Life was a cabaret for Soa de Muse on the inaugural season of “Drag Race France,” where the charismatic queen made it all the way to the finale. A spot on “Global All Stars” seemed inevitable. Soa made it to week four, showcasing singing and sewing and a stunning look in honor of William Dorsey Swann, known as the first “queen of drag.”

Soa spoke about that iconic look, toxic fans and the reason “Global All Stars” was an immediate yes.

Do you see “Global All Stars” as a positive or negative experience overall?

I’m going to look at it as an intense experience. But I love that. It’s going to stir up things mentally, physically, in your body that bring a lot of emotion. So you need to control all of this emotion. And for me, that was a good exercise that helped me control my anger. This is a big competition. I’m not saying “Drag Race France” is not a big competition, but to be the Black girl who represents France for me was (incredible). Yes, I’m the one who’s going to represent France, and I come from the Caribbean, honey, so we connect with our shared history of colonization.

Is there anything you would change about your time on the show?

Maybe it’s not going to be an original response, but nothing. If I was to do something different, everything else would change in my life. Maybe I watch too many sci-fi movies. I don’t want to go back to the past and change anything.

Were you surprised to end up in the bottom? No one got a truly bad critique.

A sewing challenge? I was thinking, “OK, I’m not going to be the best, but I’m going to try to be the beautiful one. So for me to just hear RuPaul and Michelle (Visage) say you have a beautiful face, I was like, “Yes! Ahuh! You’re welcome!” What can I say? It’s a game. It’s a competition. If they think I was in the bottom because my dress wasn’t the best one, I know. Let it go. Just enjoy it.

Have you kept your makeup lighter like the judges suggested?

My face is my face, and I don’t want to change it so much. I need to recognize myself when I am in the mirror. At the time I thought, “I’m going to try to listen to you,” and I know I can do it. But my makeup has not changed so much. Before that, Michelle (Visage) said nothing about my makeup.

Your runway tribute to William Dorsey Swann, first person to self-identify as a “queen of drag,” was everything.

I do some research every time I have a theme for the runway. For this one, I was like, “OK, it’s brown. This is my color, but what I can bring. Let’s talk about history.” The only picture we have is not really William Dorsey Swann. It’s a performer named Mr. Brown, who performed in this cabaret in France. People always think it’s William Dorsey Swann. He performed at a cabaret named La Revue Negre in France. We have some videos of that. It is the only connection we have with William Dorsey Swann. At the same time, I had this vision. Where I can go? OK, the fan, the bra, the big headdress and the train. They called him the “queen of drag” because he would drag the train of his dress behind him. If William Dorsey Swann was here in 2024, what would he bring? That was my vision.

How heavy was that headpiece?

Let me tell you, I was like, “I’m gonna die.” But drag is taking a risk sometimes. I think it was on my more risky. It was more like a physical performance at the same time. It was like a contemporary dance because I had to control all my movements. But it was good exercise.

What was your reaction when you got the call to be on the show?

Of course! Yes, mama! Yes! Who else? Yes, call me, thank you, La Grande Dame was there, thank you so much. Next one. You’re welcome. I will. No hesitation. I was like, Yeah, I’m gonna do it.

The fandom, as we’ve often seen, can be toxic.

OK, I did some research on the definition of passion. You cannot control your passion. And I think some of the fans have so much passion and don’t really think about the distance between when we film and when it airs. Maybe you’re gonna hate me for this episode and then you’re gonna love me for the next episode. They’re gonna have a perception of me, but they don’t know me. That’s your vision. I cannot be like a policeman, “Don’t say that to me!” That’s your feelings. It’s so easy to be on your phone and send hate. Yes. They just need to control their passion and we need to control our passion. If we want to be passionate about something, we can be shocked about what’s happening in the world right now, the genocide in Palestine.

What do you want people to know about Soa de Muse?

That I’m real. What you see, how I express myself, how I react, this is me 100%. Some drag queens say they create an alter ego. This is not an alter ego. This is Soa. I’m always going to be myself. What you see on TV, that’s me.

What’s next for you?

The only thing I want to do is to travel around the world, bring my Caribbean-French cabaret and to meet some people, to taste some new men around the world. Yeah, literally, that was… Okay, okay, I’m going to tell you the truth. That was the reason I said yes to “Global All Stars.” I’m a muse, so I need to inspire some men. I never said that to the others, so you have a juicy detail. I’m single, so I’m ready to mingle. Please!