Manila Luzon Among Queens to Kick Off ‘Digital Drag Fest’

With virtual events and shows now becoming a permanent fixture in the entertainment industry, many of the biggest names in drag are back again in 2021 for a new digital concert festival.

In partnership with management company Producer Entertainment Group (PEG) and digital concert service Sessions, PEG Presents: Digital Drag Fest 2021 will be held May 21-23 and 28-30. Fans can expect two weekends of legendary “Ru Girls” bringing sickening performances right into their homes. Singing, comedy, lip syncing, drama—expect anything.

Among the first set of queens to kick off the festival is Manila Luzon, who is scheduled to go live at 6 p.m. PST. Initially competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Three and returning for the first and fourth seasons of All Stars, Manila has blossomed into a pop culture sensation. Most famous for her campy twist on glamour and tongue-in-cheek style, her creativity and humor has won the adoration of millions across the world who call themselves “Fanilas.”

Always on the go and dabbling in several projects at once, Manila was able to take some time out of her busy schedule to connect with OFM.

Hi, Manila! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. What can we expect from your set for the PEG Presents: Digital Drag Fest 2021?
I am super excited for this! I will be painting a portrait of Alaska Thunderfuck live in my glorious, marble palace!

Why did you want to be involved with this festival?
I really enjoyed getting to do the digital drag fest last year when the pandemic hit, which stopped all drag shows. We drag queens, we had to evolve, we had to adapt, and we had to keep the show going. We had to keep the fans entertained. We had to put the wigs on our heads, the lip gloss on our lips, and we had a great time doing these live shows. This year, when we decided to resurrect the drag festival, it is a different platform. We know what we are doing, we got the audience hooked last year, so I am excited to come back and do some more stuff.

Although the world is slowly reopening, do you think livestream events will continue or slowly die out?
I think that we were doing livestream entertainment before, but now that we have done this for the last year and that was our only source, I think we are going to find a new hybrid version of both. We can still do these live events for people that are not in the area to be able to tune in and watch as well. I think that is the new way of doing things. We realized we can just jump on our internet, do Zoom calls around the world, and hang out with our families without actually having to get on a plane and go hang out with our families. So, this is for sure something that we are going to be seeing a lot more of. I am expecting them to meld.

How have you personally been holding up during these difficult times?
I have been locked up in this tower with all my wigs like Rapunzel! Trying to be safe at home and only going out if I need to. There have been regular quarantine ups and downs, craziness, whatever, but you know how it goes. We are making it through, and we are seeing the world starting to open up. I am now having a completely different experience. The opposite, where I was like, ‘I want to go out, but I have to stay in.’ Now, I want to stay in, but I have to go out! I kind of got used to being a hermit and only having to do drag from the waist up. I have to put shoes on now, jeez. My high heel shoes are like, we’re finally being worn again, but my feet are like, ‘No, we don’t like this anymore.’ [laughs]

It was heartbreaking to see so many Pride events canceled last year due to the pandemic. Are you scheduled to do any live events?
Not this year, but I have been working on a lot of virtual and digital stuff for Pride. I think a lot of places are not ready to be opened up at the level in which we want to do Pride, so we are going to continue to do what we did last year. I think for most Pride events, it was not a surprise this time, so I think they had a little more time to get ready this year. We are going to get some really fun Pride events, and it is going to be cool because, like, I am going to get to log into New York City Pride, log off, then go to San Francisco Pride immediately after. I am excited about that. It is going to be more worldwide than ever this year.

Is there anything that you miss about live performing?
Oh, of course! I miss that exchange of energy you have with the audience, that you can only get in a live performance. Being from TV, working in film, and doing music videos, I have been able to adapt to this new way of performing, but I do miss hearing the crowd, smelling the air, feeling the heat and energy, and feeling it in your chest. Being able to bounce back and forth without a 15-second delay. There is nothing like being in front of a live audience, so I cannot wait for it to happen again.

Pride can mean so many things. What does it personally mean to you?
For me, Pride is honestly just accepting who you are and loving yourself. Flaws and all. Once you get to that point where you can just accept yourself and be proud of who you are and who you want to become, then all the external influences do not matter as much. For Pride, you get to come together with all these other people who have gotten to that same place as you and celebrate happiness. It is like this big sea of people being proud of who they are. Once you can find acceptance in yourself, it is so easy to find acceptance in others.

I would like to ask you a couple questions about your time on RuPaul’s Drag Race. You remained a fan favorite despite being from one of the earlier seasons. Why do you think you stood out to fans?
I have no idea! They just keep coming back for more. I put in a lot of work when I went on the show, and then I tried as hard as I could to keep that momentum going. When it would slow down, I would push even harder and find new projects to work on. I take every moment and do the most with it.

Is that why you decided to come back for All Stars 4?
They asked me, and I cannot say no [laughs]. I’ve got to have more. It is a fun show to be a part of, and it challenges me so much as a drag artist. I loved being on the show, I loved all my experiences, there is nothing like it, it really brings out the competitor side of me, and it makes me try my hardest. It is so much fun.

If asked to compete for a fourth time, would you?
I will compete as many times as I can. They can take me out of my cryogenic frozen state in the future at some point and re-animate me so I can do All Stars 2000!

How would you say the show and drag itself has evolved since initially competing on season three?
First of all, the interest in drag has expanded so much further than what I was used to. It used to be a very small, little niche thing. It was kind of like a small circle with a cult following. Now, it is everywhere. Straight people, celebrities, the fashion industry—they are all referencing drag culture. Everything is being influenced by drag culture in a huge way, which we did not see before. It is very exciting to see that.

Do you stay in touch with your season three sisters?
Thank God for Instagram and Facebook! I follow all of my sisters and try to keep track of all of them. I do not get to see them a lot, especially now because of the way the world is. I do not get to work with them a lot, but we still stay in touch and text each other once in a while. It is hard now because it is like a sorority. Every year, there are more and more girls you become friends with. Now you can pick and choose.

Have you been watching the international franchises?
Yes! Latrice Royale and I have been keeping up with the foreign franchises of Drag Race. Canada, Holland, UK, Drag Down Under, and now, hopefully, Drag Race España. We do review shows of it on our podcast, The Chop. Make sure to check that out. We have a very interesting take on things, because a lot of references we do not get because we are not from the country. So, we get a bit of interaction with our fans, who are trying to school us on who this person is trying to play on Snatch Game or when we do not understand a reference. We also have our input because we have done the show three times now. We know, even if it is a little bit different, we always have our own views. So, check out our podcast, The Chop!

Out of every challenge that you took part in, which one was your favorite?
It was the most stressful challenge, but one of my favorite challenges ever was the Money Ball. My favorite episodes were always the ones where we were able to create something in the Werkroom. I always found those the most challenging because we had limited time and limited resources. With the money ball, we had to make three outfits from scratch. Now, the balls, they only have you make one outfit from scratch, and you can bring the other two. I won that challenge, so it was super fun!

Do you have any music or acting projects in the works we should be on the lookout for?
Well, now that you say that, yes! This year, I am celebrating the 10-year anniversary of my first hit single, “Hot Couture.” For the anniversary, we are re-releasing it with all new mixes and arrangements, and hopefully, a new music video. Yeah, I have spent 10 years making music, drag music. Sounds coming out of my mouth [laughs]. My most popular song has always been “Hot Couture.” Everywhere I go, it is the song that fans demand that I perform. So, I am celebrating it being one of the first big Drag Race hits. I am coming out with a Manila doll to commemorate the song, and I am thinking about working on vinyl LP collectables. We are going all out for my music.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
Denny, that is so crazy. I have no idea. I had no idea that my auditioning for this TV show 10-11 years ago was going to become this big and take me this far. I am excited that I am working on some voiceover stuff and moving into the land of becoming a voiceover artist. Voicing some cartoons coming up. I have been expanding my merch company, and we are starting to take form into an actual clothing or fashion brand. So, that is very exciting as well. I am also making dolls based on me right now. I already have a doll with the spaghetti dress theme, a doll with the period gown, and I have three more dolls that are coming up that are in the works right now. I am going to be taking over the toy industry!

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I am working right now with Jiggly Caliente, and I am working on a lot of her T-shirts. Like I was mentioning before, I am doing clothing lines now, so we are doing a collaboration right now in celebration of her role on the final season of Pose on FX. Proceeds from the sales of these new “Pose with Love” T-shirts are going to help the Apicha Asian Health Center in New York City. We are trying to spread the fashion, spread the love, celebrate Jiggly’s role as a trans actress on Pose, and raise money for a good cause!

Follow Manila on Facebook and Instagram or visit her official website to stay up-to-date with her adventures. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets for Digital Drag Fest 2021.

Photos Courtesy of Vico Velez and Andrew Werner