Earth. Water. Air. Fire. These are the essential elements of our universe, and also the inspiration behind drag artist Diamond Dior Davenport’s new show, Elements of Diamond, premiering at Stateside at the Paramount this Saturday, Nov. 22. Her concept ties the essential elements with different artists – who’ll remain a surprise until the show’s open – that have influenced Diamond creatively. She’ll also be debuting a song from her EP project of the same name.
The ball for this particular show began rolling when Diamond first performed at the Majestic Ball – a newer Pride tradition at the Paramount Theatre that combines drag and ballroom. “‘How do we turn this into the Diamond show?’” the performer recalls hearing from audiences, who lit up during her part of the night’s entertainment. Enthused by the interest but not wanting to take away from the Majestic Ball’s full programming, Diamond and Majestic Ball producer Ryan Thompson talked through what next steps might be: “I was like, ‘What would it look like if I just did, like, the ultimate one-woman show?’”
Another motivation for Diamond in taking on this project was the tragic passing of her younger sister in 2024. “Right before my little sister was killed,” she says, “we talked about doing everything that we said we were going to do, and when she was killed, I felt like I had no choice but to make all of the dreams that I had talked about previously with her come true.” Those dreams included competing in the Miss Gay Texas USofA pageant, which Diamond won this year, and Elements of Diamond, which she says is premiering ahead of schedule.
Meant to evoke her previous performances where Diamond and her dancers have strutted to songs by divas like Rihanna and Beyoncé, Elements will also feature Diamond’s own music. Though the full Elements EP won’t be out in time for the show due to production issues, Diamond did put out the first track this January, a fiery single called “Jealous.” She plans to drop the next song – a water-inspired Afrobeat tune – at Elements. In Diamond’s view, each element aligns with a different emotion, which informs how she approached them creatively. “You go through all of those elements and emotions [daily],” she explains, “when you cry, which is like a water element, when you are speechless, you go through the earth element, and when you are angry, you go through the fire element.”
“I feel like I possess all four of those so strongly that it’s hard to sometimes navigate them,” she admits. “So you kind of have to accept me for who I am with all of these elements, because without one of those single elements, I wouldn’t be who I am.”
Who Diamond is onstage is a performer of energy and emotion – but most importantly, she’s herself. “I’m going to take you on a journey,” she says. “What sets me apart is I do it for myself. I don’t do it for anybody else. Now the fans in the audience taking away from what I’m doing? Yes, it’s a blessing for them to pull from that and be able to feel encouraged, inspired, and stuff … but ultimately it starts with making myself happy.”
Elements of Diamond
Saturday 22, Stateside at the Paramount
austintheatre.org
This article appears in November 21 • 2025.