NAIA Black has come a long way from her early days as a pandemic queen who only had social media to share her art. When she was named the winner of the inaugural season of drag competition series Drag Den, NAIA became one of the most high-profile queens in the country. It’s a reputation she continues to hold as her career expands in different directions.
These days, that’s being a musician with the release of her debut single, the cheekily titled Atenean Tech Bro. As the song’s name suggests, it’s not that serious for NAIA, at least when it comes to the track. But she has set her sights on using her burgeoning music career to celebrate the special intersection of pop and queer nightlife.
RELATED: NAIA, The Sassy Youngster Of Drag Den, Is Ready For Take Off
How NAIA Black Became a Musician
When you’re an artist like NAIA Black, you don’t do regular music release parties. Instead, and quite fittingly given the song, you hold a rave. Such was the case in Apotheka, Poblacion on a busy Saturday night as NAIA was gearing up to release the song and rave with fans, friends, and supporters well into the early morning.
“I feel like as drag queens, music is so tied to our work and art,” she tells MEGA Asia. “It feels only natural that I’m venturing into this world because I want to do my own original thing. It just felt natural, like a culmination of a lot of things. Like how drag felt so natural for me as someone who was drawing as a kid and then dancing.”
With how intertwined drag and music are, it made for an extension of NAIA’s art to make her own music. “I just feel like, right now, with the drag scene evolving, it feels so unstoppable. I feel like we can do anything that we put our minds to. And that’s why I didn’t overthink it.”
The idea to release music first sprouted in NAIA’s mind last year. This led her to reach out to D Waviee, who made the instrumental and produced the track. “Nobody was really teaching me how to do these things. It’s like I willed it into existence,” she reveals. Their combined effort led to the creation of Atenean Tech Bro, a high-energy, tongue-in-cheek hyperpop track that was inspired by NAIA’s interaction with an Atenean who fit the stereotype of a tech bro.
“I knew I wanted to make a song about partying and queer nightlife. Because I’ve been such an avid fan of it. At the time of my writing, I was partying a lot. And I just wanted to talk about my personal experiences. Like cute, fun experiences that I had at the raves. And at one rave, I did actually meet an Atenean tech bro.”
The track playfully unpacks modern dating culture, privilege, and the rise of the tech bro archetype in a way only a drag queen like NAIA can. But for the rookie musician, the top priority was to make a pop banger that was club-approved. “I knew what I wanted the song to sound like. I knew what I wanted to make people feel, which is to make people dance.”
Whatever ideas and opinions the song’s title and subject matter may conjure in the minds of listeners is a development NAIA welcomes. But as she puts it, it’s really not that serious. “You can have your expectations about the song. I’m sure that it surprised a lot of people when they heard it. And I don’t think I am really celebrating the Atenean tech bro. I’m just having fun with it.”
What Inspires NAIA in Her Newest Chapter
With original music now on her radar, NAIA is entering this new chapter of her career ready to explore and showcase her artistry in a new light. In this case, it’s through rave-ready beats and a conscious effort to learn without prior experience to making music. “I feel like NAIA now is a lot more intentional,” she expresses. “I told myself I wanted to get into music and I found a way to do so, and I’m lucky enough to have met so many great people in the nightlife scene.”
With the help of her friends in the industry, her own talent, and a little luck, NAIA made it work and in a way that stayed true to who she is. She’s also releasing music at a time when Filipino drag queens have been getting high-profile projects in the country. From Marina Summers hosting the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 coronation night to Arizona Brandy becoming a regular fixture in the revival of Deal or No Deal, Filipino drag queens continue to break new ground, a fact NAIA, herself a historic winner, is proud of.
“I think the success of one queen in our community is the success of everyone. People are starting to see that drag is a legitimate thing, and it’s so great to see that people are finally being more open to it.” The visibility and opportunities that Filipino drag queens have been having outside of clubs and drag bars are proof of a shift in perception on drag’s place in Filipino culture.
As NAIA puts it, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we have nothing to fear. And it’s just so fun. I’m very happy with the direction the drag scene is going into and for sure it’s only just gonna get bigger and bigger and bigger in the Philippines.”
NAIA on Celebrating Queer Nightlife
The creation of Atenean Tech Bro was a decidedly DIY effort from NAIA. With the help of D Waivee, NAIA spent months brainstorming how to write her rap verses on the song. But with the track now out for the world to listen to, the experience motivated the queen to make even more music in the future.
“I have so many ideas for future songs, and I want to release an EP,” she says, adding that she already has a list of producers she’s tapped to form her soon-to-be-made discography. “I want to venture pa into other electronic sounds like medyo Eurodance, medyo Halukay Ube style. So yes, there will be more.”
Ultimately, what her music debut means to NAIA is more than just so that she can say she has her own original song, but her way to combine her love of music, nightlife culture, and queer creativity. “This is part of culture-making. This is my mark on queer nightlife. And I think that’s what I want them to see. That there is unabashed queer art. It’s thriving. And there’s more and more of it. And there’s so much space for all of these things.”
Closing out the interview before she got ready to perform in front of a sold-out crowd, NAIA makes it a point that celebrating yourself and your art is something never to be ashamed of. “I think we should always strive to do more and always put ourselves out there. And it’s great that with all of these feats that not just drag artists but queer people in the Philippines are achieving, there’s nothing stopping us from putting ourselves out there. And kahit hindi Pride Month, we should always try to release our art and support each other and support the community.” In the world we live in now, we all could use a little queer joy in our lives.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured Image and Photos: Courtesy of NAIA Black
Frequently Asked Questions
NAIA Black is a prominent Filipino drag queen who rose to fame as a pandemic-era social media artist before becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the drag competition series Drag Den. Her newest career milestone is her debut as a musician with the release of her first single, “Atenean Tech Bro.”
The high-energy hyperpop track was inspired by NAIA’s personal experiences partying in the queer nightlife scene, specifically an actual interaction she had at a rave with an Atenean who fit the “tech bro” stereotype. The song playfully unpacks modern dating culture, privilege, and the tech bro archetype.
The song was a self-driven, DIY effort that NAIA “willed into existence” without prior music-making experience. She reached out to DJ and producer D Waviee, who created the instrumental and produced the track, while NAIA spent months brainstorming and writing her own rap verses.
NAIA aims to release a full EP in the future and has already tapped a list of producers for her upcoming discography. She plans to experiment with different electronic sounds, mentioning styles like Eurodance and a “Halukay Ube” style.
The article highlights how Filipino drag queens are breaking new ground with high-profile mainstream projects. Examples include Marina Summers hosting the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 coronation night and Arizona Brandy becoming a regular fixture on the revival of the game show Deal or No Deal.
