Broadway’s New Darling: Plasma Raises the Curtain with Queer Truth and Talent

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if the ghosts of Old Hollywood and the spirit of queer cabaret collided on a modern stage, wonder no more: Plasma, the breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16, is here to answer. Her debut live album, Is Miss Thing On? (Live from Joe’s Pub), is more than a collection of songs—it’s a glittering, unfiltered chronicle of queer artistry, performed with the wit, warmth, and vulnerability that have made her “The New Broadway Baby of Drag Race”.

Plasma’s journey is a testament to the power of finding your voice, even when you’re not sure the world is ready to hear it. Raised in Mount Pleasant, Texas, now based in New York, she grew up worshipping the likes of Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews, icons whose legacies are indelibly queer—even when the world tried to keep their rainbows behind the curtain.

From her earliest days, Plasma understood that performance was more than entertainment—it was survival, connection, and self-expression. “This album is a love letter to my truest self, the unafraid, spontaneous Plasma you and I both love to see,” she explained, underscoring that her heart beats loudest on stage, where live energy can’t be faked.

When she sashayed onto the Drag Race runway, Plasma quickly became a fan favorite for her crisp vocals and vintage charm. But she also brought something rarer: a willingness to let the audience peek behind the sequins. Her tribute to Funny Girl’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade” went viral, and her heartfelt serenade to Jinkx Monsoon on Logo—“Happy Days Are Here Again”—cemented her reputation as a cabaret powerhouse.

What sets Plasma apart isn’t just technical skill (though she’s got plenty, with a BFA in musical theater performance). It’s her ability to turn cabaret into confession, threading personal stories and emotional revelations through every show tune. Is Miss Thing On? doesn’t just showcase jazz classics and Broadway standards—it invites listeners to experience what it feels like to live, love, and laugh in a world that often asks queer people to shrink themselves.

Her original number, “80 or Above,” is a cheeky, self-reflective song that explores relationships with love and alcohol, delivered with the kind of wink that only a drag queen who’s seen it all can offer. It’s this blend of humor and honesty that gives the album—and Plasma herself—such resonance in queer culture.

If you ask Plasma what she’s really doing, she’ll tell you: leveraging her ambitions against her fears. In an era where drag and queer performance are often under attack, her work is both a balm and a rallying cry. Is Miss Thing On? is a celebration of queer resilience—a testament to what happens when LGBTQ+ people refuse to dim their lights.

The album, recorded with the Benjamin Young Band and produced by a team including Jackie Huba and Alex Grippo, captures the intimacy of a live show and the grandeur of Broadway, stitching together tongue-in-cheek jokes, heartfelt reflection, and show-stopping vocals into an evening at Joe’s Pub that you can take home.

Plasma’s story is also a tribute to the broader queer community. Each banter, each belt, each bravura moment is a nod to every LGBTQ+ artist who’s ever wondered if their truth was too loud for the world. As she tours globally and brings her cabaret to stages from Provincetown to NYC, her message remains clear: Broadway may be the inspiration, but the queer stage is her home.

Plasma’s rise comes at a time when queer visibility is both celebrated and challenged. Drag, cabaret, and queer nightlife are under renewed scrutiny, but artists like Plasma remind us that resistance can be joyful, glamorous, and unapologetically loud. Her work invites us to remember that every stage is a space for queer truth—whether you’re center spotlight or clapping in the balcony.

Her debut album isn’t just an artistic milestone; it’s a cultural moment. It’s an invitation to take pride not just in survival, but in the beauty of thriving. In Plasma’s words and music, queer people hear echoes of our own stories—ambition, anxiety, celebration, and the relentless search for community. She isn’t just singing for herself. She’s singing for all of us.

So, is Miss Thing on? She never turned off. And the stage—like the queer spirit—is brighter because of it.