“We are pop, the tastemakers, and pop girlies look to us for inspiration,” Sasha tells EW, praising Roan for referencing her at Coachella and the “Tonight Show.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby and rising pop star Chappell Roan’s sweet affection for one another is a femininomenon in itself.
Backstage at a recent performance in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Drag Race season 15 winner exclusively tells Entertainment Weekly she was thrilled when the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer-songwriter referenced her both on stage at Coachella in April and again to Jimmy Fallon on a June episode of The Tonight Show.
“It’s been wild. The night of the finale for season 16, when I gave up the crown, was also the night of the finale for my Stripped [tour], and that’s when Chappell said it at Coachella,” she says. “It all coincided, and has snowballed ever since,” she continues. “To see Jimmy Fallon say my name is kind of wild. I just talked to Chappell, we just talked for a little bit. We were very meet-and-greet-y, like, ‘I love you, I think you’re amazing.'”
During her Coachella set, Roan told the cheering crowd, “My name is Chappell Roan. I’m your favorite artist’s favorite artist” — which she later revealed on the Tonight Show was a nod to Sasha introducing herself as “I am your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” in her 2023 Meet the Queens cast reveal video.
In her interview with Fallon, Roan explained that she intended to compliment Sasha with the reference (which even became a Google search result). “It just hit me through the heart,” Roan told Fallon of hearing Sasha’s variation of the phrase. “And so I was like, I hope Sasha Colby one day watches me, and that’s why I said it.”
Sasha tells EW she’s grateful that Roan cited her, as many pop stars don’t credit drag artists they’re inspired by.
“It’s always been so lovely, because drag has always been a mirror of pop culture. Since Drag Race, we are pop, the tastemakers, and pop girlies look to us for inspiration — much like Chappell Roan!” Sasha continues, “All I can say is, goddess sees goddess, you know? Greatness sees greatness! Your favorite artist’s favorite artist, baby!”