The Philippines is known as the “hugot” or sentimental country. More than other countries in Asia and the world, Filipinos love love, and even when sad in love, we wallow in bitterness or insanity over it. We cry over our love lost through heartbreaking tunes until we are okay.
Millennials and Generation Z grew up on girl power structures or “you go, girl!”—the feminist generation, and while we know that wallowing in our grief is crucial, we know how to take charge and remain strong and assertive while being bitter pills.
When you blend themes of sentimental love with feminism, you get a Taylor Swift brand of music. It’s no wonder that many people in this generation relate to her hits. In 2022, she became the top artist on Spotify Philippines and continues to be a contender for the top spot today.
Taylor Swift announced her “Eras Tour” last year, and Filipino Swifties were disappointed that Miss Americana herself skipped the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia in her tour. Many of them had to book airfare tickets to Japan, Singapore, Australia, and even Europe and the USA.
To address Taylor Swift’s limited tour dates and cities, the Philippines found solace in the most popular and currently trending impersonator and drag queen, Taylor Sheesh. However, even before Swift announced her tour, Filipino Swifties organized Taylor Swift parties nationwide. Several drag queens would portray their idols, but Taylor Sheesh would become the most phenomenal of them all.
Taylor Sheesh is John Mac Lane Coronel from Manila. Now 29, he became a Swiftie when he was 15 years old. When he decided to be a drag queen, Lady Gaga was the first person he emulated, and he even won a contest for it. However, since then, he has been following Swift’s gestures and mannerisms.
Coronel started impersonating Taylor Swift in 2017, holding shows for Swiftie listening parties and other events. In 2022, he was discovered by a well-connected event organizer who put him in huge shows, and that’s when he started to go viral on social media.
Last Saturday, February 24th, Red Planet Hotels sponsored the Swifties for Mindanao event, Starlight: The Ultimate Swiftie Party, held at Whisky Park, Davao City. I was invited by John Llamas, Mindanao sales head, and one of my peers at the Davao Bloggers Society.
Disclaimer: I am not a Swiftie. To be honest, I’m not very fond of Taylor Swift’s demeanor. However, I’m a fan of many of her songs, especially “Style,” a song I wish I had written. However, I got curious about Taylor Sheesh, who returned from Melbourne a few days before the Starlight party.
The truth is that I couldn’t pinpoint how the Taylor Sheesh phenomenon happened, but it never piqued my curiosity. Like the real Taylor Swift, fans would swarm and gush over Sheesh, jam to her lip-synced performance, take videos, and shoot selfies with her. I didn’t believe it—not until I witnessed it.
Taylor Sheesh headlined the Starlight Ultimate Swiftie party, but she was joined by not just one but two Taylor Swift impersonators. Taylor Shiteh, also from Luzon, has been making waves with her close-to-Taylor Swift makeup. Maya Sympha from Davao City has been the go-to impersonator in Davao and the rest of Mindanao’s Swiftie parties and shows.
I enjoyed the show so much. Several acoustic acts performed their own renditions of Taylor Swift’s songs. Maya Sympha herself even performed a live acoustic set, which I loved! The Swifties of Davao were so proud of her. She did an excellent job.
While reviewing the show, I observed that among the three drag queens, it was Taylor Sheesh’s performance that had everyone standing up and dancing to Swift’s tunes. I experienced this firsthand, surrounded by true Swifties. I was completely mesmerized by Taylor Sheesh. Although her makeup didn’t exactly resemble that of her idol, her entire demeanor, the awkward way she danced, and how she fanned her hands and rolled her eyes were so similar to Taylor Swift’s.
After being viral worldwide, Taylor Sheesh received a lot of love, but she didn’t get away from backlash from others, saying that Taylor Swift should sue her for making a buck out of emulating their idol. However, that didn’t stop her from having sold-out shows not just in the Philippines but around the world. She had her “Errors Tour” in Melbourne, which she’ll also bring to Singapore. She has also appeared on Good Morning America. That’s just the start for her; I know more great things are coming.
As mentioned, I’m not really fond of the real Taylor Swift, but I love many of her songs. The best way to balance that is to have Taylor Sheesh as the performer because I adore Sheesh! That won’t be my last show of hers.
Attending concerts or fan events soon? Try the nearest Red Planet Hotels to the venue. Visit their website: https://www.redplanethotels.com/ for more details.
NeP-C Ledesma is a millennial writer and entrepreneur full of curiosity about our abstract world. She devours Psychology, food, Philosophy, and prefer cats as her all-time company. Pop Culture is her kryptonite.