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Brigiding’s journey to the top wasn’t easy. Starting drag in 2013, Brigiding embarked on a career at a time when drag was seen as an afterthought or a joke not to be taken seriously in the Philippines. But over time, she slowly made a name for herself in the drag scene, with her biggest break yet coming when she competed on Drag Race Philippines season one.
To be part of the inaugural season was an achievement in itself, but against a stacked cast of competitors and her own internal struggles, Brigiding ultimately failed to win the crown, going home on the eighth episode. Three years later, Brigiding returned to the Drag Race stage, this time to compete on Drag Race Philippines Slaysian Royale against a fierce group of Asian queens. Her run was a complete 180 as not only did she get the redemption arc she was looking for, but Brigiding made it all the way to the end when she was named the show’s winner.
It’s been an eventful 12 years for Brigiding to say the least, and now in her winner era, the drag artist is ready to do more of what she does best and give back along the way.
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She’s a Winner, Baby
It was a packed house at Rampa in Quezon City as fans and friends came together for Brigiding’s birthday show. It was her first in two years, and what made the moment special was how she was doing it not only as the winner of Slaysian Royale, but also her first major show of 2026.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Brigiding tells MEGA Asia. “After winning, sabi ko, gusto ko mag-celebrate, gusto ko mag-give back. Really, this is for my friends, for my family, for the fans, and for myself.” If Brigiding was feeling any nerves, she wasn’t showing it as a euphoric cloud of excitement hovered over the queen who was looking forward to a full production show complete with pyrotechnics and backup dancers and filled with her favorite songs and drag queens.
That night, she took to the stage as the most fully-formed Brigiding yet, one who not only continues to leave her mark on the local drag scene but also helps guide other queens as the drag mother to Zymbading and Bombading, among others.
They say heavy is the head that wears the crown, but for Brigiding, she’s taking in the moment. “This time, it’s more personal. It’s more intentional,” she shares. “Mas ginagawa ko yung mga bagay na ginagawa ko yun out of love and out of passion. Parang may mga bagay na, yung ako mismo, ma-excite. And mas meaningful siya. Not just for me, but for other people.”
In Her Becoming Era
From her well-documented stumbles on Drag Race Philippines to her confident run on Slaysian Royale, where she achieved frontrunner status early on in the season, Brigiding has grown a lot these past few years. As she sees it, Brigiding feels a lot more grounded these days, but she also finds herself getting sentimental in seeing how far she has come in life.
“I never realized, even nung nagkaroon ng announcement na season one auditions for Drag Race Philippines, na ako ang mananalo. Kasi, for a very long time, I’ve long believed na ang drag sa Philippines hanggang nightclubs lang, hanggang tawanan lang. Pero grateful ako for the experience of joining Drag Race Philippines and now I am here.”
She adds, “Ang sarap balikan ng mga times na hindi ako naniniwala sa capacity ko and now I am more aware of the things that I can do. And the people saw that internationally. So ang sarap sa feeling na nakaka-inspire ka rin yung mga taong nakaka-experience ng same sentiments.”
But beyond getting nostalgic for the evolution of her career and the drag scene she now sits near the top of, Brigiding is also focused on the now. Self-doubt has been replaced with peace, calmness, and clear-eyed intentions of what she wants to do next, now that she’s in her first full year as a crowned winner. “I think this era for me is just becoming. Parang hindi natatapos sa Drag Race Philippines, hindi natatapos sa crown yung pagkapanalo ko sa life. So I just think that that’s just one chapter na natapos and it’s just the beginning of another one.”
It’s this mindset that’s guiding her next moves, especially with her intentions to expand her platform and local drag in general. “That’s where I’m most excited kasi this time gusto kong gumawa ng mga bagay na nasaan pa natin pwedeng dalhin ‘tong drag na ‘to? Saan pa natin pwedeng dalhin ‘tong talento na meron tayo? And it’s more about paying it forward. How do we make a bigger impact given the platform?”
Where Brigiding is now is a far cry from where she started more than a decade ago. But she wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the hard work and sacrifices that version of herself put in. When asked what she would tell her younger self, Brigiding sees those challenges that the Brigiding who just started drag went through as eventually bearing fruit in the end.
“I would say keep going. This whole glam and gorgeousness, hindi ‘to 12 years of all good things. May disappointments, may frustrations, may losing, may learning. But it’s always important to keep going and trust the process. You just have to keep going and do it because it makes you happy.”
Featured Image and Photos: Courtesy of BRIGIDING
Frequently Asked Questions
Brigiding is a Filipino drag artist who competed on Drag Race Philippines Season 1 and returned to win Drag Race Philippines Slaysian Royale, a crossover season featuring Asian queens from across Drag Race franchises. She began her drag career in 2013 and is also a drag mother to queens including Zymbading and Bombading.
Drag Race Philippines Slaysian Royale is a competitive drag season featuring Asian queens from multiple Drag Race franchises. Brigiding, who was eliminated in Season 1 of Drag Race Philippines, returned for Slaysian Royale and won the competition — completing a redemption arc three years in the making.
Following her Slaysian Royale win, Brigiding staged her first major show of 2026 at Rampa in Quezon City — a full production event with pyrotechnics, backup dancers, and fellow drag queens. She has spoken about expanding her platform, paying it forward to younger queens, and pushing Philippine drag into new spaces.
Brigiding is the drag mother to Zymbading and Bombading, among others. In her post-Slaysian Royale era, she has expressed a stronger focus on mentorship and using her platform to elevate the next generation of Filipino drag artists.
Brigiding’s advice to her younger self — and by extension to aspiring drag queens — is to keep going. She describes her 12-year journey as one filled with disappointments, losses, and learning alongside the glamour, and credits persistence and doing drag out of genuine passion as the foundation of her success.
