Catching Up with Catriona Gray at Madame Tussauds Singapore
Catriona Gray has kept a busy schedule since her reign as Miss Universe 2018. Now, she finally unveils her long-awaited wax figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore.
Since being crowned Miss Universe in 2018, Catriona Gray has embarked on a career journey filled with music, philanthropies and culture. Last month, after a long two-year wait, Catriona Gray finally arrived in Singapore to unveil her very own wax figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore.
Her adventure with Madame Tussauds is far from the typical and expected journeys others may have experienced. Hers began back in 2019 when her measurements were taken in New York City during her reign as Miss Universe. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and the many ongoing restrictions across the world, Gray’s wax twin debut was pushed back several years later – which takes us to March 2022. Not only was this day highly anticipated for Gray and her fans, but it also made history – this marked the first wax figure reveal in over two years for Madame Tussauds Singapore, and is the first Filipino to grace the halls of the tourist attraction at Sentosa.
We caught up with Catriona Gray on her involvement with the creation of her wax figure and what she has been up to since her reign as Miss Universe in 2018.
It must feel quite surreal to be standing next to such a life-like figure of yourself. How involved in the process of creating your own wax figure were you?
It is surreal! I think my experience is quite unique because I did have the first measurements and only measurements back in 2019 in New York when I was reigning as Miss Universe and it was supposed to be only a couple of months from this moment, but then it got delayed, so we are here in 2022. So it’s been quite a long period of anticipation.
I kept getting a few updates from the team in the Uk from Madame Tussauds, so the progression of the wax figure from the clay mould, all the way to the colouring and the dress and the accessories and everything.
It’s been kind of like an easter hunt feel because it’s like when is the next update, what’s happening, but I feel incredibly grateful to be able to be here in person at the launch because there was a huge chance, if it were any months earlier, that it could have been a virtual undertaking so it’s a huge honour to be here at Madame Tussauds Singapore.
Since you’ve been crowned Miss Universe in 2018, you’ve taken on an impressive amount of meaningful projects. In your opinion, what has been the most rewarding outcome from your latest projects such as the Catriona Gray Academy or charities like SmileTrain for example?
Late last year, I was able to travel to Africa, and I actually went to Kenya for the very first time for an outreach mission for SmileTrain. SmileTrain is an organisation revolving around giving free and comprehensive cleft care to children and individuals born with a cleft.
They are stationed in over 90 countries, Kenya being one of them, and I just think it was amazing to be able to travel to a country and really see the work that they do on the ground amidst the pandemic, and we were able to do some home visits and visit some families who have really been so positively impacted by their child getting the care that they need.
It really is a community that’s affected, not just an individual, so to hear those stories and to see those lives change is incredibly fulfilling for me, which is why my work with SmileTrain as their global ambassador is one of the most fulfilling roles that I do have.
You’ve also recently released your latest song and music video. What was the inspiration behind this new venture?
That last single is called "Love Language"; it’s like my first query into a song that is a little bit away from a pageant persona because my last two singles that I released were very involved in my personality as a pageant titleist and advocate.
“Love Language” was more of a vulnerable point of view in a single, which I do not think people expected. Usually, when people associate me with my public persona it’s confident, it’s empowered, it’s always out there but this was a more quiet, vulnerable point of view to be expressed in the song.
It was such a creative adventure, I was able to really dictate the vision of the single, of the music video and the visuals, so that was really liberating for me as a creative. It was a really really cool undertaking and I think it really sets the tone for the music that is to come as well.
Visit Catriona Gray’s wax figure for a selfie or the opportunity to learn how to do her famous “lava walk” with a 90-second video tutorial. The Filipino model’s wax figure will be situated in Singapore for the upcoming five months before it sets off to Hong Kong and Bangkok.
