Dahlia Kash from Olympia, WA is a smokin’ star in burlesque and drag. For the season 3 premiere, Kash and Viktor Devonne chat about childhood lullabies, chanteuse favorites, 90s love jams, grunge, and the first performance. Stick around for Viktor’s hidden bonus track.
The Music That Made WE is a creation of WEBurlesque Podcast Network, produced by Viktor Devonne.
Audio Version:
On this episode of The Music That Made WE, Viktor talks to Dahlia Kash, a drag and burlesque performer out of Olympia, WA.
“Today” by John Denver
“One of the reasons [I picked this song] is because it is literally the song that made me because it was my lullaby growing up. My mother would sing it to me… I found the song a little bit before she passed away because I did not know this was a whole actual song that existed in the world. I just went to write the lyrics down in her obituary and went ‘Oh, she’s been singing a John Denver song to me the whole time.’
“Please Don’t Go Girl” by New Kids On The Block
“When I finally found my way into my own music I was very much the hot pink Barbie girl. I loved some pop music… I am what is called a Blockhead. I love New Kids On The Block. To the point where my very first concert happened on my 10th birthday and my mom got tickets… so I got to see them in the Oakland Arena and it was funny because I kind of came full circle right before the pandemic because the very last group that I saw live was New Kids On The Block.”
“Is It A Crime?” by Sade
“In a lot of ways I really connected to Sade’s music when I was a kid. I was definitely listening around the time this song came out. And one of the reasons why is that my mom loved Sade… If you are wondering where the good genes came from, my mother until the time of her death at 62 looked just like Sade… Listening to her music now makes me emotional and makes me miss my mom because it was another lullaby to me.”
“Make It To Me” by Boozoo Chavis
“This track is very much about my familial roots. I feel like every culture has its cleaning music.
You get up on a Saturday or a Sunday and this is the music you listening to while your cleaning
and this is what I grew up with especially being at my grandmother’s house… I am literally from
what is called Creole Country in a Cajun parish in Louisiana. That is where my family originates
from on both sides of my family.“
“So Into You” by Tamia
“The track has a lot of meaning. It reminds me of my high school years. I got into a lot more R&B in my middle school era and then I went punk on everything… But yeah I love me so Tamia. I love the Tamia/Brandy-esque era of R&B. It makes me really happy… Just a lot of crushy feelings songs and being in love. It is a song that means a lot to both me and my partner.“
“When I Come Around” by Green Day
“We are what we grew up with and for me that was a radio kid because it was free. I wanted to
listen to music and lock myself in my room and what was free was bands like Green Day and
Operation Ivy. Having access to the different local bands that were actually performing in my
area and Green Day actually was one of the local bands for me… that’s what I grew up with… This [song] is basically the punk version of when I come back to town…this is where I’ll be… It’s a really fun song for a Bay Area homecoming.”
“I Got Five On It” by Luniz and Michael Marshall
“For me it comes into line right when it came out… During that time I was a disgruntled teen. I
was definitely running the street more and out with my friends and a lot of what we ended up
doing because I always hung out with a lot of artists was we got together, listened to a lot of
music, and just smoked up and vibed. That cannabis culture was back then and still is a huge part of my life… Every pipe dream I have is how I end up putting things on the stage.”
“La Negra Tiene Tumbao” by Celia Cruz
“As someone who is a darker skinned Latina person, it is not common for us to be seen in media, it is not common for us to be seen as anything more than a black person of completely African descent. There is nothing wrong with that. There are sides of my family which are completely of African descent… But, there is a different experience of being a Black person that grows up with the Latin experience… The meaning of the song is regardless of where we are put in society or where society sets Black femmes, we are not going to back down from who we are and we are going to keep on whatever trail we need to keep on in order to create who we are as people.”
“Material Girl” by Richard Cheese
“This is the very first song that I performed to on a very hot night at The Townhouse Bar in Vallejo, California at a show called Womenopoly. It was my very first night and somehow I was not phased by it at all because I had been a burlesque fan for a long time and was like tonight we put on the outfit and we do the thing for the first time. Let’s go!”
“We Need To Roll” by Joe
“That was the very first song I performed king drag to. So the first gender exploration into the
masculine version of myself. So this would be something that created Javier Miguel… It was big on a playlist that was shared between my dad and my brother… The men in my family are very into their own Latin and Black machismo and they are smooth guys and like to pick up all the girls and stuff. So a lot of my gender exploration has come from who they are as men but taking that part of them and taking out the toxic masculinity of it.”
- Dahlia Kash on WEBurlesque: https://weburlesque.wordpress.com/2022/08/15/s6e170-warrior-at-birth-w-dahlia-kash/
- Dahlia on IG: @dahlia_kash
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Produced by Viktor Devonne, reigning Mr Hollywood Burlesque WEBurlesque Podcast Nework is the creation of Viktor Devonne. Podcast Network logo artwork by Logan Laveau, WEBurlesque the Podcast cover art photography by Atticus Stevenson. Incidental music via pixabay.com under fair use. Visit weburlesquepodcast.com for notes on this and every episode.
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