Even though rainbow isn’t her favorite print to wear because of its usual exclusion of pink, Trixie Mattel donned ROYGBIV and more for her Billboard Live At-Home concert outfit Friday (June 12) to celebrate Pride Month.
The drag queen-turned-folk sensation claimed this might be her favorite Pride so far because it marks the first year a drunk person hasn’t touched her wig. But the real highlight of her aesthetic shimmered on her cheekbones (courtesy of her own makeup brand Trixie Cosmetics). “You guys ever see Forrest Gump? Do you remember how Bubba was like, ‘You can do anything with shrimp. Bake it, boil it.’ That’s gay people with glitter,” she mused while mimicking Tom Hank’s infamous character. “We’re like, ‘You can do anything with glitter. Glue it, sew it, sprinkle it on your head.'”
But what dazzled most about Mattel was her swift, versatile transitions between anthems, practicing her guitar as more fans tuned in with a tender folk rendition of “Over the Rainbow” to later satisfying a one fan’s request of Shocking Blue’s “Venus.”
But she chose to properly start off her set by putting a sassy spin on Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games,” which Mattel described as one of the songs “that accidentally become gay iconic.” “If you’re under 25 years old and you’re gay, you’ve probably cried to this song,” the 30-year-old performer said in her introduction. Mattel really got into the swing of things when performing the tune on her guitar without spiraling into the dejected emotion the song usually engenders.
Maybe that’s the effect of living in Hollywood, Calif. has on the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, which she claimed made her — and subsequently her music — “a lot more bouncier and sunnier and sugarier.” And nothing sounds “bouncier and sunnier and sugarier” than her original ballad “Malibu,” which she performed next. The drag queen attributed her song to the “trend alert: LGBTQ+ community and the word ‘Malibu'” after recognizing transgender pop star Kim Petras also has a single by the same name.
One online concertgoer described the song as something that will “always be a vibe,” evidenced by the way the surf rock anthem sways like the waves at the Malibu beaches. And Mattel suitably responded, “Girl, Pride alone in your house wearing glitter with a rainbow outfit on is also a vibe.”
But she switched up the vibe when she recalled a touching childhood memory of her and her Aunt Cathy, who passed away. “My earliest, gayest memories is probably sitting with my Aunt Cathy watching the DVD concerts of Cher because Cher’s not just gay, she’s everything,” Mattel said before ending the live set with the legendary pop star’s No. 1 hit from 1999 “Believe.” The emotive cover pulled on viewers’ heartstrings while she tenderly plucked her guitar, prompting many to comment how hard they cried during the song.
Watch Mattel’s festive Billboard Live At-Home performance below.
