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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Manila Luzon: PH is oozing with drag talents

Manila Luzon: PH is oozing with drag talents

Published Dec 31, 2021 06:41 am

Manila Luzon (Facebook)

Drag is an art form that's fabulously sweeping the world and among its countless fans all over, one name stands out and that's Manila Luzon. Born as Karl Philip Michael Westerberg in the US state of Minnesota, she chose the stage name Manila Luzon to honor her Filipino mom's ancestry.

Paying tribute to her Filipino heritage explains why she impersonated Imelda Marcos, wears bananas as earrings and made Pineapple Couture a brand on its own. What has made Manila tick to her legions of fans is the way she gave her persona the Asian touch. A perfect complement to her exceptional talent, campy humor and creative genius.

Manila first gained international acclaim as a contestant in RuPaul's Drag Race (where she was a runner-up in 2011.) Now, it's a dream come true that she gets to host her own reality drag competition called DragDen Philippines streaming in early 2022 on WeTV in partnership with Cornerstone Entertainment.

(Facebook)

Even while the exact launch date of the show is still to be announced, there's already so much excitement hovering around the show's debut. It helped that all-inclusive auditions were held on TikTok which extended the demographics of contestants in DragDen Philippines. Everyone's welcome : from drag queens to drag kings, assigned female at birth and of course, real women.

Manila can't wait for DragDen Philippines to begin, and she is super hopeful that drag will explode in popularity as a result of the show. "I am really honored to be able to create a platform for new queens and am excited that fans who have watched me over the years are now going to be tuning in to watch a new set of queens that I get to introduce them to."

"While filming DragDen I kept on reminding myself that this was not about me, this is about the aspiring queens. Am just there to smile and introduce them when they come out and compete. They're the ones that people will fall in love with, they're the people that the fans will be able to relate to," she noted.

(Facebook)

What is clear to Manila is that the Philippines is oozing with drag talents. This doesn't really come as a surprise since Filipinos love their fiestas and are just crazy about beauty pageants. In fact, the Pinay in Manila Luzon wants to meet Miss Universe queens Pia Wurzbach and Catriona Gray in real life.

"The drag scene in the Philippines has really evolved tremendously. This was true especially during the pandemic, when people had more time on their hands. They turned to their makeup kits and started playing with makeup, styling their first wig, doing little videos and posting it on TikTok. Now am pretty sure there will be more drag queens than there are slots in our show, haha," Manila noted.

"Am just so happy that we are finally opening up the doors for the mainstream TV audience to see what amazing talent we have to offer that we didn't know was there the whole time. This is actually a real form of entertainment, a real form of art, and it's right here in the Philippines," she added.

Manila's advice to aspiring drag queens is this: "A drag queen doesn't have to win. I lost three times in America, but that didn't stop me from making the most of this platform."

"You really just have to do it and start to give it a try. If you like it, then try again next time and do an even better job. I didn't become the successful me overnight. You have to set yourself into motion and say to yourself you will do this. Put on the lashes, put on the makeup, join an amateur contest and see how it feels on stage. Just try it, "she closed.

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manila Luzon Dragden Philippines
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