Cover Manila Luzon, wears Flutter Statement Jewelry Gold Saturn earrings
Manila Luzon, wears Flutter Statement Jewelry Gold Saturn earrings
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Drag queen Manila Luzon on signing a record deal, hosting Drag Den Philippines, and getting the local drag scene to break into the mainstream
Famous and fearless, drag queen Manila Luzon returns to the motherland with a fabulous plan—to bring Philippine drag to the fore.
Manila Luzon recently signed with the major record label Warner Music Philippines in September and is releasing her first single titled "Colors". “It feels amazing that Warner Music believes in me and is excited to support me in my artistic ventures,” she says.
See also: The Many Faces of Drag: When Queens are Offstage
This isn’t, however, the queen’s first time in the studio. A decade ago, Manila Luzon’s sister introduced her to Grammy Award-winning Filipino producer Brian Kierulf who helped her create the famous "Hot Couture" song.
Above Luzon beside the Heart Cone chair by Vitra (CWC Interiors), wearing a Fred Telarma gown and jewellery by Farah Abu, KATAW, B.O.G. Fine Jewelry and Thingamabobs Art Jewelry
Luzon beside the Heart Cone chair by Vitra (CWC Interiors), wearing a Fred Telarma gown and jewellery by Farah Abu, KATAW, B.O.G. Fine Jewelry and Thingamabobs Art Jewelry
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For "Colors", the artist worked with Filipino producer Xerxes Bakker who was living in Amsterdam while she was in Los Angeles at the time. “It was the pandemic, baby, so we had to do it somehow. Luckily, we had Zoom…so we could still collaborate and make music from around the world,” she says.
With other hits like "The Chop" and "Go Fish", Manila Luzon is given a bigger platform to reach wider audiences. And the time is right, what with tracks that aren’t only catchy but convey messages that inspire.
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“I wanted to make a song that evokes the love that I have for my world and the people in my life,” the artist recalls when "Colors" hadn’t been written yet. “This is a love song to my community, my audience. This is a message of hope and outlook to my fans. Because I know a lot of my fans are the people that are considered social outsiders, the awkward people, the people that don’t find their place, or the people that have been told by society that they don’t belong, like the LGBTQ+ community.”
Above Luzon in Kenzo sports blanket and blazer, beside Another Green Cactus by Gufram (CWC Interiors)
Luzon in Kenzo sports blanket and blazer, beside Another Green Cactus by Gufram (CWC Interiors)
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She continues, “I wanted it to be able to open people’s minds to see more than just black and white. That’s why it’s called "Colors". We have a whole spectrum of colours. And if you use that analogy in life, things aren't just black and white. Things aren't just in the binary sense. You're missing out on so much more to life and experiences that we get here in our brief times here on Earth.”
The music video will be just as colourful. Manila Luzon, who is quite a visual artist as well, envisions the vibrant Philippines beach as her backdrop. She’s also elated to be working with an entire Filipino production team.
Above The drag queen matches with the Bocca Lip sofa as she dons a J.Ro and Ysabela coat, Emanuel Rinoza dress, and Haring fashionart corset
The drag queen matches with the Bocca Lip sofa as she dons a J.Ro and Ysabela coat, Emanuel Rinoza dress, and Haring fashionart corset
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“Because I am a drag queen, people expect to see what I look like before they want to hear me. This makes the music video very important. I'm excited that I'm filming it here in the Philippines because I want to embrace and show off all the Filipino talents that I get to work with to my worldwide audience.”
Manila Luzon also hopes to tour one day to spread her message to those who need to hear it most.
See also: Groundbreaking Filipino Films on LGBTQ+ Stories
In the meantime, fans will get to hear her sing the official anthem of Drag Den Philippines, a drag reality show in the country led by none other than Manila Luzon. One of the candidates in the show is O-a (pronounced Odasha), who was voted by the show’s fans to fill an extra spot in the competition. Much like O-a, Manila Luzon promises that the rest of the unannounced main cast will be “fabulous, sweet, fierce, and catty”.
Above She wears Mara Chua Divisoria Bayong digiprint sculpted dress and Elinails spiral nails as she poses with Gufram’s Pratone
She wears Mara Chua Divisoria Bayong digiprint sculpted dress and Elinails spiral nails as she poses with Gufram’s Pratone
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“The representation of our community in the mainstream is very important, more so now than ever…that excites me since it will change the way people think about our community because they will see us as people,” she says. “We have a hundred TV shows about singing competitions. But now there's going to be a completely new genre of entertainment here in the Philippines and it’s drag entertainment.”
With a new record deal and a Filipino-centric drag show hosted by Manila Luzon, the artist—together with a burgeoning drag fanbase in the Philippines—is one step closer to a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Credits
Photography: Junessa Rendon
Content Direction: PJ Almera
Fashion Direction: Gee Jocson
Styling: Gee Jocson
Stylist's Assistant: Marko Jefferson and Ian Rey
Make-Up: Marlyn Ocampo
Make-up Assistant: Violet Ocampo
Hair: Ian Garcia
Production: PJ Almera and Diandra Mussab of Studio Almera
Production: Nina Rito of Studio Almera
Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.
