Coachella Valley’s Vanity Halston is Drag’s Shining Light and Here’s Why

You can’t talk about drag in the Coachella Valley without mentioning the name Vanity Halston. Taking the stage with equal parts grace and sass, she has been a fixture in the Palm Springs area for over two decades. To see her perform is to see a master at work. Popping up at venues all over the place, One Eleven in Cathedral City is her main stage. With events like Vanity Haltson’s Doll Haus and her Drag Star Challenge, she welcomes queens who have been in the biz for years as well as new drag queens who have just hit the scene. To know her personally is to know her kindness and willingness to help other queens achieve their dreams. No ego here, she is a bright light in the industry.

We got to know more about her and are thrilled to feature her as GED’s December Queen of the Month.

What is your hometown?

Riverside, California.

How did you come up with your drag name?

One of the first songs I performed was “Nasty Girl” by Vanity 6.

Favorite part about doing drag?

Making people laugh and smile.

Least favorite part about doing drag?

My back always hurts after a show.

What was your first exposure to drag?

Shortly after turning 18, I went to the VIP Nightclub in Riverside where I would watch the drag shows on Friday and Saturday nights. This was the first time I remember being exposed to drag outside of daytime talk shows.

What was your first professional drag gig? How did it go?

My first time in a drag show was actually also my first time ever in drag. I was dating the publicist for the Friday night drag show at VIP and he knew that I was a dancer and singer, so he dared me to do the show. My friends also encouraged me to do it, so the host of the show Tiffany Diamond offered me a spot in one of her Friday night shows. My friend who was a make-up artist helped with my make-up and I got on stage and performed “It’s Raining Men” by the Weather Girls. It was my very first drag performance as Vanity, and that was in January of 1998.

How did you come to live in the Palm Springs area?

I have worked in Palm Springs for over 21 years, first being introduced to Palm Springs as one of the founding showgirls for Tommi Rose and the Playgirls at Toucan’s Tiki Lounge. I have worked in Palm Springs in many different venues and events over the years. After hosting one of the first and longest-running drag brunches in Palm Springs, I was asked to bring a show to the One Eleven Bar in Cathedral City and help build the business for the new owners. What was supposed to be just a six-week run ended up being my permanent home bar, where I am now the Entertainment Director. It seemed only appropriate to finally, after 21 years, make the move to be closer to One Eleven Bar and all the new friends, family, and fans I have made.

What do you love most about living in Palm Springs?

I would absolutely have to say it’s the community. I have met some incredible people here, some truly amazing friends that I call family now.

What sets your drag apart from other queens in the business?

Well as much as I do not like talking down about any other entertainer, I do know that I am one of a kind. I can take you on a journey through my performances, but I also can offer things that some girls either can’t or just don’t. There has never been a time when someone has called and said I need this particular act for a show, and I have said “I don’t do that.” I can do illusions, comedy, ballads, glamour, high energy dance, fire batons, and aerial silks, not to mention that when I am hosting, I can give any comedian a run for their money.

Craziest drag story:

We can’t print it.

Discover Cathedral City

Your strangest hobby or talent:

I spin fire batons.

What celebrity most needs a drag makeover:

Ryan Reynolds.

Favorite hotspot:

Las Vegas.

Favorite non-profit:

Animal Rescues.

What have you learned the most from the drag community in Palm Springs?

What I have learned the most is to stay on my toes with these girls. Every single queen out here offers something so different than the others and there is so much talent out here. I am no spring chicken anymore, so, I need to stay on top of my stuff and make sure I am one step ahead. I think the most important thing is to support one another and make sure we all have each other’s backs at the end of the day.

You host a competition show highlighting newer queens in the industry. Why is it so important to support new drag personalities?

They truly are the future, and I think it’s important to let entertainers know that what they bring to the stage is valid. It’s not my job to tell them what they are bringing isn’t good, but instead help them figure out a way to make it more readable. I also hope that by showing them that someone genuinely cares about their art, they will in turn not get jaded and will pay it forward in the future. We are all in this together and there is no reason for cattiness or negativity, no one brings to the stage what I do, and I don’t bring what they do, we’re all different and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

You recently lost your drag daughter, Syren. What did you love most about being her drag mother?

Syren was one of my first daughters and the honor I have being able to have been there for her from start to finish is what motivates me every day. Before drag, she was just a skinny boy who loved to dance, and she was so good at it, so I hired her to back up dance for me. After a while she showed interest in drag, so I got her a spot in a stage production called Fant-A-She’s, an illusion show that happened once a year in Riverside, CA. I did her make-up as Celine Dion for that production and Syren was born. I think what I loved the most about her was that she looked at me as if I was her mother, we treated each other as if we were blood relatives and no matter what we went through in life, nothing was going to come between our love for each other.

How have you been able to work through the grief of losing her, and what did her passing teach you?

When I got the call that Syren was in hospice and that she wanted me to be there, I went first thing. I was able to be by her side every day and at night would come home to do my shows and then back out in the morning. I made a promise to Syren when she became my daughter that I was by her side through thick and thin and I intended to keep that promise. I was asked to do her boy make-up for her viewing at the mortuary, which I did, so, I was the first one to put make-up on her, and I was the last one to put make-up on her. I also learned that I am a stronger person because of her and that her unapologetic way of living life was what made her so amazing to everyone she met.

What is on your horizon? Would you ever leave the Palm Springs area and expand your reach?

I am working on a comedy special as well as a one-woman show, which hopefully will showcase in Palm Springs, and maybe take to Ptown or PV one day. Even if I left Palm Springs to do these things, Palm Springs will always be my home base and a place where I feel grounded.

What would the name of your biography be?

Vanity Halston: Like the Sin and the Designer.

Favorite song to perform?

“End Of The Road.”

What is your after-drag ritual?

Eating.

What’s your favorite pickup line?

I have pizza in the hotel room.

What is the best way we can support the drag community?

Show up! The best way anyone can support the drag community is to show up. It not only is good for the show, but it’s good for the bar business as well. If no one comes to the shows then the bars can’t continue to sustain keeping the show. AND STOP ASKING FOR COMPS – sometimes the bar looks at the door sales and determines whether the shows are bringing in a crowd and comps don’t count. So, when you say, “Can you get me a table or a ticket, I’ll tip you really good” the bar doesn’t care what we are making in tips, the bars only care about what they are making in sales, and that warrants keeping the shows. So, if you want to support then come and support and show the bars that that show is worth it!

What is your message to the drag community?

Stop with the BS and start loving and supporting one another. With everything going on in the world today we need to know that everyone has each other’s backs without the fear of someone putting a knife in it. Be kind to each other!

Where can we find and follow you?

Just look for VanityHalston on any social media platform and I’m there!