A Q&A with Canada's Beautiful Spicy Monster: Tynomi Banks
Serving Face is a unique look at the world of drag featuring engaging and eye-opening interviews with some of the world's most celebrated Drag Queens.
Filled with out-there eleganza, easy-breezy realness, and everything in between, Serving Face is like the gentle hand of your Drag Mother guiding you towards a life more fabulous. Standing tall and proud amidst such talents as Coco Peru, Peaches Christ, and Crystal is Canada’s Drag Race’s Miss Congeniality herself—Tynomi Banks.
We had a chat with Tynomi about everything from the X-Men and how she discovered her inner diva to how being one of the world’s most recognizable Queens helps her deal with her emotions and place in the world!
It comes from me wanting to be in control of my brand, how people see me, and how I see myself. My spice is equal to my confidence level.
Oh my gosh, it was just like I was in a fairy tale. I kept asking myself, "is this happening?" You don’t plan opportunities like that. You do all this work, and then all of a sudden this amazing chaos comes and I’m just standing there looking at the crowd of people—including my mom! It was the first time she saw me perform, so that was a full moment. I am forever grateful, and that’s an amazing memory to have, especially because my mom was there and it made our relationship and our love for each other that much stronger.
Yes, I want to say that I definitely felt the pressure of proving myself. I’ve done so much on my own and with the help of friends, and I've definitely carved out my own resumé in the drag world and the entertainment world. Going on Canada’s Drag Race, I definitely felt that I had something to live up to. At the end of the day, I think I may have put too much pressure on myself. It was a blessing being on the show, but when I looked at the other girls I felt I really had to step up to stay on top of things.
Oh my, Grace Jones. Her personality and how she sees things... she doesn’t demand respect, she is just owed it. How she owns a room, that’s Tynomi. Grace Jones walks in like she’s a creature, like she's the most stunning masterpiece of art—and that’s how Tynomi Banks is. Grace is a strong black woman, and that’s the same as Tynomi. You just know we mean business, and we are amazing at what we do. Her music, acting, singing—she’s just so Tynomi, or Tynomi is her.
X-Men helped shape me as a child, actually. I guess the animated tv show came out around the same time we were learning about prejudice and racism. My life in school, with me being a black person and going to a mainly white school, had its share of struggles. Watching that show and Xavier teaching kids about their gifts and how they’re not monsters, they're special... I really related to that because I love dancing and singing. Did I get bullied? Yes, sometimes—but then watching that show, I just remembered his teachings. Xavier made sure his students knew who they were, and that they were loved and important. And it was just nice having the X-Men to grow up with.
The look and the performance are a part of the same thing. You need to capture people's attention quickly so you need to look a certain way, and when I go on stage, before I do any dance moves, it’s how I look. But if I had to choose one or the other, I guess I would say the look.
I knew that I needed to be creative, and a 9-to-5 job literally pulled the plug on any creative flow. That job helped me find my happiness, and I think I did that job for other purposes and other people's journeys, but it was not my journey. I’m happy I did it because it really shocked and jumpstarted me into pursuing what actually makes me happy. It helped me realize the path I really wanted to go down.
Yes, sometimes. I’ve been stubborn so many times and stuck in my ways, but sometimes it just works out. It’s all about trust and trusting someone and being open. But sometimes, as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”! Sometimes being stubborn can be helpful, and I find that in most cases it works for me. If a girl is being stubborn, all of a sudden she’s a bitch and difficult to work with, but if a man is being stubborn, it’s like, oh—but he’s the man.
Open the door, we love you!
Mostly I draw from other Drag Queens that I follow like Aquaria, Shea Couleé, Sasha Velour, and a new Queen I just started following named Envy Peru from Holland. I pay attention to a lot of Drag Queens from around the world who are inspired by their cultures, so it’s nice to see a mixture of those things and it helps inspire me to update my look. It’s easier today to see these Queens online because we can’t travel, but when I travel the world I’m inspired by a lot of different things, so seeing other Queens represent their cultures and how they express themselves is really inspiring for my makeup.
Even a non-Queen can use makeup as a therapeutic way of dealing with things. For me, it's the performance—anything that takes your mind to what you love to do. I love drag so much and there are so many aspects of it, so if I’m feeling frustrated and annoyed at everything, I just tell myself, "all right, I’m gonna dress in drag and do my makeup," because the whole process is what calms me down the most. Listening to music and brainstorming what I want to perform, all of that helps with releasing whatever tensions and stresses I have.
As a Queen, you need to have juicy, nice lips. Crusty lips, hell no—get that gloss! Perfume, because you always need to be smelling fresh. And gum!
A half-frozen, plain cheesecake, thank you. That’s all. I just love it when it melts in my mouth; a New York-style cheesecake melting in my mouth is hype. I have other go-tos, which are red velvet and white chocolate cheesecake, and I love brownie cheesecake too!
With over a decade of experience, Tynomi Banks is a world-class Drag Entertainer. Recognized best for her full production performances, Banks was the first Drag Entertainer to perform in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square during World Pride 2014. During the month of Pride 2018, she became the first Drag Entertainer to work with Hudson’s Bay Company and the only Queen to partner with Spotify for a featured playlist, which resulted in a billboard over Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto during Pride. A few blocks away, Banks was pictured on a billboard for a Crest campaign. Tynomi Banks was also featured in international campaigns with Netflix and Ikea. In 2019, she became the first Drag Entertainer to be the trophy bearer at the 7th Annual Canadian Screen Awards. Regularly impersonating icons like Whitney Houston and Beyoncé, she combines costumes, choreography with dancers, and upbeat pop numbers to each of her shows.
www.tynomibanks.com
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