60 SECONDS Interview : Verka Serduchka

Drag queen Verka Serduchka is a comedy phenomenon in the former Eastern Bloc. The brainchild of Ukrainian comedian Andrey Danilko, Verka plays sell-out gigs in the former Soviet Union. He was a sensation at this year's Eurovision Song Contest but was pipped at the post by a Serbian female Billy Bunter lookalike. His song, Dancing Lasha Tumbai, is out now.

What are the highs and lows of being a Ukrainian drag queen?

It’s not an easy way to be a Ukrainian star. It’s not an easy way to be a star at all. Occasionally there are people that bother me because I’m too successful. I wasn’t very much loved in the Ukraine before Eurovision and after that there isn’t much love for Verka in Russia either. There was a black PR campaign against me. They said I sang ‘Russia goodbye’ but I was singing ‘lasha tumbai’. It was a huge black PR campaign from the Russian TV stations saying Verka Serduchka f**ked Russia up.

Were you disappointed you didn’t win Eurovision?

After my performance on Eurovision, I knew I would take second place. The Serbian woman [Marija Seritovic] was pretty good, though. There are a lot of benefits to coming second. The winner has to go to six countries and work for free for Eurovision. I do the same tour but I get paid for it.

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source:metro.co.uk