SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio West Side native Jorge Meza, also known as the drag performer Jorgeous, has “sashayed” onto television sets all across the nation and internationally on streaming platforms after being cast on the award-winning series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” during its 14th season.
The 22-year-old auditioned for the show while working as a drag artist in Nashville, but he started performing in front of an audience at the age of 16 during a Pride event in San Antonio.
“When I started off doing drag at 16 in San Antonio, it definitely taught me a lot. It definitely taught me how to be professional, how to, you know, wear the right things for the audience,” Jorgeous said. “And it’s definitely taught me how to connect with people.
On “Drag Race,” Jorgeous told another contestant, he was working at McDonald’s to pay for his clothes to perform in drag.
A show director for the Pride event he first performed at recruited Jorgeous to work for a local bar, but he first had to seek parental permission.
“The first night that I performed, like legit, all my family came over, and they packed the bar,” Jorgeous said on the fifth episode of “Drag Race.”
While the San Antonio scene was competitive, Jorgeous remembers it being an inviting scene despite his young age.
“Honestly, when I first started out, I just got so much love and so much, like, with open arms. Doing drag in San Antonio, it was just amazing,” Jorgeous said.
After being recruited by a Nashville bar following a guest performance, he packed his bags and left the Alamo City at 18 to work a permanent gig in Tennessee.
While Jorgeous left San Antonio, his drag style continues to be inspired by the South Texas culture.
“Selena has definitely influenced my drag so much because the way she has her cutouts. She makes her body look so long. She’s a thick goddess too. Just like me,” Jorgeous said. “It definitely taught me how to style myself by looking at Selena’s outfits because they’re so gorgeous, look so beautiful. So I was like, ‘You know what? I have to incorporate that in my drag.’”
Jorgeous got the call for season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and headed to Los Angeles along with 13 other contestants from all over the country. The season premiered Jan. 7 on Vh1 in the U.S. and internationally on streaming platforms.
The West Side native says he wants to represent where he got his start before the show.
“I got to represent the West Side, you know? And yes, I definitely want to represent my city and my state because there hasn’t been another Texas queen in a minute,” Jorgeous told KSAT.
Jorgeous had this message for any young San Antonio artists who want to pursue drag performing.
“When I first started out, you know, it definitely took a lot of practice and a lot of patience to get like this. But it’s important not to rush and to love yourself no matter what and just keep on keeping on,” Jorgeous concluded.
