We had the good fortune of connecting with J Lau Farrow-Halston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi J Lau, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Before I moved to Escondido CA, I had been living in Los Angeles and prior to that in a Northern California town of Chico. There was a small drag scene in Chico until the Covid-19 pandemic and the bar hosting the shows had to close down. Being in Los Angeles, the drag scene was already extremely competitive and there was little to no room for another show. When I relocated to Escondido due to my partner getting a job promotion in San Diego, I decided I wanted to start drag shows in North County when there weren’t any in the region.
I had a new clientele and also an opportunity to share drag culture as well as make a living here.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a young homosexual growing up in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, I always knew I was different but could not express myself in the Muslim country, who still practices Sharia law. I would turn to music while singing or lip syncing along to express and release my emotions.

Moving to America when I was 17, I had experienced a lot of culture shock but I was also given the chance to be authentically myself in this new country. I had begun dabbling in drag for Halloween that year when I went to 2 parties dressed up as Maleficient, playing around with my mom’: makeup to achieve the villainous look.

I had officially started pursuing drag 6 months before the Covid-19 pandemic performing at the local Chico bar, The Maltese. During the pandemic, I had competed in Miss Gay Virtual Universe 2020, a virtual pageant; and won despite only being a few months into the drag game. I realized I knew what I was doing and I could make a living and turn this hobby into a legitimate career. That was when I decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue drag!

In order to get my name out, I had competed in the Miss LA Pride pageant, which was a fundraising pageant and I raised $6,776 in 3 weeks performing one number a night 4 nights a week; winning me the crown and title.

After that, I went on to compete in Las Vegas for the Miss Absolut (Vodka) Pageant and gotten first alternate. I went on to nationals for Gay Universe and again, placed at first alternate with only a year of drag under my belt.

I returned to Las Vegas the following year to compete in Miss Gay Las Vegas Universe 2023, winning the title and getting myself a paid flight and boarding to San Antonio, Texas for Miss Gay Universe 2023 nationals. This time, I had won the national title and swept all categories.

Coming into a competitive drag scene in Southern California, I was met with adversity by some but also with kindness and love by many other performers. I was lucky enough to call Hamburger Mary’s Long Beach my home.
I’ve had to fight for myself and prove that I am a hardworking and deserving drag performer by making a name for myself especially when my Malaysian currency of financials had shrank to a quarter amount of US currency, reducing my capital to get costumes while paying rent in the US.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I absolutely love the beach and the ocean. As a Malaysian who grew up on the island of Borneo, the ocean was always around me. It is where I would find my peace even though our beaches weren’t the cleanest.

I am lucky to live in San Diego, where the beaches are all around us. I would probably rent an Airbnb by the oceanfront, that way most restaurants or tourist activities would be a walking distance if not a short drive.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First of all, I would like to thank my two drag mothers, Mia Anastasia Farrow, who is an amazing fundraiser and performer; as well as Syren Halston, who gave me opportunities to make drag my full time career. I would not be the performer I am today without them.

I would also like to thank Hamburger Mary’s Long Beach, along with their performers Psycadella Facade, a drag legend, as well as Big Dee for giving me opportunities to perform and learn the art of drag through Hamburger Mary’s.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my boyfriend, Jose Reyes-Esparza, for always supporting my career and being my biggest cheerleader.

Instagram: Escondidodrag / officialjlau

Facebook: Jay Lau Farrow-Halston

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.