Fluffy Starlet has kicked off with a bang this past Sunday, and if Heat 1 was anything to go off, the competition is going to be overflowing with fierce talent.

Heat #1 saw Coco Verdose, Gayleen Tuckwood, HOvanna Crown, Justine Deeva, Natasha St.James & Sable Blaque perform and strut their way down the catwalk to proceed on in the competition.

Self-proclaimed bad girl with a heart of gold, Natasha St James wowed judges taking out the round, while HOvanna Crown with her take on some of Disney's beloved villains came in as a close runner up. Natasha had the power to save one queen and chose Gayleen Tuckwood, while Sable Blaque and Coco Verdose channeled Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, next' in the lip sync battle for one final chance to stay in the competition. With the latter winning the lip sync battle joining St James, Crown, and Tuckwood moving on to the final 12.

Go Hakka caught up with Natasha St James and HOvanna Crown to get all the latest on the highly suspenseful Heat #1

Firstly, congratulations. How does it feel to win the first heat of Fluffy Starlet?

Thankyou! It felt great, starting the momentum nice and early on.

Where did the name Natasha St James come from?

My name Natasha came naturally to me, and the surname was something I liked that wasn’t trashy or a pun. The ST is a play on words, I’m not really a saint.

What inspired you to first get into drag?

Some friends of mine at the time in the dancing scene insisted I gave it a go, I was hesitant but it was a good opportunity to let some of my female personalities out for a while.

Your runway outfit was literally out of this world, where did the inspiration come from?

I have been obsessed with orange for a while now, and I wanted to showcase my natural hair (which is long enough now for some iconic Bad Gal pony tails) so I decided to combine a futuristic fabric with a classic cropped vinyl biker jacket. I wanted it to be modern and high fashion, and the neon acrylic bracelet and earrings topped it off for me.

The whole piece was primarily a retrofuturism concept. A high choker, high pony and a fully customised Bad Gal Gun to bring it all together for the bad gal brand. Just something quick and easy for the first heat.

Out of the three remaining queens, why did you choose to save Tuckwood?

I chose Ms Tuckwood because her report card was better than the other two.

Now you know what to expect from the competition, does this change your game plan for future heats?

I think my performance featuring custom vocals and fully HQ production said it best – I’m here to get 4/4. I am super excited to continue to push the limits of Drag and myself. My mentality is definitely to give this everything and snatch the pageant.

Which Queens do you predict will be competing in the final?

Bad Gal, Fever, Funtanna and Bikki. Bring it girls! #teambadgal #teamGRONK

If you could share the stage with any other drag queen in the world who would it be?

I would love to share the stage with Rupaul herself

What advice would you give someone looking to get into drag?

Give it a red hot go! Be you, spread positivity and good vibes and youll enjoy anything!

How does it feel to make runner up for the first heat of Fluffy Starlet?

It feels so surreal. I was fairly sure I wasn’t even going to make the cut. I was so limited for time to organise for the comp due to being on my feet with my boy job at the moment. That I just felt so rushed and under prepared (Even though now I know I was very prepared). But I did my best and obviously it paid off.

What's the story behind the name of HOvanna Crown?

I was sitting down at a friend’s house drinking and the song Big banana came on by DJ Havana Brown. I turned to my friend and “Ooooh she a HO!” then thinking I was hilarious I was like “ooohh HOvanna”… Then a lightbulb literally hit my mind and I was like “OOOOOHHHH HOvanna Crown!!... with a Capital HO (For HO)!!” And it's stuck ever since.

What inspired you to first get into drag?

I come from a theatre background I was originally interested in going down the theatre path. I really enjoyed doing pantomimes and different crazy characters. And one of my friends was like have you ever considered doing drag… and that’s kind of how it happened. My love of dressing up with a combination of my friend’s influence led me down this path.

You've said your biggest competition in Fluffy Starlet is Gayleen Tuckwood and Natasha St James, why these two in particular?

Well, obviously Natasha beat me so that says a lot. Both of these queens have beat me in pretty much every competition we have been in together. They are smart, creative, talented and to round it off lovely queens. They are definitely fierce competition and the ones to beat.

3. What ran through your mind when Natasha chose to save Gayleen Tuckwood?

Well, Natasha actually turned to me when we were on the side and said “What do I do?’. So, to me the person who did well and deserved to come in third was Gayleen. However, If I was in Natasha’s position I very much would have contemplated sending Gayleen through to the lip sync as she is a strong competitor.

Like, do we try and get rid of Gayleen now while she is in the palm of our hands? Although at the end of the day I think Natasha made the right decision and I would have made this decision as well. Because if I’m going to progress and win this comp, I want to do it against the best.

4. In one heat you covered three famous Disney villains. Is this going to be a recurring pattern throughout the competition?

Well, there are still so many villains to choose from, the possibility is very much there. However, I like to explore not just Disney but other creative avenues with my drag also. Character’s and impersonations are definitely something I excel at and you know what they say “stick to what you know”.

And any hints as to what Disney classics you will be choosing from next?

If they’re a sassy woman who wants it their way or it’s the highway…. Chances are she’s on the list. Anyone who knows me will know that HO gives nothing away.

If you could share the stage with any other drag queen in the world who would it be?

I’d definitely say either Mayhem Miller or Evah Destruction in terms of international queens. I have followed both these queens for a while (even mayhem before she was on drag race) and I love their conceptual ideas and they have also done characters also which obviously is my aesthetic and what I love to do.

In terms of locally in Australia I’ve been in comps with them but would love to actually do a performance with them… Natasha St. James and Sellma Soul. Again, both conceptually great. I am good friends with Sellma and she has great ideas, is batshit crazy just like myself, and I feel like we would work well together. And again Natasha is an incredible performer who also likes her characters and I believe we together would put on one good show.

Any tips you'd give to the other queens competing?

Honestly have fun with it. I was so nervous and worried which is normal, but as soon as I got on that stage adrenaline took over and I had so much fun with it. And it definitely helped push me over the edge. Alcohol is also a great option for you to girls!

What advice would you give someone looking to get into drag?

GO FOR IT! Enter all the competitions under the sun. I was given this advice by quite a lot of Brisbane queens before I started and that’s what I did. And it was the best thing I could have done. Now people in Brisbane are starting to know who HOvanna Crown is. You really have to just put yourself out there and come out with a bang!

Don't miss out Fluffy Starlet Heat #2 this Sunday!