By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos by Preston Woods @pplanetphotography
Back in March, CoCo Iman Starr – also known as the Supreme of Atlanta – was crowned Mx Joining Hearts 2025 at MSR My Sisters Room. We got a chance to chat with the reigning queen about her year so far, what’s in store, and, of course, the upcoming Joining Hearts weekend!
Congratulations on winning the Mx Joining Hearts 2025 pageant! We’ll get back to that, but first, tell us how you got started performing and doing drag?
So, performance-wise, I’ve been performing the majority of my life honestly! I started singing and acting in middle school, then carried those talents with me into high school, where I was a vocal major with a minor in dance while attending the Fine Arts Magnet Program at Mount Zion High – now known as the Martha Ellen Stillwell School of the Arts. Funny enough, I actually started my drag career as a male lead, performing Usher and Chris brown hits and performed pretty consistently for almost a year, but then I entered a turnabout competition (an event where you perform the opposite of your typical aesthetic), and my illusion was received very well so I stuck with it!
What made you decide to compete in the Mx Joining Hearts pageant?
So, when it comes to pageantry, I’ve adopted this formula of competing for community or pride pageants in between going after the bigger or “national” titles, simply because I’ve learned the community pageants are truly where you can mold and groom your persona. You increase your support base tenfold, typically because you get to really connect with people on a personal level through outreach programs and fundraisers, without the heavy focus on the razzle-dazzle that comes with national titles. Learning about Joining Hearts’ work in Atlanta and understanding their mission let me know that I could truly become a motivating voice here if given the chance to work alongside them. Now more than ever, I feel it’s time we use our drag as an amplifier of our causes like the legends before us did.
What lessons did you learn along the way?
HA! I learned that when Amazon tells you your presentation heels will arrive three days before the pageant, they actually mean three weeks after! I also learned just how rewarding it is to have a vision and stick with it! As many people saw, I was authentically CoCo in every single category; I never allowed myself to get caught up in my head and lose focus.
And how did it feel when they called your name as the winner?
I was OVERJOYED! After being eliminated from Atlanta All Stars in Week 2 (for the third year in a row…), I was really considering not competing anymore because that would’ve done me in! I’m a gamer, I compete for the thrill of it, but nobody likes to lose, so hearing my name called as the winner was oh so sweet!
What does it mean to you to be the 2025 Mx Joining Hearts?
Welcome to work! I mentioned in my interview that I was eager to be part of the Joining Hearts movement. As the face of the organization, I’m the fountain of knowledge and expression that the community can always look to and see exactly what’s happening in our world. I take pride in everything I do, so I’m really excited to share our message and mission with the world!
What kind of legacy do you want to bring to the title and legacy of Mx Joining Hearts?
I feel that there’s a stigma surrounding smaller community pageants, suggesting that they don’t offer any benefits to winners beyond the initial prize package. So, I’ve made it my personal goal to build bridges throughout the city, creating opportunities year-round and beyond for our past and future representatives. In my vision, I see the Joining Hearts pageantry system being one of the most sought-after crowns because of the connections, opportunities, and benefits we offer our family.
The Joining Hearts Weekend is coming up – what will your duties and participation be?
Even beyond Joining Hearts Weekend, I’ve designated July as Joining Hearts month. I’ll be all over the city at different events promoting the event, talking to the community, and building up anticipation for everyone’s favorite weekend! As for the actual main event weekend, I will 1000% be at every single party on the schedule. I’ll be volunteering at a few events wherever I’m needed, serving as a vibe ambassador at some, and then I’ll take the stage at the main event, the Tsunami party, and perform an extra special production – get your tickets!
Tell us about what’s next for Coco Iman-Starr – any new pageants or shows?
This is always such a tough question for me. I have a binder full of projects I’m building and working on, so I never know what to announce! I will say for now, there aren’t any more pageants, I’m a one-crown kind of queen, and I won’t compete again until my Joining Hearts reign is complete, so that I can devote 100% of my time to achieving the goals I’ve set. Show-wise, I’m all over the city. I’m the cohost of a new show at Felix’s every Thursday, which we’ll be debuting in August, and then I’m still blessed to be booked all around the city very often, even this long into my career!
Where can we see you perform, and where can we follow you?
Catch me every Wednesday this month at Birdcage Bingo with Ruby Redd as we raise money for Joining Hearts, every Thursday at Felix’s Atlanta for everyone’s favorite late-night party in the square, and my Pride schedule will be dropping very soon as well. Follow me on Instagram @TheImanStarr or my Facebook page, CoCo Iman Starr, for all of the latest updates.
Anything you’d like to add?
Support your local drag, support your community outreach organizations, support your local bars and restaurants, support your friends’ small businesses, be kind to everyone, and remember the world you live in is the world you create, so create magic!
- Get your tickets for the Joining Hearts Weekend where you can experience CoCo Iman Starr at joininghearts.org.