Enter the backstage of any drag show and your ears will be subjected to a cacophony of nails clacking, heels tapping, and endless chatter. It’s to be expected that when a handful of glamazons gather in a singular space, a chaotic melody ensues. Amidst all these sounds—none of them to be considered as ambient—are queens like Brigiding getting in the zone and repeatedly listening to the songs they’ll be performing later that same night.
“Even sa huling pakikinig mo sa song, mayroon ka pa’ng maiisip,” the Drag Race Philippines alum shares. “Maiisip mo na, ‘Ay pwede akong humawak sa mata ko sa part na to. Pwede kong ituro si ganito sa part na to.’ May lumalabas na iba’t-ibang interpretations, mga iba’t-ibang understandings ng song hanggang sa huling pakikinig mo.”
In this regard, music quite literally moves Brigiding. Drag artists such as herself find careers in entertaining audiences, which entails choosing the right songs that resonate not just with their performance styles, but also with their innermost beings. Brigiding attests that music has become incredibly instrumental in honing her craft. Beyond this, it has also shaped who she is as a person sans the glitz and the glam.
The Music That Moves Brigiding
Upon asking Brigiding about her favorite singers, she almost instantly does an impromptu rendition of a classic Diana Ross track. “Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to? Do you know?” the '70s ballad goes.
These soulful vocals resounded during Brigiding’s younger years. “Kasi 'yun 'yung pinapakinggan ng tatay at nanay ko nung bata pa ko,” she says. Whenever they’d have a karaoke machine plugged in, her father would tell her to learn songs that “executives listen to,” which are tracks that no one else would be able to sing as well as she could. “These are songs that people would pay tickets for to listen to,” she puts it.
ON BRIGIDING: High Slit Gown, JAN GARCIA. Wig sourced from ABIGAIL MONTGOMERY.
Played in conjunction with Miss Ross were rock stars who had just as much bravado to them, particularly Freddie Mercury. “My dad used to make me fall in love with these songs that I didn’t even understand at that time. It was rock, and it was so masculine,” she narrates, “[I sometimes wondered], ‘Bakit mo 'to pinapakinggan sa’kin?” Later on, Brigiding found herself replaying these tracks and resonating with them more than she expected.
“Na-feel ko 'yun eh, that ‘Oh my God, this is my song’ feeling. I hear the voice of the singer like it's my voice. The message of this song is something that I have experienced or is something that I would want to [express,]” she states.
This off-kilter combination of “pop glamor divas” and masculine rock stars was what defined Bridging’s musicality. The intentional juxtaposition of genres was integral in finding her own style as a drag artist. In a sea of fellow queens whose repertoires were rife with Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce numbers (which, of course, are nothing but delightful), Brigiding knew she had to etch her own niche to stand out.
“Whenever I perform, I would look for songs that, sometime in my life, napakinggan ko and I fell in love with,” she details. “[I ask myself,] 'What's the best song for me to express this feeling? What's the best song for me to say this [message]? Which song has the right amount of attitude?'”
Music, after all, is a universal language meant to be partaken in by all. It’s a “language that gets through to your soul,” as Brigiding would put it. “Para kang nakikipag-usap sa sarili mo through a song.”
ON BRIGIDING: Bangus Dress, Carabao Top, MORISETTE MAGALONA. Rib Cage Top, JOB DACON. Teardrop Pasties, EMANUEL RINOZA. That Boy Is a Monster Nails, PAINT N STYLE. Wig sourced from ZYCHOTIC WIGS.
If one were to attend the quintessential Brigiding show where she only had three numbers to perform, the night would kick off with a mash-up of "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross and "River Deep, Mountain High" by Celine Dion. A rendition of "All That Jazz" from the musical Chicago would follow, as Brigiding is “really into the flair and glam of jazz music.” The closing number would have to be "This Is My Life" by Shirley Bassey, which, if you’ve heard at least once, promises to be quite the show-stopper.
“These divas were rock stars at the same time,” Brigiding says of her selection. “[They made] love songs during their time, [but they were also] the most powerful divas who broke stereotypes by writing songs that weren’t expected of them.”
ON BRIGIDING: White Leather Corset, ERICKA CELIZ. Wide Legged Leather Bottoms, Bowtie, JOB DACON. Headpiece, LORD LAURENTE. Bracelet worn as earrings, USHI SATO. Wig sourced from ZYCHOTIC WIGS.
Similarly, going for the unexpected comes as second nature to Brigiding. If her peers would dress up as Mariah Carey or Beyonce, she’d opt to suit up as Mr. Fahrenheit just to throw a curveball at what people expect of drag queens. With the landscape of drag in a constant state of buzz, especially in the Philippines, she knows that it’s her duty to disrupt any notions that may box her and her fellow artists.
“Drag, for many people, means magpapambabae ka. I think it's important to show that it's just about self-expression. It should not be gender-conforming. The definition of drag should be limitless,” she says, adding that artists like herself have to demonstrate just how diverse one’s drag can be. “[We shouldn’t] spoon-feed people on what drag is. Hindi nila maiintindihan until they see it for themselves and realize, ‘Ah, pwede pala [na ganito ang drag.]”
When it comes down to it, authenticity is crucial in Brigiding’s line of work. The music she embodies has to align with her core in one way or another. This is why, sometimes, there are symphonies she has to bid goodbye to.
“There are songs that made me famous and made me money for a time. But I don’t resonate with them anymore,” she illustrates. “How can I perform a song if I don't believe in it in the first place? Pwede ko siyang i-peke, pero people will recognize the fake emotions. How can you make people happy when you're not happy yourself, 'di ba?”
Brigiding is in the business of making people happy. And this joy transcends past the squeals and cheers at a bustling drag show, where patrons tip her with peso bills as exuberant music plays.
“[I want people to realize that] life is beautiful,” she expresses. “Lahat tayo may problema, pero tingnan mo 'tong [drag queen na ‘to.] Ang daming nilalagay sa mukha, ang daming iniipit, ang daming sinusuot, tumatambling, umii-split. Sa tingin mo, walang problema 'yan? Bakit siya kaya niya magpasaya? Ang ibig sabihin nito, kaya mo rin maging masaya. It's a profound message.”
With 12 years of experience under her belt, the Divine Diva and Mother of the House of Ding owes a lot of her confidence to the music she’s pinned her ears to. The melodies run through her veins at this point. When a track starts and Brigiding steps on stage, there’s no way of telling her she is not the one.
“I feel like I’m the ruler of the world, like I can perform in Wembley Stadium,” she gushes. “If my idols could get away with it, I can also get away with it. Because I'm a rockstar. I'm a diva.”
Photographer: Ennuh Tiu, assisted by Kevin Gonzales
Fashion: Gee Jocson, assisted by Angelo Vasallo and Jason Mago
Assisted by Anna Patdu
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