In 2015, Sum Ting Wong made her drag debut, reaching the final of Drag Idol with a routine peppered with quick wit and impressive vocals, and she quickly became a familiar face on the drag circuit. This week, Jason Reid talked to Bo – the man behind Sum Ting – about starting out, racial stereotypes, and his drag crush…
Hey Sum Ting Wong! How old were you when you first did drag?
18 or 19. It wasn’t real drag – just dressing up as a lady with all the rugby boys. I was 27 when I first performed as Sum Ting.
What was the first venue you performed at?
Eden in Birmingham.
How was that first performance?
Scary. The other girls were all RuPaul type queens; they looked amazing, they had the lip-syncing, they had the costumes, and then there was me in a bra, pants, a corset and a kimono/bathrobe. I remember Miss Penny was on the judging panel, she looked at me and said “You can’t wear something like that”.
What made you make the leap into performance drag?
When I was younger, I would take part in open mic nights. I didn’t think of putting the drag and the comedy together until I actually thought about it more and realised that being Chinese is quite funny. My home life is very different to other peoples and it’s a chance to show that onstage. Whenever people meet me, they always open with: ‘Where are you from?”
That must get so irritating.
It’s great, because I always reply by saying ‘Birmingham’, because that’s where I’m from. I know exactly what they’re asking though, and if they’re persistent, I do tell them I’m originally from China.
Do you just laugh it off?
Yeah. But since I’ve been performing as Sum Ting, it’s helped me to deal with it a lot better. It’s allowed me to get all that irritability out through her.
You’re one of very few Asian drag acts on the circuit, how did you find that at first?
Personally I’ve always thought being a minority is great. You get stuck with it, but you’re different. When I was growing up, my parents encouraged me to embrace my differences. My dad repeatedly said, “Even though you hang out with white people, remember you’re always Chinese”. It didn’t really click with me what he meant until I got older. On the gay scene, I’ve always known I’m very different and playing everyone else’s game. So I just had to adapt, but understand that underneath it all, I’m Chinese and nothing is gonna change that.
Playing along with everyone’s game, while satirising the Asian stereotype as Sum Ting?
Exactly. One of the best examples is when I start my show in a Chinese voice and then suddenly drop it. People laugh at that point because they realise she talks just like them. It’s about breaking down those racial stereotypes.
Some quick fire questions now. When you’re not Sum Ting, which two performers do you like to go and see?
Mary Mac and Sandra.
It feels like everyone is doing drag these days, is that a good or a bad thing?
I think it’s good because a lot of people are REALLY bad at it, so it makes me look way better.
RuPaul or Lily Savage?
Lily Savage.
If you could date one drag queen, who would it be?
Tia Koffi from The Vixens, but only because no one else would date her.
Which new artist should we be watching out for?
Ripley. She’s funny, political, entertaining and an incredible lip-syncer.
