This is the twenty-seventh installment in HuffPost Gay Voices Associate Editor James Nichols' ongoing series "After Dark: NYC Nightlife Today And Days Past" that examines the state of New York nightlife in the modern day, as well as the development and production of nightlife over the past several decades. Each featured individual in this series currently serves as a prominent person in the New York nightlife community or has made important contributions in the past that have sustained long-lasting impacts.
HuffPost Gay Voices believes that it is important and valuable to elevate the work, both today and in the past, of those engaged in the New York nightlife community, especially in an age where queer history seems to be increasingly forgotten. Nightlife not only creates spaces for queers and other marginalized groups to be artistically and authentically celebrated, but the work of those involved in nightlife creates and shapes the future of our culture as a whole. Visit Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about individuals currently making an impact in nightlife, but those whose legacy has previously contributed to the ways we understand queerness, art, identity and human experience today.
The Huffington Post: Talk to me about the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha -- how did you get to the point that you're at today?
La"Fem is the evolution of Dosha Devestation. She is the grown woman that girl grew up to be. She is everything that I am. We are the same person. Dosha Devastation was a mask. A costume. Once I accepted that she was my soulmate it made things a bit clearer.
Tell me about the House of Ladosha -- what is it? Who is involved? How has it grown over the years?
House of Ladosha is simply my family here in New York. It's my close friends and peers. The House is a collection of creative individuals and bad bitches -- most of whom I've known for ten years. It's started off as a ki ki and grew into something major, real and legit. I always knew it would be legend. My whole house eats!
How has collaboration factored into your work with House of Ladosha? Why is this important?
I honestly have never been a fan of the collab because I'm such a control freak, but I like working with my friends. I performed, of course, with my boo Adam Radakovich in the musical aspect of House of Ladosha and we were super in sync. If we're close, if we speak the same language and we're from the same planet then we could probably make some hot shit. I need to feel that kind of energy to really go ham and be comfortable. I'm so weird about what I do and don't do. I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit just like everybody else. I'm not #OUTHERE jumping on shit because it's cute or I've been backed into a corner. I only do what I want to do with whom I want to do it with -- no shade.
What informs your music? Where do you derive inspiration? How would you describe your aesthetic?
My music is serious cunt. It's empowered, strong and hard as hell. It's served soft and dark. I'm inspired by any bitch that's ever done it big: Naomi Campbell, Aaliyah, Cruella de Vil, Pocahontas, Lil' Kim, Rick Ross, kim K, Remy Ma.
House of Ladosha also designs (or has designed?) clothing -- talk to me about your designs and where you draw inspiration from.
The T-shirts were a way to expand the brand of House of Ladosha -- the brainchild of my gay father Michael Magnan. He really ran that shit. I wasn't really involved in it like that. I was very Lady Eloise about the whole thing. I was the face! That really made shit legit. People still message me and ask where they can cop some House of Ladosha.
What have your experiences been like in the New York Nightlife community? How has it helped you grow as an artist?
The freaks come out at night and I come alive in the night time. Nightlife has been super important to my rage because I made a lot of connections and I was #OUTHERE going hard. I've performed at every party and work for everybody like Frankie Sharp, Ladyfag, Susanne Bartsch and a gang of other people too. I never fit in anywhere back in Nashville and it wasn't until I discovered NYC nightlife that I finally found a space to be myself. At the end of the day its fun and fatasy and people want to rage.
The Internet and technology have re-shaped the way artists brand, promote and market themselves. How has the Internet intersected with the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha?
Well, people get information so fast now. One day I was Dosha Devestation and the next I was La'Fem Ladosha. No explanation. No questions. I just became her... and everybody was like, OK. The Internet is the greatest invention of all time in my mind. I'm legit never offline. I can't imagine a world without it -- it would be awful. It has allowed me to reach people all over the world. I've been able to create this persona and express myself with a level of comfort that I probably wouldn't do in real life. People see photos and videos and they feel like they know me.
How have you seen nightlife in NYC shape the careers and work of your collaborators and friends? What opportunities does it afford?
Everybody wants to catch their life and get up in that sunset, so nightlife provides a space for you to scream "look at me!"
You see everybody out. Everybody is at the function. I've met some of my best friends out and I've met some of my idols out. Different parties offer different things. Some parties provide a stage for you to shine and some are more low key. You have to start somewhere and nightlife/the club is always a good launching pad. It's definitely where I started and I bet some of your favorite artists all had their first show at some club or party. It's exciting to see new girls pop out and pop off. It's really beautiful watching someone bloom as a performer and artist. It's one of my favorite aspects of working in nightlife.
Where do you see yourself in the context of the music industry? What does the La'Fem Ladosha brand embody?
I don't see myself in the music industry at all. Music is everything to me and making music came very naturally to me. I never had any intention of trying to be a mainstream artist. I'm not into the touring rage or having that as my job. I think of myself as more of a professional personality/artist/whatever.
What gigs are you currently engaged in? Upcoming shows?
Well you can always catch ya girl at Frankie Sharp's Westgay and GIRLS at LoveGun. Also, every month at Ladyfag's Holy Mountain and sometimes her 11:11. KUNSTGIVING with Susanne Bartsch, and also Kunst in L.A. in December. I'm going to do a little show out in L.A. and a major surprise pop out for Christmas.
What does the future hold for La'Fem Ladosha?
I want so much more. I want me name to be a household product. I want everybody to look at me and say, "there goes La'Fem Ladosha."
Who is La'Fem Ladosha as an artist?
As an artist I consider myself versatile and flexible. I wish I could be a superhero or supervillian. I celebrate fantasy and beauty through both sides of myself -- as La'Fem and as Antonio. I like to explore the dark and gross. I'm a performer and crafter. I built myself -- I'm my own creation.
Who in the NYC nightlife community has been most influential to the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha as an artist?
I have always lived for the beautiful black girls from the '90s, like Connie Fleming, Mona Foot, Princess Diandra and Lina Bradford. They were and are all so legendary and I always looked at their experiences and wanted it for myself. They were just so perfect to me.
HuffPost Gay Voices believes that it is important and valuable to elevate the work, both today and in the past, of those engaged in the New York nightlife community, especially in an age where queer history seems to be increasingly forgotten. Nightlife not only creates spaces for queers and other marginalized groups to be artistically and authentically celebrated, but the work of those involved in nightlife creates and shapes the future of our culture as a whole. Visit Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about individuals currently making an impact in nightlife, but those whose legacy has previously contributed to the ways we understand queerness, art, identity and human experience today.
The Huffington Post: Talk to me about the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha -- how did you get to the point that you're at today?
La"Fem is the evolution of Dosha Devestation. She is the grown woman that girl grew up to be. She is everything that I am. We are the same person. Dosha Devastation was a mask. A costume. Once I accepted that she was my soulmate it made things a bit clearer.
Tell me about the House of Ladosha -- what is it? Who is involved? How has it grown over the years?
House of Ladosha is simply my family here in New York. It's my close friends and peers. The House is a collection of creative individuals and bad bitches -- most of whom I've known for ten years. It's started off as a ki ki and grew into something major, real and legit. I always knew it would be legend. My whole house eats!
How has collaboration factored into your work with House of Ladosha? Why is this important?
I honestly have never been a fan of the collab because I'm such a control freak, but I like working with my friends. I performed, of course, with my boo Adam Radakovich in the musical aspect of House of Ladosha and we were super in sync. If we're close, if we speak the same language and we're from the same planet then we could probably make some hot shit. I need to feel that kind of energy to really go ham and be comfortable. I'm so weird about what I do and don't do. I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit just like everybody else. I'm not #OUTHERE jumping on shit because it's cute or I've been backed into a corner. I only do what I want to do with whom I want to do it with -- no shade.
What informs your music? Where do you derive inspiration? How would you describe your aesthetic?
My music is serious cunt. It's empowered, strong and hard as hell. It's served soft and dark. I'm inspired by any bitch that's ever done it big: Naomi Campbell, Aaliyah, Cruella de Vil, Pocahontas, Lil' Kim, Rick Ross, kim K, Remy Ma.
House of Ladosha also designs (or has designed?) clothing -- talk to me about your designs and where you draw inspiration from.
The T-shirts were a way to expand the brand of House of Ladosha -- the brainchild of my gay father Michael Magnan. He really ran that shit. I wasn't really involved in it like that. I was very Lady Eloise about the whole thing. I was the face! That really made shit legit. People still message me and ask where they can cop some House of Ladosha.
What have your experiences been like in the New York Nightlife community? How has it helped you grow as an artist?
The freaks come out at night and I come alive in the night time. Nightlife has been super important to my rage because I made a lot of connections and I was #OUTHERE going hard. I've performed at every party and work for everybody like Frankie Sharp, Ladyfag, Susanne Bartsch and a gang of other people too. I never fit in anywhere back in Nashville and it wasn't until I discovered NYC nightlife that I finally found a space to be myself. At the end of the day its fun and fatasy and people want to rage.
The Internet and technology have re-shaped the way artists brand, promote and market themselves. How has the Internet intersected with the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha?
Well, people get information so fast now. One day I was Dosha Devestation and the next I was La'Fem Ladosha. No explanation. No questions. I just became her... and everybody was like, OK. The Internet is the greatest invention of all time in my mind. I'm legit never offline. I can't imagine a world without it -- it would be awful. It has allowed me to reach people all over the world. I've been able to create this persona and express myself with a level of comfort that I probably wouldn't do in real life. People see photos and videos and they feel like they know me.
How have you seen nightlife in NYC shape the careers and work of your collaborators and friends? What opportunities does it afford?
Everybody wants to catch their life and get up in that sunset, so nightlife provides a space for you to scream "look at me!"
You see everybody out. Everybody is at the function. I've met some of my best friends out and I've met some of my idols out. Different parties offer different things. Some parties provide a stage for you to shine and some are more low key. You have to start somewhere and nightlife/the club is always a good launching pad. It's definitely where I started and I bet some of your favorite artists all had their first show at some club or party. It's exciting to see new girls pop out and pop off. It's really beautiful watching someone bloom as a performer and artist. It's one of my favorite aspects of working in nightlife.
Where do you see yourself in the context of the music industry? What does the La'Fem Ladosha brand embody?
I don't see myself in the music industry at all. Music is everything to me and making music came very naturally to me. I never had any intention of trying to be a mainstream artist. I'm not into the touring rage or having that as my job. I think of myself as more of a professional personality/artist/whatever.
What gigs are you currently engaged in? Upcoming shows?
Well you can always catch ya girl at Frankie Sharp's Westgay and GIRLS at LoveGun. Also, every month at Ladyfag's Holy Mountain and sometimes her 11:11. KUNSTGIVING with Susanne Bartsch, and also Kunst in L.A. in December. I'm going to do a little show out in L.A. and a major surprise pop out for Christmas.
What does the future hold for La'Fem Ladosha?
I want so much more. I want me name to be a household product. I want everybody to look at me and say, "there goes La'Fem Ladosha."
Who is La'Fem Ladosha as an artist?
As an artist I consider myself versatile and flexible. I wish I could be a superhero or supervillian. I celebrate fantasy and beauty through both sides of myself -- as La'Fem and as Antonio. I like to explore the dark and gross. I'm a performer and crafter. I built myself -- I'm my own creation.
Who in the NYC nightlife community has been most influential to the evolution of La'Fem Ladosha as an artist?
I have always lived for the beautiful black girls from the '90s, like Connie Fleming, Mona Foot, Princess Diandra and Lina Bradford. They were and are all so legendary and I always looked at their experiences and wanted it for myself. They were just so perfect to me.