QWERRRKOUT TUESDAY just got a whole lot QTer… New queers featured every week! Tag us, take a pic of us and follow us on Instagram at QWERRRKOUT, and you too could be the next, featured QT! YOU BETTA QWERRRK! Oh…and don’t forget to get the BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW “Notorious P.I.G.” merch HERE!!! (Mx Qwerrrk pic by celeb photog Santiago Felipe, Aura Mayari’s pics via Instagram)

Aura Mayari

Age: 30

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

About:

“Hi, everyoneeee!!! This is your Filipina Goddess, born in the Philippines and a recent Nashville transplant from Chicago, Aura Mayari (MAH-YAH-REE). Aura was derived from the Philippine gay slang AWRA – which means presence…and could be used as a verb that means she’s trying to be the center of attention…that definitely describes the entity of my drag…HA! She is stunningly beautiful and will give you pure energy on stage. But don’t be fooled by that beauty, I am known for my facial acrobatics (whatever that means, just watch my videos on Instagram! LOL) and my spastic-ness on stage. I can dance the house down or I can give you the most emotional ballads…or I can give you a punk-a$$ performance! What I can say that’s different about my performances is that I internalize my song and become one with it. That is how I get my audience’s attention.

So let’s rewind back a bit. My drag journey was a bit different. I never expected to be one, actually. Make-up and dressing up were definitely not something I was interested in, growing up. I am pretty athletic…playing basketball and volleyball. I am also into fitness and recently started enjoying doing crazy hikes. I was even in a fraternity in college, BUT… performing was always my passion! I am a hip-hop dancer and a singer, influenced by a ton of RnB artists. I was very involved in the theatrical scene and played Angel in RENT multiple times and that’s how I discovered drag. I was very terrified of drag performers. I don’t know… maybe those towering individuals wearing 6-inch heels with tons of makeup were a bit intimidating, LOL. I had to do my research for the show which involved watching Paris is Burning and watching a ton of drag shows in Chicago. I learned so much and appreciated drag even more!

I was amazed by all those performers, and I thought, ‘I can do that, and I can do it better!’ So I went for it…I dressed up in drag to flaunt in Boystown, Chicago, and two months in, I was offered a job as a cast member for a weekly brunch show, then started hosting a weekly show at Splash Chicago and performed all over the city. I moved to Nashville just a few months ago and was recently added as a Playmate cast member at Play Nashville. I will be there every weekend if you’re ever here to party!”

Instagram: auramayari

Click HERE to get the new Notorious P.I.G. Tee!!!