HIEEEE!
After winning RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2 with her unforgettable personality, stylish looks, and intoxicating humor, Alaska Thunderfuck has continued to be a fireball within the entertainment industry. Taking the world by storm as the multi-talented queen that she is, Alaska has worked on musicals, comedy shows, hit songs, modeling gigs, releasing a book, and so much more over the past few years.
Within this month alone, Alaska is releasing her fourth studio album, Red 4 Filth, beginning a month-long production of her show, DRAG: The Musical, and preparing for her first-ever headlining North American tour. If you’re an Alaska stan, then now is the ultimate time to party!
Inspired by ‘90s and early 2000s pop music, the Red 4 Filth album perfectly captures the best moments of popular culture from that time period. Songs like “XOXOY2K” and “Red” pay homage to artists like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Aqua while also remaining true to Alaska and everything she embodies. Additionally, the album includes exceptional features from queer icons like Ts Madison and the drag trio known as Stephanie’s Child. From start to finish, there is not a dull moment on the record.
Pop Crave spoke with Alaska Thunderfuck about her new album, Red 4 Filth, headlining a 30-date North American tour, and what it’s been like to work on her upcoming show, DRAG: The Musical. Keep reading for the full interview!
Hi Alaska, congratulations on all the amazing success happening with your career right now! You have a lot of things going on, but I wanted to first start off by asking you about your long-awaited album, Red 4 Filth! What made you choose “Red 4 Filth” as the album title, and how fun was the process of creating the album?
Well, it’s my fourth solo album! I’ve done like 100 albums with 100 people, but this is my fourth solo album. It had to have the number four in it, and so I just thought, “Red! Red… 4… Filth!” The process has been really great. It’s way different than any music I’ve done before, and it’s really fun to sing. It’s really fun to listen to. I like it!
You’ve already released some amazing lead singles from the album, including “Red,” “wow,” and “Girlz Night.” Out of all the music videos, was there one that was the most fun to shoot?
“beautiful (night 4 a) breakdown” was my favorite video of this journey, because we really kind of threw it together at the last minute. There’s a lot of people in the video. We put out a call if people wanted to show up and be in the prom scene, and so many people showed up! Everybody looked great. That one was the most like a party, and then I got to play this character that was like Nancy from The Craft. She was really goth, kinda nasty, and like a bitch! That was really fun for me.
Ts Madison is featured on your album. Talk about two legends coming together! What was it like to collaborate with her, and what was your favorite moment from working on the song with her?
She’s incredible! Whenever we’ve run into each other, we’ve been like, “We should do something together!” Finally, this song came along, and I thought it was just perfect for her. I just wanted her to do the hook on it, and she showed up and she was like, “I wrote a verse.” I was like, “Perfect!” She’s exquisite, she’s really, really inspiring, and her energy is like… there’s no one else like her. I’m obsessed with her.
“Girlz Night” features the iconic drag trio known as Stephanie’s Child! What was it like working with them on the song, and do you secretly have a favorite member from the group?
Oh my God! The shady questions, I love it! It was great to work with the girls. It was the easiest concept for a video. All we had to do was show up, drink some champagne, get in a limo, and go to a party. That’s all, but for some reason I was so stressed out that day. Everything was just exploding in my mind, and so I was really glad that the girls were there because they helped me feel better. By the end, we had a really great time! I mean, I can’t choose a favorite out of the group, but I will just say that Lagoona Bloo is just an incredible and inspiring person. I hope that she gets a chance to be on Drag Race soon. The show needs her.
You always deliver super strong and fun lyrics! What are some favorite lyrics of yours from this album that you enjoyed writing?
Um, yeah… “Flip phones, low-rise, cowabunga, ecstasy.” That’s all me. That came out of my imagination, that came out of my mind! It really just captures this sort of insane, frenetic, colorful feeling of the early 2000s. I’m proud of that one.
I know this album is based on a lot of the ‘90s and early 2000s pop music that you grew up on, so could you tell us about some of the music artists that inspired this project and how they inspired you?
Ace of Base was my first cassette tape as a child, so they’re a huge influence! We covered one of their songs, and that’s going to be really, really fun! There’s so much Britney Spears influence on this, there’s kind of some Backstreet Boys feelings, there’s a little bit of Janet Jackson in there, there’s some Hanson in there, and there’s some Avril Lavigne. It’s a fruit salad of all the best parts of that time period in one album, which I love!
Not only are you releasing the album on September 23, but you’re also going on the Red 4 Filth Tour later this year! It’s your first-ever headlining tour of North America, and it has over 30 dates! How excited are you to kick off this tour, and what has been your favorite part about planning it?
It’s gonna be great! I want it to be really cool, so we’re putting a lot of work into it. I’m going to be touring not just by myself; I’m going to have Jeremy there, my best friend who also plays piano, and we’re also going to have dancers. It’s gonna have visuals, and I’ve never really done anything like it! It’s scary and it’s a big task, but I think it’s gonna be really, really cool!
Is there a song from the album that you’re most excited to perform live?
Oh my gosh, I love “ask me”! I just think it’s such a good song. It’s the least popular song on Spotify, but that makes me like it even more!
You gotta love the deep cuts, you know? The underrated gems!
Exactly! It’s the underdog, honey!
On the same night as your album release, you’re also performing in LA for DRAG: The Musical! What can fans expect from that show, and how has it been working with fellow queens like Peppermint and Jackie Cox?
Oh my gosh! What made this musical come to life is the people in it. I’ve been working on it with my two co-writers for six years. For six years, this story and all this music has just sort of existed in our minds. Now, it’s really starting to come to life. The only way it can come to life is by people doing it. We have an incredible cast that’s going to come together, we’re going to rehearse in LA, we’re gonna put it up for a month, and it’s gonna be major! It’s really inspiring to see how hard everybody works and how they’re able to bring their own magic to it.
In five words, how would you describe Red 4 Filth as an album?
Dangerous, flawless, exquisite, beautiful, and beautiful! I have to say beautiful twice because it’s that beautiful.
You’ve won Drag Race All Stars, you’ve done comedy specials, modeling gigs, you’re a hit recording artist, you’re doing musicals, you’re a book author, you have your own podcast, you’re about to do your own huge headlining tour… the list goes on and on! How crazy is it, looking back at the beginning of your career, to see how far you’ve come?
You say that list of things and it all sounds really impressive, but I feel like the exact same person as I was when I first started drag. I discovered drag at 22, and it gave me a purpose for living. Before that, I didn’t feel like I fit anywhere, and I didn’t make sense anywhere. I discovered this world where I could belong, and I could do something in it. I still feel like that. I like doing drag, I like doing anything I can in drag, and I like different types of drag, so that’s what I’m still doing!
Alaska Thunderfuck’s new album, Red 4 Filth, is out now.
Purchase tickets to the Red 4 Filth North American Tour here: https://alaskathunderfuck.com/tour/
Purchase tickets to DRAG: The Musical here: https://feverup.com/m/117496
