It’s been 10 years since the world first gagged over the now-famous Alyssa Edwards tongue pop. Since then, this pageant queen has traveled the world, has her own show on Netflix, and guided an impeccable dance crew to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent.
Now, this leading lady is gearing up for a new adventure: the Life, Love & Lashes Tour set to take her around the world on an epic scale.
“I can tell you, I’m so very grateful,” Edwards said when she sat down with The RAGE Monthly for a phone chat. It may have been a rainy day on her end in Texas, but she was all sunshine on the phone. “I’m reminded of all of the things I’ve done and touched and seen and felt, the ground I’ve walked on and my gosh how many heels I’ve put on since being on television!”
Fans will know she’s got a keen eye for detail, and the upcoming show is no exception.
“I met with Peter Murray two or three years ago now and shared all of my ideas about bringing a show of this level and caliber to the stage. I said, ‘This is something that can’t just be thrown together, OK? This is the Emancipation of Alyssa Edwards.’ I manifested that.”
After playing around with some ideas, Edwards headed to London for her West End debut where she shared pieces of what she’s now about to showcase on the tour.
“At the close of it, I told myself that if I didn’t share it with the people in America and all over the world that I was not only doing an injustice to myself, but to anyone who has been along with me on this journey. Anyone who supported me and celebrated me and lifted me up. So, I got in the lab with a pen and started writing.”
The show will represent all things Alyssa Edwards, taking inspiration from the likes of Liberace and Elvis Presley. It’s designed to capture the magic of everything she’s known for today from being a little gay boy in Mesquite, Texas, near Dallas.
“I like to think of this show as, like, taking my fans on a complete journey of me trucking down my yellow brick road. Also, I think of it as opening the curtains and pulling back the veil, because this is the absolute untold story behind all the glitter and glam. It’s a fun show. This is going to be one night, one queen, and one spectacle that one will never forget. I gave it all and I’m ready for my Academy. The tongue pops will be louder and the wigs will be higher!”
In regard to that iconic pop we all know and love, she can’t even remember how it started.
“I just did it when I was young. I didn’t think it was that funny. Then I did it on the show and they thought it was hilarious and the other queens just started laughing. I didn’t even know it would be a thing. It’s just a part of who I am now. The day I go meet Jesus, it’s going to be a loud tongue pop for the whole heavens to hear.”
As her star continues to rise, Edward maintains a complete awareness of how lucky she is to be where she is today while gearing up to present something she calls her “ultimate stage fantasy.”
“I always believed that there was a world where I would fit in. I reminded myself that there was a dream out there with my name on it, and I believe in destiny. I’m excited for this show to reach as many audience members as I can. Drag right now is being so celebrated by the world, and I love that. I was a young little gay boy lost and watching ‘To Wong Foo [Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar]’ and seeing RuPaul. I was so confused, but so intrigued, and now we’re all celebrating it.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwards spent much of her time dreaming up how this show would come about: “I’ve waited. I’ve paced myself. It’s me getting back on this stage and she is refueled, refreshed, and reenergized, if y’all can imagine that.”
Although the Beyond Belief dance crew seen on Dancing Queens and America’s Got Talent won’t be joining for the tour, she said: “My students are the heart of me. I always imagined myself being an artistic director. Now my dance school is celebrating 20 years. Talk about a blessing and a dream come true.”
The gratitude and blessings that keep falling in her path have also fueled much of what to expect in the show.
“There’s a part of me that was a little vulnerable when I pulled back the curtain and the magic to it all and the extra layer that exists. I think that’s what’s going to make this show all the more special and fabulous. I’m able to experience life with so much meaning and value. It’s so full of joy and laugher and love. I’m just sharing that live, all of that rolled into one.”
While she’s constantly reaching new heights, she’s also not above giving credit where it’s due. “None of this would have been possible if I didn’t have people who believed in me. From my very first teacher to my grandmother to my fans and people interested in me. I’m truly here with a full heart.”
Anyone who’s followed along with her journey knows how much Edwards has flourished since audiences were first introduced to her. To her growth, she states that every character should evolve, and every person blooms in their own time.
“Trust the process and allow growth to come. That’s what I teach my students, and you have to believe in that. You have to nurture your gift and your art and watch it develop and embrace all of that and be proud of it. Personally, as someone that is a perfectionist, I stopped visualizing the idea of perfectionism existing. It doesn’t. It’s within.”
Echoing RuPaul’s “if you can’t love yourself” wisdom, she also said, “I started loving on me more. I started doing little things like waking up and saying something validating toward my work and my art and who I am. I watched Alyssa grow and evolve. I won Miss USA in 2006, and can you believe I thought that was the pinnacle? I thought, ‘That’s it, you’ve done it all.’”
And she couldn’t have been more wrong sitting in 2022 with the buses loaded, the lights geared up for showtime, and the world waiting for their queen.
Be sure to catch Alyssa on the Life, Love & Lashes Tour coming to San Diego on Friday, June 10 and Los Angeles on Saturday, June 11.
thealyssaedwards.com and dragfans.com