Most may know Brigiding for her time on Drag Race Philippines Season 1 and Slaysian Royale. But even before she appeared on TV, Brigiding was already one of the local drag scene’s biggest stars and used her platform to champion and spotlight drag. One such way was through the show CAKE, which was created in 2019 and envisioned by Brigiding as a space for drag artists to push beyond the expected.
Over the years, each edition centered on a specific theme and gave guest performers free rein to interpret it however they like, making for a safe space for drag queens to express their artistry. It became a creative playground where performers could experiment, take risks, and explore their artistry beyond the conventions of a traditional drag show. And with the show’s return in 2026, that mission continues, and arguably holds even greater weight now.
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Brigiding on CAKE’s Return and Why Drag Shouldn’t Be Held to a Standard
Following its last staging in 2024, CAKE returned this year with a comeback show at Teatrino Promenade last November 5. Its return comes at an interesting time for its founder, as not only has Brigiding continued to solidify her place in the local drag scene, but also because she comes back as the crowned winner of the inaugural season of Slaysian Royale.
While life may be different now for Brigiding, CAKE’s next chapter still retains its signature vision. “I think this is the best time to bring back CAKE because after everything that happened to me, not only from season 1 but for the rest of my life, I think this is the best chance for me to share that story,” Brigiding tells MEGA Asia.
CAKE has never been about Brigiding, because while she may be its creator and host, the story has always been about giving drag artistry, creativity, and the queens themselves an outlet and opportunity to do what they do best. “With the given platform I was blessed with after Slaysian Royale, I think this is the best channel for me to do all of that.” And while the mission remains, the stage to tell it has changed this year, as it was held in a theater for the first time.
It’s a far cry from the typical drag show held at bars, such as Rooftop Club in Poblacion during its inaugural 2019 staging and home base of Rampa in other years. But there are benefits to holding a drag show in a theater, as not only is it a return for Brigiding to her roots in theater, but it also offers a bigger stage with new opportunities for queens to express themselves, tell their stories, and create without having to fit into a box. Drag, after all, has its historical roots in medieval theater plays when men had to dress up as women during shows.
“I think it’s important that we push the boundaries,” says Brigiding on CAKE’s sold-out debut at Teatrino Promenade, adding that it was a sign that audiences don’t just love the queens, but drag itself, and that they are willing to spend to watch it outside the usual venues. “We push the level of acceptance, the level of appreciation for the art form. Let’s do it for ourselves, for them.”
It’s this love that guides CAKE’s return with the theme of Let Them Eat Cake. While the phrase has historically been associated with the callousness of the French aristocracy, for Brigiding, it’s one of celebration. As she puts it, “Cake is always associated with celebrations, meaningful events, birthdays, all of those events. So, Let Them Eat Cake is more about serving it and really looking back at all of those moments in our lives that may be painful; it may be tragic, but looking back at it, we learned a lot from it.”
It’s a theme that can be interpreted in many ways, which was evident during the evening’s performances. Some saw it as working through difficult moments of their lives before coming out better in the end. Others used it to talk about their personal experiences and indulge in life’s pleasures. And a few queens interpreted it as an unapologetic celebration of queer joy in the face of a still-judgmental society, most notably when Khianna with a K proposed to her longtime partner Shae Shue K after her performance. “We’re all entitled to express how we want to see things. So that’s what I always do here. It’s to really celebrate all of everything that’s happening around us.”
Regardless of how each performance went, they were all rooted in unapologetic self-expression, and as it should be. In a time when some expect a certain image of drag shaped by what they’ve seen on TV, CAKE was, is, and will always be a space for fearlessness and a rebellious spirit to shine and push the possibilities of what drag can look like onstage. Drag has never been about appealing to the lowest common denominator, but a medium to express oneself, be different, and challenge societal expectations.
“I think that’s the roots of drag,” shares Brigiding. “It’s really to defy the norms. It’s really to push the boundaries. It’s really to be creative. It’s to really experiment and shock people and show people things that they don’t see, or they don’t normally see or feel. So, that’s what’s good about theater. That’s what’s good about the art form of drag. It’s really the experimental part of it.” While queens, before drag went mainstream, often did not get the respect and opportunities they do now, they also had little to no expectations, meaning they could do whatever they wanted and not be compared to what another queen did on a TV show.
CAKE is that return to when queens are allowed to be experimental and create their version of art without judgment. With sold-out crowds, that demand is there, and that’s all Brigiding could ever ask for. “We need to give it a chance or opportunity of the time when drag is still underground, drag is still uncensored, drag is still open to all the possibilities. And that’s what we’re celebrating here at CAKE.”
CAKE’s next show will be held at the Music Museum in Greenhills on December 2 with the theme IN THE NAME OF LOVE in celebration of World AIDS Day.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured Image and Photos: Courtesy of Team Brigiding
