'Canada's Drag Race' Season 4: Denim, Aurora Matrix, Nearah Nuff and Venus are the 'new generation of drag'

We've reached the final moments for Canada's Drag Race Season 4, with Denim, Aurora Matrix, Nearah Nuff and Venus as the four queens competing for the title of Canada’s Next Drag Superstar, and the $100,000 prize.

While some seasons of Drag Race are pretty heated and contentious, particularly near the end, the final four queens are all in agreement that they're happy to have made it this far with their fellow "love bugs."

"We are a quite young top four and I think we kind of came from that generation where we grew up watching Drag Race throughout either high school or later teens, ... so it is such a weird feeling to be like, 'Oh, I'm on the show that I watched in high school,'" Aurora told Yahoo Canada. "But I'm so grateful and I literally could not have asked for a better top four. I mean, all my besties are here, I can't complain."

"I think we've shown so many facets of drag and styles of drag," Denim added. "All four of us are showing something so completely different from each other, that it could really go any way."

"I think that's what's beautiful about drag, is creating this community of queer people who just get to celebrate each other and express themselves in their own ways."

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'Drag isn't one size fits all'

After Kiki Coe was eliminated from the competition in an episode last month, she described 27-year-old Venus from Vancouver as "fresh" and "the future of drag."

Venus highlighted that for herself, and her fellow top four Canada's Drag Race queens, it's about being true to yourself and showing the world that there are so many different variations of drag.

"I think sometimes when we think about Drag Race, it can kind of create this idea of what we can expect, or what we think drag could and should be, but my brand and my schtick is sort of going the other way," Venus said. "And showing people that drag isn't one size fits all, there's so many different variations."

"You can see right here, ... we all bring different things in this entire cast, as a whole. So for myself, it's just always sticking to your guns, do what you want to do, no matter what other people may say about you. We have all heard so many different things about ourselves and our own drag throughout this journey, which is hard, because you're like, 'Is what I'm doing good enough?'"

Venus also shared earlier this week that someone came up to her and said, "I've never related to someone on Drag Race so much before."

"That was such a huge compliment to hear," Venus said. "Even just hearing that from one person, it invalidates all of those other negative things that maybe people are saying."

"So for me it's just, stay true to you, do what you want to do, do it well, and don't let other people try to dictate who you are as an artist, because that authenticity and that truth will take you so far."

Aurora, the 23-year-old contestant from Toronto, added that in this competition, it's their differences that have made the show "exciting."

"You are seeing four very different types of performers and we each bring a different history, and a different story, and I think it's very beautiful," Aurora added.

"I think it's awesome that the audience gets to see drag change as the generations come in. There is no 'cookie cutter' of what drag needs to be, and I think people are starting to learn that, and also unlearn everything from before of like, 'This is what drag looks like. This is what you have to do.'" So I'm very grateful to be part of that little movement of this new generation of drag, and what drag will be in the following years."

For 22-year-old Nearah from Calgary, Alta., she echoed her competitors' comments about authenticity and stressed that this cast hasn't been afraid to "make good TV."

"One thing about me is I'm not going to let anyone change who I am," Nearah said. "I've been that way since I was a kid. I took myself out of that small town and moved myself to the city where I was more accepted and felt more safe as an individual, and going into 2024, everyone just needs to be 100 per cent authentically themselves."

"That's why we're sitting here today. This top four, and the rest of the cast, we weren't afraid to take those moments and make good TV. I mean, ask for forgiveness later. It's a competition. And I think that us top four really showed that we are able to be authentic."

'I knew that I was capable of sending any of these girls home'

For a queen like Nearah, she's proved herself as a particularly standout performer, specifically in her lip synchs, which allowed her to knock out a lot of her competition.

"I think going into the competition, I was just so confident in my ability when it came to performing, ... I did grow up as a performer," Nearah said. "When I started drag, that was something that got me noticed very quickly, my ability to perform."

"If anything went south, I knew that I was capable of sending any of these girls home. ... And did. ... I love that I'm able to showcase myself in that way. Regardless if I was in the bottom, that's what I'm good at and I'm happy that on this season I was able to show. And hopefully the bookings start rolling in."

Another highlight on Canada's Drag Race Season 4 was seeing the moment 24-year-old Denim was walking the runway with her mom, as Denim and Velvet.

"My mom has supported my drag from day one and she supported me through my transition, and she's never really been a part of this world," Denim said. "She's sat and watched me at a drag show, but she's never been able to be immersed in it."

"To bring her on like the highlight of my career, and have her experience that moment with me, and get her to live in my world, was so special. I will cherish that forever."

'You can always say you're prepared for Drag Race, until you actually get there'

One thing all the Drag Race stars can agree on is that the competition is more fierce and difficult than you imagine watching it unfold on TV.

"When you're watching at home you're like, 'Oh, that's so easy. ... I would roll through that challenge.' Babe, it is not like that when you're there. It is such a beast," Venus said. "I think as competitors, you quickly realize that you have to take every week and every challenge as it comes."

"You can always say you're prepared for Drag Race, until you actually get there, and you are not prepared for Drag Race," Denim added. "Nothing can prepare you."

"We went into this season and they said, 'We're going to throw every twist and turn at you that you can imagine,' and there's nothing we could have done to anticipate that."

"Getting on the show, it's not an easy task to do. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of money," Nearah said. "I felt like when I got off that plane, I was thrown into All Stars accidentally."

Watch Canada's Drag Race on Crave

In terms of advice for anyone watching who dreams of being on Drag Race one day, Nearah's advice is to stay true to yourself.

"Honestly, just be yourself be present in every moment," Nearah said. "And if you're not cast, ... don't get defeated."

"Because ultimately, when you audition, that already gets you in the door. They see you and they will check in on you as an artist. This was my second time auditioning and that's what the difference was, I said what I thought they wanted to hear. This year, I was just like, 'No, this is who I am. And this is what I have to say.' And I think that the sassiness, overall, that kind of got them hooked."

Aurora's advice is that, "it's not that serious."

"I think people put so much pressure on either the audition process or just being on the show. ... they'll beat themselves up over it, they'll start blaming all these little aspects of the audition process," Aurora said. "You've also got to keep in mind that there's a whole cast of girls that they have to puzzle piece together."

"The casting team, they see who you are, and they're always watching, even if you're not auditioning right away. They're on social media. They know what's up."

Where to watch 'Canada's Drag Race'

All seasons of Canada's Drag Race is available to stream on Crave. The Season 4 finale drops at 9:00 p.m. ET on Jan. 11.