Toronto alt-pop artist Vicki Lovelee usually appears by herself when she performs her highly theatrical music. She likes creating hot-blooded characters who act out the songs in an opera-like setting.
But at this year’s Jade Music Fest in Vancouver, Lovelee will invite a collaborator on-stage. Sichuan-born and Vancouver-based drag king Yuen Young will play a role opposite Lovelee at a free show at 5 p.m. on Saturday (November 7) at the Revue Stage on Granville Island.
Lovelee promises a dark, Phantom of the Opera type of atmosphere.
“But there are still some upbeat beats to my songs where you can bop your head and dance to it,” she emphasizes.
In music videos such as “Lacrimosa” and “Costar”, Lovelee devotes as much care to her on-stage persona, costumes, and lighting as she does to her lyrically sophisticated compositions.
“I have a lot of violins and instrumentals in my music,” she says. “And, lately with my wardrobe, I’ve been trying to have a dark ballerina, Black Swan vibe.”
It’s a good foil for Young’s drag king, who comes across on-stage as a sweet and spicy pretty boy. As a drag king, Young often wears big jackets with big broad shoulders and lots of fur along with an ever-present moustache. Yet, he still exudes vulnerability.
Lovelee also conveys vulnerability in her performances, notably in her new music video for “I Can Be Anyone”.
Watch Vicki Lovelee’s new music video (above) for “I Can Be Anyone”.
Lovelee compliments Young’s drag persona
Lovelee was transfixed by Young last year at Jade Music Fest’s inaugural C-Pop drag extravaganza on Granville Island in Vancouver. Lovelee describes this performance as “very theatrical, very Gaga”.
“I just remember my jaw dropped the whole time, because I was like, ‘Wow, this is so up my alley,’ ” Lovelee recalls.
After the show, Lovelee’s brain was buzzing with thoughts of how she could collaborate with Young at this year’s festival.
Young recalls interpreting Taiwanese pop artist Jolin Tsai’s “Womxnly [a.k.a. Rose Boy] 玫瑰少年“ on-stage last year. This Mandarin-language hit commemorated a teenager who died after being bullied for their gender expression.
“I do remember we had an encounter at Jade Music Festival, which was relay a lovely chance to see so many East Asian Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong artists coming together, sharing their talents.” Young tells the Toronto Spark on the same Zoom call. “For me, I think it was really important to also share, my language, my culture, and the story as a Chinese queer person, through my drag.
“I remember Vicki shared her thoughts about that piece with me,” Young continues, “and I felt very appreciated.”
Young cherishes crossing artistic boundaries
Eventually, they re-connected and Young realized that they share similar artistic visions. Both inject plenty of nuance into their performances rather than functioning in just one or two dimensions.
“I love drag and I love the drag community, but sometimes it’s just so important and so rare to have a chance to work across the boundary between different art forms,” Young states. “And I think this is an amazing chance for us to explore how to work with each other and how to elevate each other’s show.”
As a performer, Young’s role model is Nymphia Wind, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2024. Lovelee has drawn inspiration from theatrical musicians such as Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury in crafting her original pop songs.
“I grew up learning classical piano,” Lovelee told the Toronto Spark last year. “It was never a conscious decision that I wanted to be this specifically dark, theatrical, dramatic artist. I think it just naturally came with what I grew up listening to and what I grew up learning.”
Jade Music Fest will present Vicki Lovelee with Yuen Young at 5 p.m. on Saturday (November 7) on the Revue Stage at Granville Island. Check out Vicki Lovelee’s website and listen to her music on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Follow Yuen Young on Instagram @yuen_young.
Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
