With the release of their stunning debut album Box Office, hip-hop star and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Aja stopped by Billboard to chat about their new music with Patrick Crowley, senior director of Billboard Pride.
Aja weighed in on the controversial finale of All Stars 4, which saw RuPaul crowning both Monét X Change and Trinity Taylor as winners, much to the ire and confusion of fans everywhere. “I think everybody’s a winner,” Aja said, smirking. “And if you win money, then you should buy a copy of Box Office.”
While Drag Race and its mainstream success have helped propel Aja into their career, the star said that their main goal was to reach a point of recognition outside of the show. “Many people who have used Drag Race as a platform are very grateful for it, but it’s not the do-all end-all of our dreams,” they said. “It has nothing to do with putting the show down, it’s more so that we just want to keep going up.”
The star has clearly achieved their goal, as Box Office has gained near-universal acclaim from fans and critics, including Rolling Stone. Aja said that seeing their hard work pay off was a monumental moment. “When you make a project like this, and it’s your debut project, you don’t know what to expect,” they said. “When [Rolling Stone] compared my lyricism to Nicki Minaj-level wordplay, I was taken aback. I could have thrown myself out of this window.”
Check out Aja’s full live interview with Billboard Pride above.