Frock Destroyers interview: ‘We were made for Eurovision – we would break the curse’
Excl: Divina, Baga and Blu on their 2021 tour of Oz, the Viv's new single and superfan Jade Thirlwall
Words: Jamie Tabberer; pictures: Provided
“Me and the girls are going to Australia next year – it’s all confirmed,” says Baga Chipz.
Yep, the Frock Destroyers – comprised of Baga, Divina de Campo and Blu Hydrangea – have booked something that evaded even the Spice Girls: a tour of Oz.
It’s an impressive achievement for a band formed only last year on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. But such was the response (and unprecedented chart success) to their song ‘Break Up Bye Bye’ that tours, record deals and albums were inevitable.
We catch up on the eve of release of Frock4Life: the girls’ debut LP of Chromatica-esque anthems.
“We’re made for Eurovision”
“What better than to share your success and memorable moments then with your mates?” beams Bags, 31, Zooming into our chat alongside her sisters. “We’re having an absolute ball.”
(All are wearing Marie Antoinette-inspired drag; Attitude, meanwhile, has unwashed hair and looks a state. Or, “rugged”, as the girls kindly put it).
“I want to do Pride tours, I want to do Eurovision,” adds Baby Frock Blu Hydrangea, 23. “If you don’t put it out there it won’t happen!”
“We’re made for Eurovision,” adds 36-year-old Divina, runner-up on last year’s RPDR UK behind The Vivienne. (Baga came third and Blu fifth). “We would break the Eurovision curse! Whoever I need to blow to make this happen, I’m very happy to do it. I’ve got a very good mouth.”
Raucous, as expected. Here’s more of the same…
What are your favourite songs on the album?
Divina: Mine’s ‘Frock4Life’, because that’s what I’m hoping for. I want to be in a group with these two forever.
Blue: ‘Fame Whore’. I can already tell it’s going to be underrated bop. We all have an iconic moment on it. I can see myself popping in a club to it when clubs are open again.
Baga: Mine is ‘Big Ben’. It’s quintessentially British.
Have you received support from the RPDR UK judges?
Divina: Absolutely. RuPaul shared [news of] the album. So did Michelle Visage. I don’t know about Alan Carr. Social media went crazy; it’s easy to miss things!
Blue: And we’ll get some props from Graham [Norton], whenever we’re on Eurovision.
Baga: Jade from Little Mix is a big fan of Frock Destroyers.
Do you have a direct line to Jade?
Divina: It was getting ridiculous. I had to get a restraining order out against her to stop her from contacting us. She’s knocking on my window in the morning.
Baga: Jade said: ‘Oh my god pet, I love ‘Break Up Bye Bye’. She was the judge when we won that challenge. We did kill it. The other three, although I love them to bits, were absolutely shite.
The greatest girl bands aren’t just about harmonised voices, but harmonised personalities. How do you balance each other out?
Baga: We’re all mad? We’re not three robots, we’re three personalities.
Blu: We work really well together. We all get on. Although some of us aren’t on time and some are extra early…
What’s the biggest bust-up you’ve had?
Divina: We haven’t been together long enough to have one! It’s at least four years in before you start punching each other in the face.
Baga: We don’t row or argue. We’re sisters: it’s petty squabbles.
Blu: Everything’s said with love. It’s constructive.
Divina: ‘You look like you’ve been dug up, Divina. Can you put on a bag?’
Who or what inspired the album? I’m thinking specifically Cock Destroyers… And have you seen Slag Wars?
Divina: Rebecca More and Sophie Anderson are my icons. They are super, super lovely, super sex-positive. Having watched Slag Wars, that’s the joy of it. It’s really camp, great TV.
Baga: I’m a judge on one of the episodes of Slag Wars. One of the best days of my life. Those two girls are so sweet and kind. They were a massive inspiration with the first look, the name.
Blu: We’re Cock Destroyer-approved, aren’t we?
Baga: I didn’t want them to be like ‘Oh, they’ve copied us, they’re making money off us.’ They’re the total opposite. They’re so proud. They can’t believe they inspired a successful band. They were the original inspiration. They said ‘When we saw the episode [of RPDR UK], we were in tears.’
Blu: I love that the show is about people being their authentic selves. Of course we got inspiration from the Destroyers! Also the Spice Girls, the Cheeky Girls, Little Mix, you name it.
And Gaga, of course…
Divina: Don’t tell her though. She might sue us.
What’s the filthiest song on the album?
Baga: We wanted it to be radio-based. We have a lot of young fans. I have every age message me. Mums saying: ‘can I buy my daughter this album?’
Blu: I did get to slip in a little booty reference: ‘Serving up my booty like a feast in the kitchen.’ I’ll be doing that every night when it’s legal.
Are you going to invite Kim Woodburn on stage?
Baga: That would be amazing. Kim’s a really good friend. If you go on her social, she’s always posting saying ‘I’m the fourth Frock Destroyer…’ When we do our show, I’m sure she’d love to come on stage for the last number. We’ll teach her the choreography.
Divina: That picture of her!
Do you have any other celebrity fans?
Baga: Duncan James from Blue, H from Steps, Rylan, Lorraine Kelly. My idol, Jane McDonald. Kate Beckinsale loves us. Sheridan Smith. And all the legends: Kerry Katona, Daniella Westbrook, Katie Price.
Divina: I’ve had Sam Smith – we had a conversation over Instagram. Olly Alexander as well.
Who’s the greatest girl band of all time?
Divina: Really, it’s the Spice Girls, because they achieved unknown success. They were together for a really short amount of time, but the impact was unbelievable. There was nobody else like it on the scene at the time.
Baga: They brought personality to music. Five individuals. One in a tracksuit, one in leopard skin, one in a boob tube. It’s timeless. I listened to it today.
Blu: I had all the dolls and everything. My favourite was Emma. I saw them live in Edinburgh, and you can’t help but love Melanie C, still doing the kicks. I met her in person and she’s tiny! I could wrap an arm around her!
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What do you think of The Vivienne’s new single?
Divina: Absolutely the kind of thing I’d expect Viv to put out. On brand for her and a great offering from another alumni.
Baga: Pete Burns was a fellow scouser. It’s the same song, but modernised and clubby. An absolute bop.
Blu: I love it. Vivienne’s drag is very referential to a point in time more people need to know about. She brings iconic references to a new generation.
Frock4Life is out 11 December.
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