I have a friend who’s a hairstylist. His name is Johan. I had no idea his hairstylist nickname was simply, Han. I also had no idea he was working at the hair salon that I enthusiastically booked last Thursday. I wanted to try a new place to get a haircut.

It’s the first time I get my hair done by someone I actually know.

During the hair washing portion, it felt like 10 minutes of gossiping about each other’s lives. I enjoyed it because… well… Han was one of a handful of people who were there for me when I was struggling in early 2018. I remember getting invited to watch him perform in drag. He’d share videos of his performances at a church event. Then, he competed in Drag Wars. Today, he’s part of a drag house in Singapore.

And last Saturday, he landed a gig which was to perform as part of RIOT! drag revue by Becca D’Bus. I feel like I’ve seen him grow and find his art.

He’s been through quite a bit in his life. But he’s turned that into art. He fixes hair and makes people happy. He performs on stage to express himself as Opal… contributing to the growing modern drag scene in Singapore.

Inspiring.