Queen Priyanka

Say her name, Priyanka! The Canadian-born drag pop superstar totally smashed through the drag queen stereotype while making her mark in traditional institutions as a legit artist. It’s like watching history in the making! The origin story of Mark “Suki” Suknanan, now known as Priyanka, started in the TV industry as a host on the legendary children’s network, YTV. No one would have predicted that a kids’ TV host was living a double life as a drag queen! After 10 years of entertaining children, with the magic of drag, Priyanka was born and immediately started taking over the world of entertainment. Since winning Canada’s Drag Race in 2020, Priyanka showed everyone that she is here to stay after becoming one of the new leads of the Emmy Award-winning HBO series We’re Here, a correspondent for CTV’s eTalk, and landing acting roles in Netflix’s Glamourous and the upcoming Netflix film Meet Me Next Christmas. Through her comedic and sexy online presence, her star began to rise. Priyanka’s face has graced numerous ad campaigns, the cover of Elle Magazine, and she’s been featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Variety. With her global fanbase begging for the release of her upcoming debut full-length album, Priyanka wants to make it known that she is first and foremost a pop star.

When Priyanka dropped her 2021 EP Taste Test, her ferocious anthems found an instant audience, earning over 15 million streams thanks to songs like “Cake,” a track that “begs to be blasted at the club,” as Paper Magazine described it, and the breakout hit, “Come Through.” Complete with visually stunning music videos, which fans named “Priyanka’s Cinematic Universe,” Priyanka presented herself as a bold and confident artist with a clear vision of who she wanted to be. The success of the EP opened Priyanka up to many opportunities drag artists wouldn’t typically be up for, like opening for Lorde, Charli XCX, and Pabllo Vittar; co-hosting the 2021 Canadian Country Music Association Awards; embarking on her first worldwide tour; and receiving festival slots at South By Southwest and Pop Montreal. “Fearless” is how Rolling Stone described Priyanka’s concerts, complete with sickening costumes and iconic choreography. Her shows bridge the gap between the joyful exuberance of a drag show and the non-stop infectious energy and production of a pop music stadium tour. Able to break into those festival spaces, which historically didn’t book many drag acts, with music festival slots opening up for Lorde, Charli XCX, and Orville Peck, Priyanka keeps proving that drag queens can carve out a space in pop music and get played on the radio by trusting her instincts and not playing by the rules. She achieved the dream many told her couldn’t happen.

Breaking barriers is something Priyanka is crossing off her daily to-do list, leading to the upcoming release of her debut album. A gorgeous body of work with epic bangers and memorable new visuals, ready to take her to the next level. Since the impressive rollout of Taste Test, exceptional hitmakers have set their sights on Priyanka and lent a hand in crafting the hits her career demands. That roster includes Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Scott Hoying of Pentatonix, songwriters Josh Cumbee (Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter, Girls Generation), and Damon Sharpe (Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande). Whether she’s celebrating her wins or shutting down haters, everything is done with a mainstream edge and a distinct Priyanka flair. After all, she’s involved in every aspect of her music, from songwriting and singing background vocals to conceiving the concepts behind the album art and music videos, and even editing those music videos. Her music projects are the real peek behind the curtain of how hard she worked to make this dream come true, and she wants to inspire others to carve out their own lane! But don’t let the DIY sensibility fool you: her new album will rival a major label release coming from an unsigned artist. These songs will be performed in stadiums. When that happens, Priyanka’s fans will no longer be asking, “What’s her name?” She now demands: “Say my name!”