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Onya stage, tour, & television: Onya Nurve has the crown & vision

Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for MTV

Onya Nurve at the RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 finale viewing party event.

The RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 winner has the recipe for superstardom. Now watch her cook!

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Onya Nurve won RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 and became the first crowned queen in the flagship series from Ohio. But while her reality TV run was bookmarked by original songs like "In and Out" at the premiere and "It Do Take Nurve" at the finale, Onya's life went from flipping burgers at local restaurants like Doinks Burger Joint to snatching the crown on the main stage of Drag Race, singing: "Just watch me cook!"

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"I'm always referencing the kitchen, honey," Onya tells Out about the lyrics in her songs. The season 17 champion also praised Leland, Gabe Lopez, and the rest of the team that helped her make "It Do Take Nurve" leading up to the finale. "After I gave them an idea of what I wanted to sound like, they hit it on the nail. They knew that I was going to kill that song, and it was just so fun to be in the studio and record it. It was a blast."

When asked about being crowned a Drag Race winner, Onya exhales her answer as a relief: "This entire time, it's been this weight on my shoulders that has been getting heavier and heavier, and harder to carry. When I won, and particularly that night, it was just like a weight being lifted off my shoulders."

She explains, "What you guys saw was a band-aid being ripped off. I just let out this wail the entire night. I was so surprised I even had a voice after that weekend, because I had been screaming for two days straight."

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RuPaul, the Drag Race panel of judges, her fellow season 17 costars, and every single fan of the show fell in love with Onya even more after meeting her incredibly sweet and supportive father during the makeover challenge. At the finale, she lip synced for the crown against J ewels Sparkles, and both queens — a Black contestant and a Latina contestant — had their parents in the audience cheering them on.

"The greatest response that I'm getting is how people can relate to those moments," Onya says. "When they think about their parents, and their relationship with their mom and dad, and how they have overcome that. Or, how this situation [watching these very supportive parents on TV] has helped them reach out to their parents."

She continues, "We only get one mom and dad in the world. It's so important to see great relationships with parents and their queer children. You don't get that all the time, and I think that it's an honor for the world to see."

Law Roach, now a recurring judge on Drag Race, fell so in love with Onya's father that the planning of their wedding started right there and then in the make-over episode. A full week after Onya's crowning on Drag Race, Law shared a hilarious video wishing "my daughter-in-law, Onya Nurve," congratulations for winning the show. "This is your mother-in-law, Onay Necks," Law added.

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After seeing her talent show performance, guest judge Doechii — who won her first Grammy Award this year — praised Onya's lyricism and musicality. The same kind of feedback was shared by the legendary Quinta Brunson, the star and showrunner of ABC's Abbott Elementary, who declared that Onya was fully ready to star in a TV show.

"I hope to continue doing amazing things on big stages," Onya says in our interview. "I would love to work in TV with Quinta Brunson, do some Abbott Elementary. I also want to get on Broadway really soon."

Onya's dream role on Broadway? "I would love to play Motormouth Maybelle, in Hairspray, if that ever gets [back] on Broadway," she replies. "I would love to do a revival of Shrek: The Musical as Donkey on Broadway, too."

"Oh," she adds, "and I don't care what character I played… But I would love to be in Ragtime, the musical. Could you imagine if they redid a movie version of it and I was in it? It would be amazing!"

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Onya is very excited about her future. For one, she's looking forward to reconnecting with Brunson: "I know for a fact that I can relate to Quinta in so many different ways. She's my sister from another mister. I can't wait to see her, and work with her, and give her a hug."

"I'm definitely going to be continuing my tour for 2025, traveling all around the world," she explains. "I'm going to so many places that I've never been. Like, I'm going to Amsterdam in October, and I'm just excited to go to these places and meet so many wonderful people. I hope to have a great reign, like my sister Nymphia [Wind] did."

As she reaches the end of her Drag Race adventure, Onya shares an encouraging message with Drag Race fans — particularly Black queer youth — who might be feeling discouraged by the times that we're living in.

"I want to remind people that, regardless of what your dreams are, and regardless of what people think about them, you should still follow those dreams," Onya declares. "You keep knocking on those doors. I guarantee, out of a thousand nos, somebody is going to say yes. Also, success is not a monetary thing. When you follow something that brings you joy, money and success will follow you."

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 premieres Friday, May 9 on Paramount+.