Meet Taylor Sheesh, the Pinay drag queen who made international headlines for performing 'Eras Tour' drag show

#WeWantErasTourInThePhilippines. That was the hashtag that trended all weekend after Swifities Philippines, a group of Taylor Swift Filipino fans, mounted a listening party and a drag show mock-up of Taylor's "Eras Tour." 

Last Sunday, thousands of Filipino Swifties flocked to Trinoma in Quezon City to profess their love and support for the American pop star, hoping that one day, Taylor will bring her Eras Tour to the Philippines.

Among the highlights of the "Fan Nights: The Eras Festival in Manila – Encore" was Taylor Sheesh, a Filipino drag queen and longtime Swiftie, who transformed herself into the "Lover" hitmaker and danced and lip-synced to a few well-loved Taylor songs.

With an estimated 10,000 in the audience, the fan-created mall show was definitely one for the books — so much so that the event caught the attention of several international media entities, including Rolling Stone, Pop Crave, and Gay Times, among others.

In an exclusive interview with GMA News Online, Taylor Sheesh, whose real name is Mac Coronel, said the international attention is completely unexpected. 

“Hindi pa nagsi-sink in na nasa Rolling Stone ako,” the 28-year-old drag queen told GMA News Online.

“Siguro kasi sobrang pagod pa ako sa mga nangyari tapos may work pa ako, so hindi ko alam kung paano ako mag-re-react,” she said with an undeniable joy in her face.

In the Trinoma show, Mac performed a total of one hour and 24 minutes worth of Taylor's songs, complete with backup dancers and outfit changes dedicated to each album era: a shimmering blue bodysuit for "Midnights," a long flowy gown for "Speak Now," and a red two-piece outfit for "Red."

She danced and lip-synced to Taylor's hit songs including "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince," "You Need to Calm Down," "Love Story," "22," "Don't Blame Me," and "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)," among others.

@deniellesarmiento Omfg your eras tour outfit looks so good #swifttok #taylorswift #swiftiesphilippines #theerastour #taylornation #TheErasFestivalinManila #WeWantErasTourPhilippines #trinoma ? UPDATED album ranking - guy (taylor’s version)

“Habang nag-re-rehearse kami nung umaga ng Sunday, may mga nakaharang na na barricade dun,” she recalled.

“So pagdating ng 10 a.m. na opening ng mall, ang haba na agad ng pila,” she added.

While Mac noted that the fan-mounted event was simply to celebrate Taylor's music, being featured in international media titles has gotten her hopes up that it would reach Taylor and convince her to have a Philippine stop for her "Eras Tour."

“Tumaas tuloy yung chance namin [na mapansin ni Taylor],’ she said.

@shiieela bad blood (taylor sheesh - security guard version) ???????? #theerasfestivalinmanila #wewanterastourphilippines #theerastour #swifttok #theerastourtaylorswift ? original sound - Briana Layfield

“Rolling Stone ‘to, so baka mapanasin man lang ni Taylor, kahit mabasa man lang niya,” she added.

Mac has been a Swiftie since 2009. When she started doing drag in 2017, she made sure to perform and impersonate Taylor Swift.

“Nung una talaga, ayaw ko mag drag kasi mainit and alam mo ‘yung magsusuot ka ng hindi ka sanay?” she recalled.

But with the help of Mac's close friends, she betted on herself and decided to join Nectar Nightclub's Drag Cartel competition in March 2017, where she reigned victorious against Viñas DeLuxe, who is now a "Ru Girl" after competing in the first season of "Drag Race Philippines."

“Nagtuloy-tuloy naman siya hanggang regular na ako nagpe-perform sa Nectar and sa mga Drag Race viewing parties,” she said.

With this new international recognition up on her sleeve, is there a possibility for Mac to join drag competitions soon? "Yes," she said without batting an eyelash.

Mac expressed her willingness to audition for "Drag Race Philippines" or "Drag Den Philippines," whichever gives her the opportunity first.

“Ayokong sumali agad at magkaroon ng feeling na pinilit ko lang sarili ko sumali for the clout lang or dahil nadala lang ng emotions ko,” she said.

“Gusto ko ready ako para kahit di ako manalo, masasabi kong nabigay ko lahat,” she ended. — LA, GMA Integrated News