The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face – Jayde Adams on grief, drag and media darlings

Fresh from her hit Edinburgh run and ahead of a special date in Bloomsbury, Fringe favourite Jayde Adams talks ditching the sparkle for a black turtlenecked takedown.

What can you remember from your first few gigs performing stand-up over nine years ago?

You know what, it was a much simpler time. I was working as a waitress so my sole income wasn’t comedy so it was a lot freer. There wasn’t a lot less pressure. It’s great what’s happening now, but all of this comes with massive amounts of pressure. Back then it was only ensuring I had gigs on the weekend, looking into which clubs I’d be going after. An easier, happier time.

A lot of people would agree that 10 years ago was a happier time.

It probably wasn’t for me. My sister died in 2011. I know a lot of people are stressed about what’s going on in the country right now, but I’ve been going through it forever babes.

You often sight that as the thing pushed you forward to persuing a career on stage.

Yes, in a way. Also my drive, determination and talent, of course. A lot of people find it difficult to cope with the way the world is, but I don’t find it that difficult because the worst thing that could ever happen to me, watching my sister die, already happened. Not even Brexit can touch me.

And yet you made it out the other side.

It’s survival. It’s just getting on with stuff. You gain some perspective. The media is a very easy way of winding people up, making everyone feel stressed, but I don’t feel that way about our current climate.

Losing someone can make you quite vulnerable.

I wasn’t vulnerable. It was a situation, and I survived it as anyone else would. I’m not a vulnerable person.

But being alone on stage for a show is one of the more vulnerable places you can be.

In a way, but I’ve always been on stage, since I was five. It was a different set of circumstances for me than other stand up comedians because I was dancing for at least thirteen years of my life. I’ve always had some sort of performance element to my life.

You carved a place for yourself within the queer community here in London quite early on, didn’t you?

I did. The queer community in London is the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing. Until 2014, I wasn’t involved in stand up because it’s a rather cliquey world. In the queer community, if you’re a strong, independent woman you’re always welcome. You can’t be a straight girl, turn up and try and overtake stuff. You’ve got to come in and be helpful, so that’s exactly what I did. People like Jonny Woo and John Sizzle I’ve known since 2010 when they dragged me to Glastonbury and I was thrust into this world, in the trailer behind Bloc 9 where Sizzle walked up to me and said “Darling, WHAT are you?” Of course, “Just a girl from Bristol” is what I answered him. It’ll be a scene in a movie one day. Babes it was so intense. At one point, there was this character within the scene who was just walking around in a jockstrap. I’d never seen anyone so proudly nude in a jockstrap. For a long time, I was involved in Sink The Pink with Glyn Fussell, one of the original girls. They’ve now got these drag queens with tailors getting paid “money” and stuff. We never got paid, darling. We performed at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club for nothing. I just did it for love.

Would you call yourself a drag queen?

A lot of drag queens would. I remember Glyn Fussell watching me lip-syncing on stage and he came up to me and went “You’re such a fucking drag queen”. But I’m not a female impersonator, I’m just Jayde Adams. I am who I am.

Last year you paid homage to Mz Midler. Do you feel an affinity to campy showbiz gingers? 

I started my life watching Bette Midler with my sister, and we use to dance to her. Miss Otis Regrets in a red velvet dress. She used to do this character called Soph, and I wanted to go to the Fringe with a show that could’ve been at Vegas. To be honest with you, at this point in my career it was probably too big. I don’t give a fuck. It was wild.

Then this year came the black turtleneck. I turned up to standup comedy and no one was wearing catsuits and sequins. I brought them to stand up now everyone’s doing it. I took some drag and cabaret over to stand up, but now it’s just everywhere. I realised there wasn’t a lot of overweight, working-class girls wearing turtlenecks talking about 4th wave feminism. So that’s what I did.

The jump from Midler to Jenner. Quite the jump. What does Kylie epitomise for you?

She is everything that’s wrong with 4th wave feminism. Propertied to be a successful businesswoman but actually, she’s an incredibly insecure young woman who has been told by her family that her face doesn’t fit. She changed her face and made billions out of it. It encourages young girls, usually vulnerable working-class women, to change themselves to fit these ideals. Those ideals change. Big eyebrows for example. Big, fat, juicy hairy eyebrows are everywhere. Think back to the ’90s and all the bullying girls with those eyebrows got. This time around it isn’t eyebrows. It’s irreversible shit they’re doing to their face, and this family’s making it happen. I feel sorry for them, these women will never feel the way I do. I look in the mirror and I don’t care, literally don’t give a shit what I look like.

You have other women jumping on various bandwagons. Jameela Jamil, because it’s not enough for her to be a feminist, she’s jumped on the popularity of body positivity. Honestly, we don’t need your help, I’m not a victim. She claims to be using her platform, but use it for something else. She’s Asian, she can go and do that. Us fat girls don’t need your help. If someone cared so much about image, she wouldn’t use so much of her own. On everything. It’s all about Jameela. 

What advice would you give to a girl that might be susceptible to these influences?

Just have a look at me, and one of the Kardashians. Grab any two photos of us, and see who looks happier.

Jayde Adams performs The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face at Bloomsbury Theatre on 21st September, 6pm and 9pm. Tickets can be found at ilovejaydeadams.com.

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