A Man Behind The Makeup

Many performers express themselves through their art which in turn influences their fans. For Paul Hernandez, he entertains people through the art of drag as his alter ego Leilani Price.

Hernandez began performing as a drag queen in 2011 and has done many things in his career: pageants, community service events, nightclub appearances, and more. Right now, his club residency as Leilani Price is Thursday nights at FAB Fresno, a popular gay nightclub in Fresno’s Tower District.

A lot goes into preparing for his weekly performance.

“It all starts with shaving, and shaving and showering and getting ready for the show,” Hernandez says.

He also cuts and sews his owns costumes and finds the perfect accessories to match the perfect outfit.

When deciding on what to wear, Hernandez says he looks for good fabric. “Then I’ll pick the song and everything will go from there,” Hernandez says.

Once he gets to FAB Fresno for his performance, Hernandez works closely with management, especially club owner Cisco Mendez who says Hernandez, as Leilani Price, is a one -of- a- kind drag queen.

“She’s funny. She makes people laugh. She’s a good performer. And it’s always a good job. There’s drinks. It’s an atmosphere that we all create here,” Mendez says.

With help from Mendez, Hernandez is able to go up on stage as Leilani and attract fans like Abraham Esparza.

“She’s talented,” Esparza says. “She’s one of the best queens I’ve ever seen in Fresno. I love her performances, her humor. I think it’s great, and I just respect her as a human.”

And with that respect, Hernandez feels a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s a rush and it’s something that you can’t really describe,” Hernandez says. “For three minutes on that stage, you feel like Beyonce.”

If you want to keep up with Leilani Price, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.