In this month’s People of GigSalad spotlight, we’re featuring Foxie Adjuia, a Los Angeles-based drag queen. From a shy childhood to finding their place on the stage, Foxie’s story shows that finding yourself and finding your art can be the same journey. We talked with Foxie about their path to drag, their plans for the future, and how a decade on GigSalad has helped their business shine bright.
Becoming a drag queen
Foxie Adjuia has been performing as a drag queen in Los Angeles for over 10 years. By staying true to themselves, they have combined their creative talents to entertain and their passion for serving others to carve out a unique path.
Setting the stage
Foxie describes their childhood as a happy one. “Growing up in my family was good. I thought I had a really nice childhood,” they said. Their parents gave them plenty of room to explore, though Foxie’s interests weren’t always easy to read. “I’d say I was pretty shy and pretty emo-ish, and so they didn’t know how to really nurture that. I was left to my own devices to have to decide for myself what I wanted,” they said.
One family member, though, saw exactly what Foxie needed. “My great-grandmother, Rosanna Francis Cecilia Smith Lester Norman, she really did usher me into the world and told me to just be fearlessly me. She had us performing for all the older folks. It was the first kind of performance I did,” Foxie shared.
The creation of Foxie
Foxie’s persona took shape years later, born not from a stage but from a fraternity. “Foxie was officially born and created because of my fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi, the Progressive Men’s Fraternity,” they said. They were first given the name Foxie Adjuia, King of the Wiccans, though “king” didn’t stick for long. “We had a big philanthropy project called Draglicious, and that’s where I started doing drag,” they said.
Foxie’s early 20s, however, were full of challenges. After being diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and ADHD, they struggled to keep pace with school and life. “It was hard to deal with, and so I flunked out of Cal State Long Beach,” they said. “Relationships, substances, and then just life started happening. Drag was the thing I focused on that kept me going.” Through the hardship, drag became an anchor. “Drag was my way of tying all of my creative pursuits and abilities into one thing,” they said.
Serving looks and serving others
“Now, I’m back at Cal State Long Beach. I’m in the first semester of my senior year,” they said. Within the next three years, they will complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. “I get to support folks, and I get to grow as a Foxie Adjuia DeVille, the social-working drag queen,” they said.
For Foxie, everything comes back to one big idea: “How do I utilize my being, my existence, to serve?” Whatever the venue, the goal stays the same: using every talent they have for the benefit of others. And as for what’s next, Foxie has no plans to settle. “My greatest achievement is to exchange the comfort that I enjoy so much for growth,” they said.
Using GigSalad
For nearly a decade, Foxie Adjuia has used GigSalad’s platform to share their talent. Since joining in 2016, they’ve booked a variety of gigs and picked up plenty of insight along the way. Here, Foxie shares the perks, peace of mind, and community that keep them coming back.
GigSalad: How has GigSalad made it easier to book gigs?
Foxie Adjuia: GigSalad has made things easier by making me not have to create so many contracts and worry about the bureaucracy. I don’t have to worry about those things anymore. GigSalad handles all of that. The money is dealt with. We ain’t gotta worry about that. There can be a deposit, which makes me feel comfortable. Success is about us walking away feeling like, okay, we’re good. And GigSalad does a lot of that, and we don’t have to worry about it because it’s built in.
GS: Have you ever hired anyone from GigSalad?
FA: I have never hired anyone on GigSalad, but I know who else is on there as performers and entertainers. I know this entertainer that does this illusion. I know this entertainer that has these talents. This is a community, so we let people know about it, because there’s so much to go around.
GS: How does GigSalad support you?
FA: GigSalad supports Foxie, the business, by having me not have to worry about all the intricacies, all the bureaucratic kind of paperwork kind of stuff. It really holds things together. GigSalad is a one-stop shop.
GS: How has GigSalad helped you grow as an artist?
FA: GigSalad has helped me grow as an artist by letting me understand what I’m capable of and not having to go diving for coins, literally, in bars and clubs. But I get to be like, oh, can I do this one thing? Can I bring my ukulele? I get to share Tarot. I get to share my knowledge of the numinous with folks and share my knowledge of drag, fun, and creativity.
✨ Looking for more inspiration and tips? Check out last month’s People of GigSalad spotlight with Circus Performer Alex Bistrevsky!
Whether Foxie is on stage, in the classroom, or one day supporting a client as a social worker, the throughline stays the same: use what you’ve got to lift someone else up. Foxie Adjuia’s story is proof that talent isn’t just something you have. It’s something you get to share. 💜
Matt Holland is a Customer Happiness Agent at GigSalad. With 10+ years of experience performing as a jazz drummer, he has gained insights into the life of a gigging musician as well as what makes an event go off without a hitch. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, cooking, and watching the newest TV shows with his wife.