The Wisdom in Manila Luzon’s Staying Power

Immediately after appearing on our TV screens in 2011, Manila Luzon’s career took off. Soaring higher, the superstar continues to leave her unique imprint on queer pop culture and paving the road for others to flourish

A well-loved entertainer throughout her career, Manila Luzon’s continued success was due to her ability to capture her audience. When she speaks, we listen. When she walks, we follow. When she slays, we die (gay-superlative-yes-gawd-kinda-death). Like any great performer, she has a way of leaving love in the air: love for art, life, and self, and one cannot get sick of that; it’s addicting. (Wait, am I a drag addict?)

Another reason for her longevity is her dedication to doing better. Focusing on improvement as a pattern day after day will set one up to be in the process of becoming the best. “Every time I do drag, I take everything that I’ve learned, all the other times I did drag, and I try to apply it to make my drag even that much better, even if it’s a little bit better,” she says. “Even if it means that one of my eyelashes is in a better place than the last time, I will settle for that.”

“I always try to take it to the next level, you know? It grinds heavily on my soul because I’m always trying to outdo myself,” she adds. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, she always wants to put out the best. “Every time I do something, I always try to learn what I can do better or what worked for me so I can continue to do that.”

The Grind That Keeps Grinding

Manila Luzon is a hustler. She’s currently on the road for A Drag Queen Christmas Tour. She has a podcast with Latrice Royale called The Chop. She’s making music with a major record label, Warner Music Philippines. She’s in Open To It, an LGBT comedy web series. She’s one of the few that have gone beyond the usual drag gig. Hello, she has her own flavored vodka. “I feel like there are limited opportunities for a drag queen, so try something new and add drag to it and see if it works. And if it doesn’t, then, you know, try something else,” she says. 

She is an artist through and through—armed with a unique perspective and imagination—and it shows in everything she does, from her fashion to comedy. “The process of creating what I do is what brings me the most happiness. When I finish it, I’m like, ‘what’s the next project I’m gonna work on?’” she says. When you’re in love with what you do, work gives you purpose and a reservoir for self-discovery and self-education. It’s a constant flow that fulfills her creative expression. 

“But I got to say, yeah, the proudest thing that I’ve been working on for a long time is Drag Den. I’m so happy that it’s finally coming out so I can start focusing on what’s next in my life and how we can make Drag Den so big,” she interjects.

Welcome To The Den

Manila Luzon mentions that the Philippines is home to many amazing entertainers, dancers, comedians, and singers, and our mainstream media will have a brand new form of entertainment: drag. “I’m going to take you down to my den,” she summons. Drag in the Philippines is having a moment, and with Drag Den just around the corner, another explosion is inevitable. 

Congratulations on a very successful teaser campaign and cast reveal! The cast reveal video garnered 8M views and counting across all platforms! I mean, the production value is just impeccable. It blew everyone’s socks off! How do you feel that after 16 months since the announcement, we’re finally here?

“I’m excited it’s finally happening. It’s a lot of work to start something brand new. The Philippines deserves the best. So, we took our time, and we made sure that it was the best thing that we could create. And then we had to find a home for it. So, I’m super excited that we are able to finally partner with Prime Video.”

I love the wordplay here. Drag Lord is just—a chef’s kiss! Describe your role in the show. What’s it like to be on the other side of the competition?

“I’ve learned a lot from my hero RuPaul about how to host a show as a drag queen. I have followed their career for such a long time, and I’ve been so excited to be a part of their franchise.”

Being the host, you automatically assumed the maternal role; well, I’ve heard some sweet stories from the queens, but I wanna hear it from you: what kind of mothering did you offer the queens?

“Once I stepped onto set and then I met these queens in person, I took on the role as a mother because I have a lot of experience in drag on TV, in media, around the world. And I have so much knowledge that I wish that I would’ve been able to get when I went on TV for the first time. And so I wanted to make sure that I offered the most support that I could to my queens because, in our competition, I really want everyone to have the best chance to shine and showcase what they are about and the artistry that they do.”

“During the competition, I let them do their own thing, but when it came to promos and the days that we got to work together and shoot, and we got to share the Drag Den stage together, I wanted everyone to look their best. I wanted everyone to be happy with what we were presenting. I didn’t want a single hair out of place. Obviously, I want everyone to look their best because they’re my children, and they’re a reflection of me. I want everyone just to be, ‘look at Manila’s girls! They’re amazing!’”

“I would give them advice about, you know, what they’re in for, how to deal with comments online, how to navigate the gay nightlife scene now that they’re on TV, how to manage their budget, so they don’t overspend on very, very expensive wigs. I was really happy that I was able to bestow some of my knowledge to these queens.”

You’ve been around. You’ve done a lot. What makes Drag Den unique?

“And I think the Philippines can be really proud that we have something that we can say is our own, for sure. The format is different. We don’t wanna be just a ripoff of Drag Race. Our queens are challenged to do things that are different from what we’re used to.”

What was it like working with the Philippine crew, especially with Direk Rod?

“Direk Rod trusted me so much with this project. Direk Rod was fantastic. Their vision when they created Drag Den is something that was really exciting. I was really excited when I was approached to be a part of this project and then finally getting to work with all of the production was fantastic. They worked really hard, and they made sure that we were looking our best and feeling our best. That was really exciting to see, like, how much love and commitment the whole crew had in creating the best show that we could do.”

Tell me about the Drag Den queens. 

“I knew that when we were doing this show that we were gonna get great, great drag queens. Every queen is different. Every queen has their own style. They have their own sense of humor. They have their own way of performing, their own way of interacting with each other. It’s great!”

“We have one queen who is almost like the den mother, you know, the one that everyone looks to. She’s the one that has an extra wig that the girls can borrow. We have some really smart queens that I, I’m so impressed at just how intellectual they think when they’re putting their drag together.”

“There are queens who are just so shady, and I think they’re freaking fantastic because they’re so quick and witty and like, even I, at some points, were like, ‘oh, that stings!’ We have a good range of queens, definitely. We have a trans queen. We have a bearded queen. During the audition process, we were even looking for drag kings or any kind of alternative drag that exists in the Philippines. I think we found a great set of queens for the first season of Drag Den.”

Exciting Times Ahead

After all these years, Manila Luzon is still very much relevant and thriving, and I’m pretty sure that the best is still to come. Everybody’s unique, sure, but Manila is above that. Only icons leave an indelible impression on culture. “I just wanna be proud of the things I do, so I put in so much effort. I put in so much time, money, love, and energy into creating stuff that keeps the momentum going. It keeps me powering up this hill with no end in sight,” she says. 

“I am now relinquishing a lot of what I’ve been building up over my entire career and then gifting it to these eight queens for them to create their own journey and their own path and create their own stardom.”

Manila Luzon is a fine(apple) example of what happens when you work hard and have the love and support of the people around you, pushing you to do your best. “I owe probably most of my success because of the Filipino fandom. Putting myself out there as a queer person, as a cross-dresser, as a Filipino, I got to share my unique story with people,” she says. 

It’s been said many times, but I’m repeating it: representation matters. “I’m really excited to change people’s perception of the LGBTQIA+ community and the drag community,” she states further. Drag Den will offer people worldwide a glimpse into the Filipino drag world. What a fabulous time to be when we’re making great strides toward progress and equality. 

Photography by MJ SUAYAN
Creative Direction by JUJIIN SAMONTE
Art Direction by BRIE VENTURA
Fashion Direction by RYUJI SHIOMITSU
Beauty Direction by MIA CASTRO
Styling by GEE JOCSON assisted by MARKO JEFFERSON, ANYA CHUN
Makeup by IOWANI UNPINGCO
Hair by JONA QUINN

Videography by ALLAN AGAPAY
Video Produced and Edited by AUDREY SISON assisted by REGINA ACERON

Shoot Coordination by KZ FRANCSICO & MJ ALMERO