Making Of An Artist: Divas, Comics & RuPaul With Gógó Starr

Gógó Starr, the alter ego of Sigurður Heimir, is the reigning drag queen of Iceland and a founding member of Drag-Súgur, a monthly queer variety show. Gógó is one of Iceland’s top variety entertainers, hosting weekly drag events, and performing all over town, in addition to touring internationally.

“I never thought I would be doing what I am doing today,” says Gógó. “My dreams of being an entertainer didn’t manifest until I started to come of age, accepting myself for who I am and owning my insecurities and weirdness. It’s only then that I started to pay closer attention to the things that inspire me to do what I want to do.”

Iconic stage presences
I’ve always loved creative people with a powerful stage presence and fabulous iconic outfits. Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Lady Gaga are some of my favourite icons that inspire me to be my fun and fabulous self and shine as bright as I can.

Icelandic divas
From the uniqueness of artists like Björk, to the fabulousness of performers like Páll Óskar—Iceland seems to ooze creativity. It’s amazing to see other Icelanders having their voice heard all over the world. A personal Icelandic idol of mine has got to be Silvía Night. If you ask me, she’s the most famous Icelandic drag queen. For her hand in opening Icelandic media up to drag, I salute her.

Queer movies
‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ had such an impact on me when I first saw it as a teenager. It was my first time seeing someone fuck with gender expression, and that has intrigued me ever since. ‘Party Monster’ is another movie that sat with me. Got me thinking that if you want something new to happen—you make it happen yourself. Where there’s a will there’s a way… and probably a whole lot of drugs along the way.

Comedy sketches
Silly slapstick comedy sketch-shows have always been favourites of mine, and really helped me find the type of humour I want to present on stage. The most memorable performers that I take inspiration from are Rowan Atkinson, Laddi and Edda Björgvins. Making people laugh without saying a single word is my favorite thing to do.

RuPaul’s Drag Race
Where would we be without Drag Race? This show has opened a lot of doors and truly put Drag on the map of modern Pop Culture. Seeing the variety of drag queens presented on the show and all the different things drag can do is eye-opening, making a lot of people interested in local drag. This resurgence of drag has allowed me and so many others to travel the world and perform to new audiences, and I do not think that would be possible without this amazing show.

Drag-Súgur and Reykjavík Kabarett
Being a founding member of Drag-Súgur as well as an active member of Reykjavík Kabarett is absolutely incredible. To be a part of this wave that is literally changing the face of Reykjavík’s entertainment culture is simply invigorating. In this field I get to work with a whole lot of truly amazing people, and their ambition and drive continues to inspire me to do my best, and go beyond the mould that has been set before us.

I feel that there are a few people alongside me that are the driving force of this newfound nightlife revolution, and the brightest and most inspiring star among them must be Miss Mokki, aka Margrét Erla Maack. Her drive and dedication knows no bounds, and continues to inspire me and others to keep up with her on our way to world domination.

Read the makings of more artists here, and our in depth article on Icelandic drag here.