Queens from around the world are ready to stomp the runway and serve the competition in the upcoming inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars.

Blavity/Shadow and Act Managing Editor Trey Mangum spoke with the queens on being chosen as the top representative of their country and the power of activism.

Alyssa Edwards became a drag icon after her appearances on the American Drag Race franchise. She said that even though she was in Drag Race before the international seasons came along, she was excited to join the Global All Stars werkroom to reconnect with queens she’d met in her global travels.

“This show gave me the platform and the opportunity to travel the world. So when all of these franchises were being birthed, it was so amazing for me because there were faces that I recognized,” she said. “I would meet these girls along my journeys [on] the road. This is the peak, the pinnacle of RuPaul’s Drag Race and this is an all-stars cast.”

She added that even though she was intimidated, she was excited to be among the best of the best from the 12 countries represented.

“This represents the best from each country and I think for me, the werkroom is such a magical workroom, and powerful in so many ways, and this is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life,” she said.

Drag Race Down Under icon Kween Kong is known for her stunts and tricks on stage, but she’s also equally known as an activist in the drag scene. She said that she loves being considered as a queen who uses her talents to spread awareness.

“There are queens that are the life of the party, and I’m definitely one of those queens, but there are also the queens who stand up at the front of the protest and throw the bricks, and baby, that’s me,” she said. “I’m the one that will forward the movement and I think as a queen of color, I’m definitely aware of how we practice drag down under. It’s about community. It’s about creating spaces and creating pathways and coming on Drag Race and representing Down Under–the full Down Under–was such an honor, to be able to represent my sisters who don’t get the light that we deserve. I think activism’s at the forefront of everything we do in drag. Putting on a lash, putting on a wig–it’s rebellion. Just being in drag is activism at its finest.”

Kong added that she felt this season will bye “very important for queens who identify with activism and being advocates for our community,” and that was also backed up by Soa de Muse, Drag Race France superstar, who said that she can’t represent drag without representing Black queer people.

“I can not do without. It’s in my veins. I think for this season, I was [wanting] to do more references of the Black community, of the Black queer community,” she said.

“People are going to say I have a big ego, but I want to be in history now,” she said, adding a quote from Afrofuturist musician Sun-Ra, who famously said, “History is His story. You haven’t heard my story.”

“I want to bring my story because not a lot of people know my story. I want to bring my story but connect it to all these Black queer references,” she said.

Watch the full interviews will all 12 queens above. RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars debuts on Paramount+ this Friday, Aug. 16.