on VH1.Īdvertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race airs Friday nights at 8 p.m. …The ultimate goal for me is to become a superstar.” “This has not been my life and now things are shifting and you kind of just have to . It’s all very exciting. While it may seem like Valentina has a lot of work ahead of her, she has only a positive outlook on her future. Through the show and through what I do, be a little beacon of light for those people who have been feeling really down and make them feel represented in a very positive way.” “Especially in such a tough time when the community of mine has been considered bad people, illegal immigrants, rapists and criminals, all I can really do is show how much love and admiration I have for my community and my culture. “I’m trying to show the glamour, the elegance, the sophistication, the intellectual, romantic, beautiful side of Latin culture that needs to be respected,” Valentina says. “I have this dream where I’m either on Telemundo or Univision making sure I’m making a difference.”Īt a time with so much discussion in the political realm involving people like Valentina - she's both the child of immigrants and gay - she feels that right now is the perfect time for her to become visible. “ shed some light to being queer in Latin America and carve a path for the artistry of respected in Latin America,” Valentina says. Declaring her admiration for past contestants Miss Fame, Adore Delano and others who've been able to shift the art of drag to other forms of entertainment based on their talents, Valentina hopes to do the same. Season nine is just gearing up, but Valentina already has some big goals to accomplish. … When you’re in the presence of a star, you just gotta try and do your best to learn from them.” “It was also super exciting to be in the presence of Mama Ru as well.
“ such a supporter of the gay community and she does so much to represent us and speak up for us,” Valentina says. Ten months later, Valentina was face to face with two icons, Lady Gaga and RuPaul himself, on the first day of shooting season nine. I feel like my life experience studying the performing arts has honestly led me to being a drag queen,” Valentina says. She’s just all these things that I’ve learned. “Valentina is fashion design, she’s modeling, she’s acting, she’s creative director. While she cites her makeup skills from years on the stage as the inspiration behind exploring the world of drag, it’s really all of her performing arts education combined that made her into Valentina. It was only recently - 10 months before filming began on season nine - that James became Valentina. “It feels very heartwarming to be on the show because there’s moments where I felt like, oh my God, this is just like being back at school.”Īfter graduating high school, Valentina did a bit of modeling and styling while studying fashion design at L.A. “I was very privileged to study these things that led to knowing great techniques that have now helped me in my experience on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Valentina explains. In middle school and then high school at Hollywood High as part of the magnet program, Valentina was able to branch out and study a bigger range of the performing arts, including dance, drama and improv. In fifth grade, she got into the LAUSD magnet program and started to study visual arts. My parents noticed that I was very creative and I loved to draw,” she said. “In elementary school, I was very introverted and shy and didn’t have very many friends. Valentina’s parents not only inspired her culturally but they were also the driving force behind embracing her creative side. “I’ve always been obsessed with this idea of Latin beauty and the drama of the Latin culture.” I was very close with my babysitters and we’d do things like watch telenovelas and listen to music,” she says. “Growing up, I learned Spanish as my first language and my parents would leave me with babysitters, who were family friends from Mexico. Currently residing in Echo Park, Valentina is a first-generation Mexican-American whose culture has had a big impact on who she is today. Valentina, also known as James Andrew Leyva, was born 25 years ago in the city of Bell. roots helped her become the drag queen fans of the show soon will be seeing on their television screens. As the only Los Angeles native on the ninth season of the reality competition, which premiered last week, Valentina explains how her L.A. Valentina has been preparing for her season on RuPaul’s Drag Race for the past 14 years - she just didn’t know it at the time.
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