Kilnamanagh’s Paul Ryder hosts new show

Broadcaster, drag performer and dance school director Paul Ryder is the host of a new reality show competition on Virgin Media, which puts make-up artists through their paces.

The Kilnamanagh native has made a star turn on ‘Make-Up All Stars’, which is out now on the Virgin Media Player, and sees make-up professionals battle it out to be crowned the Make-Up All Star.

This is not Paul’s first foray into television work, however, as he’s regularly on our screens on ‘Ireland AM’, and he’s also a talented radio personality who is on the airwaves on 98FM.

Paul told The Echo about how his own interest in make-up was sparked, what he enjoys most about being a drag performer, and what he learned while hosting ‘Make-Up All Stars’.

 What age were you when you developed an interest in make-up and what about it appealed to you?

My love of make-up came quite late in life, my love of performing took over first.

I always loved putting on a show for my parents and their friends when they came over and that was at as little as five-years-old.

So, my mam and dad decided to try me out in stage school, and I just loved every minute of it.

Of course, with performance comes make-up and all aspects of that world and that started to bloom when I was about 16 or 17.

Although, if you look back to when I started make-up to how it is now, there’s some big differences there.

Let’s just say the glow-up is real.

Can you remember how you felt the first time you went on stage as a drag performer?

I loved it. Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community was a very surreal feeling after feeling so outcast from a really tough school life.

So you find your ‘tribe’ when you set foot into your late teens and then getting to perform in a ‘character’ is always fun, and that character has blossomed into who I am today – which is a confident human being who knows I’m lucky by getting to do what I love the most in all aspects my life.

What do you enjoy most about being a drag performer?

I love to travel and be on tour.

Getting to visit locations all over Ireland, and sometimes the UK, each year is such a joy.

Meeting new people and friends I may only see once a year, it’s such a privilege to get to some amazing events and opportunities and be a part of some fantastic experiences.

How did your involvement in ‘Make-Up All Stars’ come about?

They simply approached me and asked if I would be interested in hosting a TV show.

I, of course, jumped at the chance and said yes.

Then they told me the actual premise of the show and I just said ‘When do we start?!’

Two weeks later we started filming for a week and it was just such an amazing experience.

My first ever television show with my name above the door, totally surreal and something I never thought would be happening.

What was the experience of filming the show like for you?

Filming the show was such an eye-opening and fantastic experience.

I’ve hosted live television with ‘Ireland AM’ now for eight months, but before that I hadn’t done anything this major, so shooting ‘Make-Up All Stars’ was such a learning curve, and I really found my way as a presenter and my style.

Did you learn anything new about the make-up industry during the course of the show?

 Absolutely, these contestants are superstars in the make-up field, so I was literally pulling all the tips and tricks from them on how to upscale my own face.

With drag, you’re painted for the back row, but with make-up that these guys do, it’s so meticulous so I was questioning them more for myself than for the show sometimes.

You also broadcast for 98FM, but what do you prefer: being behind the mic or being on camera/on stage?

To be honest, I’ll take it all and roll it into one. I’m new to the radio game and the team at 98FM are so encouraging.

I have the best boss who really guides me on how to be the best on air, but when it comes to TV, I just love, love, love the buzz on live television and once the red light goes, you’re live to the nation.

The stage, well, that’ll always be my first love.

This year I really want to get into production on the likes of real-life documentaries and am working on some exciting projects to lead me into 2024.

I’m blessed to have all these opportunities, but they don’t come without a lot of hard work.

‘Make-Up All Stars’ is available to stream now on the Virgin Media Player.

For more information follow @ItsPaulRyder on Twitter HERE and Instagram HERE, or visit the social media pages for his dance academy, the Kilnamanagh-based Proud Dance Academy HERE.