What would it look like if Jinkx Monsoon went to space? The drag artist, fresh from theatrical runs on Broadway and in London, continues answering this question on her latest EP, The Virgo Odyssey: Leo Moon, debuting today. Written with longtime collaborator Major Scales, it’s the second EP in a series–the first was The Virgo Odyssey: Prologue–that will eventually comprise the soundtrack to a one-woman rock opera, one inflected as much with cabaret as it is disco, funk, and pop. Part Odyssey, part Wizard of Oz, part Xanadu, the opera will see Jinkx traversing space to find her way home, collecting a gaggle of otherworldly misfits along the way. 

Somehow, Jinkx found time not only to make the EP with Major Scales, she also began writing a new standup tour, Speaking of Witch, that will make its way through the UK this summer. With a few years of performing others’ words, she says, she became hungry for the opportunity to share her own again.

Jinkx attributes her relentless pursuit of creativity in part to passion for her work and in part to her cessation of drinking, which took place seven years ago. The energy redirected, she says. She also thrives on connection and collaboration, both of which are alive in these two new works. 

V spoke to Jinkx Monsoon about epic storytelling, avoiding burnout, being artistically picky, and more.

V: Where do we go with this EP that’s different from the first one?

Jinkx Monsoon: The first EP and this second EP are both five featured tracks from an inevitable full feature album that we’ve been working on steadily. The full album that will come out down the line is planned to be an epic rock opera. Each of these five tracks will eventually connect and tell a big story. The next five tracks we’re releasing are more upbeat, positive tracks for combating the looming darkness that haunts us all. We wanted to put out some celebratory tracks, so we’ve got a catchy dance track called “Run with Me,” and then we’ve got a beautiful ballad called “Telescope Hour.” We’ve got a ‘60s girl group, ‘90s funk pop-inspired track called “Oh My God.” Then “Planet Yes” is our utopian dance track finale number. Our strongest goal with our music is that each track can stand alone and tell its own story. When you put them all together, it weaves one big opera. That’s part of why it’s been such a slow release: I’ve been very picky with how each song is constructed, but I think my favorite song on the EP is “That’s the Life,” and it features my friend Baby Baker from BIG SIS. That’s the album in a nutshell. It’s a little bit weird and a little bit everything.

V: What are you picky about when you’re putting these EPs together?

JM: I get really picky about the sound and making sure it’s the right balance between storytelling and good music. I come from a theater background and storytelling is very important to me. Sometimes I get a little too theater-y about it. That’s why I have such trusted teammates–my music partner, Major Scales, and our producer of many years, Yair Evnine. The three of us work together really well, and we’re all very honest with each other. There have been times where things get delayed because we  have to re-record something, because I’m not happy with it. It’s usually me. I’m very picky about my own voice, so there’s usually a point where Major and Yair have to intervene and say, “that is the take, you’ve got to trust us.”

V: What was the collaborative process between you and Major Scales on this project?

JM: We have been working together for about 14 or 15 years now. We met in college and first started working together as a cabaret duo. Our first collaboration was called The Vaudevillians, and we did ragtime 1920s covers of pop songs. Our first album together was a reflection of that. Beyond yesteryear, we have a lot of similar musical tastes when it comes to our rock and musical theatre references. We’ve always been able to fully understand each other–I can say a reference to him that’s so obscure that no one else but him would get it, and then it’s the perfect thing to go into the track. In our past work together, I’ll have a topic in mind that I want to put into a song that I have some sentences or ideas for, and I have a lot of feelings around it. Since Major and I have worked together so intimately for years, I tell him everything I’m feeling; he cherry picks the words and sentences and turns them into music. Then I add my voice, and we futz with it until it sounds like what you end up hearing. With this new album and these EPs, I have been constructing this overarching story–Major and I are very clear on this epic tale that’s like The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz set in outer space. It’s about Jinx being catapulted to the other end of the galaxy, making her way back home, collecting a group of intergalactic misfits, and then taking down the tyrant who has been plaguing Earth. 

V: What has it been like to be in the process of developing the show slowly over several years?

JM: We didn’t think it was going to go on so long when we started. We started working on this album during the pandemic because we were all finally in one place and we could collaborate, come up with ideas, and plan ahead. We wanted to do the full album right away, but the last few years have been a little hectic for one of us [laughs]. We came up with doing the EPs as a way to keep working on it even though we don’t have the physical logistics or the resources to sit down and get the whole album out. We’ve done it piece by piece, and the next big goal is to put out the album so one day it could actually become a full stage musical or a concert rock opera. 

V: What does a typical EP planning and creative session look like for you? 

JM: The three of us get together in a studio, and it’s almost always in a different location–New York, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, wherever we can. We carve out as much time as we can, usually about two weeks for five tracks. To collaborate, I use my ADHD as a superpower. Major plays us his demo, we listen to it a lot, I start rattling off ideas. You can give me a prompt, some obstacles and requirements, and I can give you a scenario in a minute. If it doesn’t work, I’ll generate a new idea. The things that sound worth exploring, Major and Yair jot down, and then we get at it. Then you have to let it gestate and listen to it the next day, when you’ve had some time away from it to go, oh my gosh, what the hell was I talking about? We need to go in a new direction. 

Part of the reason “That’s the Life” on the new EP is one of my favorite tracks is because it’s one of the first tracks Major wrote for this album. It didn’t go on the first EP because I wasn’t happy with it. It didn’t sound like what I wanted, so we put it off, and that is a luxury we’ve never had before. Usually when we aim to put out an album, there is a deadline, and we have to crank it out. The music game is so different now that we really embraced the idea of doing the EPs as a way to realistically, as independent artists, keep generating music and keep ourselves working towards a goal, even though we don’t have the resources to sit down and create an opera from start to finish all at once right now.

V: How do you make time to work on The Virgo Odysseywhile you’re in different performances?

JM: I don’t do anything alone, and I love that. I don’t try to present the idea that I do it all by myself. I think a huge strength is that I have this wonderful chosen family of fellow artists who are always inspiring me, and so I feel I have more in me than could ever go into one show. That’s why it overflows into all these other arenas. I love being an actress, but I also love doing stand-up comedy, because it scratches a completely different itch–it allows me to get my words out there and synthesize my experiences. What I love about creating music and having the right people to keep me creating, even when I don’t have as much excess time and ability. The music is a time capsule, and every time we record something, I know that’s going to be something left behind for future young queer people to find and realize, “there’s other people out there like me and they think the same thoughts, and maybe if I stick it out, I’ll find them.” That’s what queer people do for each other, whether we try to or not. The reason I’m making music today is because it queer artists’ music found me when I needed it and told me you’re not alone, don’t believe the lies that everyone tells you, because this person feels the same way you do.

V: How do you physically manage your projects without burning yourself out? 

JM: The burnout is very real. I don’t know if I have healthy time management. I am embracing the fact that I’m a workaholic and trying to become a high-functioning workaholic. I’m trying to find a better balance, but it looks like I’m always doing something because I am. I quit drinking seven years ago, and I have watched the energy I used to put into drinking redirect itself a few times. It has now redirected itself to work, specifically performance. That’s what I’m now addicted to. I literally do nothing else, and my work is still my passion. I got very lucky to be in my dream job, but every day it’s a struggle to find enough time to be human because I’m living the life I set up for myself–it’s one of those Catch-22s. The only person who could give me more personal time is me. If I wanted it, I bet I would have found it by now, but I seem to be surviving. But I’ll tell you this, I’m so wildly single that I can work as much as I want, and it affects no one. The cats are being taken care of. My responsibilities to other people are very small, so this comes from a privileged position. 

V: Speaking of which, Speaking of Witch, what can audiences expect on your upcoming tour? 

JM: This is a hybrid show, 40% rock concert, 60% stand-up comedy. Those are the typical Jinkx Monsoon shows. It’s rare that I don’t sing at my shows, because if she got it, expect it, right? But I love stand-up comedy. I have fallen in love with the art of storytelling and talking directly to the audience, and I’ve always worked this way in my own work. There’s always been room for ad-libbing, improvisation, and dropping the fourth wall, but as I become more structured and a lot more of my work has become scripted, there hasn’t been as much room for that playfulness between me and the audience. I’ve missed it, I crave it, and I am so excited to get back to it. I’ve been saying other people’s words for three years now, aside from my holiday tour with BenDeLaCreme. I’m excited to get some of my own words out there.  I realized I was ready to do stand-up again and needed to prioritize a stand-up tour because I was doing podcasts to promote plays, and I was listening to myself talk. I was like, this is funny shit, you should be writing this down and saving it for yourself–you’re giving it away for free. I’ve been compiling notes for a little over a year now.

V: How has your personal work as an artist been affected by your recent experiences, as you say, saying words written by other people on Broadway and in London?

JM: The words matter. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing a funny show  like Oh, Mary! or a heavy show like End of the Rainbow or a silly show like The Pirates of Penzance, telling the truth is at the heart of everything. It’s why good comedy is funny. It’s why good tragedy is heartbreaking. One of my strengths as a performer is that I can be very big and what some would call over the top. When you play the truth, it doesn’t feel over the top because in reality we know people that big–there have been people that big throughout history. Judy Garland was a very big person at 5’ 3” and she did not contain herself. So I refuse to. If you are connecting and people are listening and you are telling them the truth, that’s what they’re there for, and that’s all I care about these days. 

I’m very proud of everything I’m doing, and I think I’ve always been proud of the music Major and I have put out, but I think if you have listened to us for a long time, you’re going to hear that we have really found a stride with this EP. I think you’re going to be very excited for the direction our inevitable full feature album is going. For Speaking of Witch, I think by this point you can trust that I’m going to make you laugh. We’ll see what else happens.