaupapa is very personal, so it kind of makes sense to have them intertwine with each other. I have my blood whānau, my chosen whānau, and I'm trying to put together a drag whānau. Because I've been in the ballroom scene for quite a few years, I've always wanted to do something like their houses. I think just initiating it is what I struggle with.

Liam:

It’s interesting to convey meaning through drag in your style - You mentioned before how drag is usually focused on entertaining people. In your performances, how do you preserve that, while also giving people a new point of view?

Misty Frequency:

The way I think about it is that I always just try and do me, and then the rest is up to the audience. It's probably because of the ASD, but subtlety isn't really my forte.

Liam:

Because of the environment drag takes place in, you're forced to work with the audience in a sense. You mentioned earlier how it can sometimes be hard when the audience is already on the piss when you get up on stage. Do you change the way you perform within those party-like spaces?

Misty Frequency:

It's only recently that I started thinking about it. Before, I would just do whatever I wanted, but I guess now I'm starting to be a little bit more conscious about my music choice. I don't tend to perform Top 40 hits, and I realised that a lot of the time that can instantly shorten someone's attention span. I think I did an MGMT song recently, and I got a few positive comments saying that they really loved it. I don't know - I don't want to make myself more palatable per se, but I just want to keep the state of the audience in mind.

Liam:

Would you say that you lose yourself in performances, or is it still very conscious?

Misty Frequency:

I think the longer I do it, the less effort it takes. During my first show, I got pretty drunk because I was so nervous. I didn't know how I was gonna go and I was worried about sensory overload and stuff. But now I just go into this zone where I'm performing intuitively. It's like listening to loud music with headphones in - I generally try to go into that state.

I sometimes struggle with the social aspect of it - I guess that's why I like to be a little tipsy at my shows. It dulls it down so it's not such an issue and I can just focus on performing. There's no huge pressure to socialise or anything. For me, it just depends on what mood I'm in, like whether I want to stay out and if I've got friends there - but usually I just like to go home.

Liam:

The real big focus of it is around takatāpui rights and fighting for recognition queer Māori people in Aotearoa. Do you think that that space has improved over recent years?

Misty Frequency:

I'm not sure with drag, because there are still very few takatāpui drag performers, but I guess there has been an improvement in general. Just with social media, people are becoming more aware of mistreatment and injustices.

Liam:

What would you say to a young person keen on getting involved in the drag or performance

art scene?

Misty Frequency:

I think there are numerous ways you can start, but one of the best ways in my opinion is just doing drag in your bedroom. Figure out what kind of makeup you like, what outfits you want to wear, and share them on the internet eventually people will take notice, and you can figure out what kind of drag space you want to be in - through clubs, more chill events, or whatever. There’s no right or wrong way though, you just have to make the decision to start. That's what I did with drag, and now I couldn't picture a life where I'm not doing it.

Misty Frequency is on a bit of a break right now, but they're getting ready to ramp themselves back up this August. If you want to catch their conceptual, beautiful performances or just see more of their work, they can be found on social media: @misty_frequency_ . Or just google them, and click on the links that don’t lead to the Che Fu song