https://nasacademy.com/blog/article/story-of-one-of-the-most-famous-drag-queen-manila-luzon
Manila Luzon is a queen in every sense of the word: she’s got impeccable style, a sassy attitude, and owns every stage she appears on. She’s one of the most famous drag queens in the world, and she’s just getting started.
Karl Philip Michael was born in Minnesota, USA, to a Filipino mother and American father. He grew up in a mixed household, but always retained close cultural ties with his mother’s country.
Karl grew up in Minnesota, but currently lives in Los Angeles, and also spent a considerable amount of time living in New York, which he considers to be home.
Manila sent in her home audition tape to the Emmy-award winning show RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she passed all the audition rounds and landed a coveted spot on the show as one of the 12 drag queens chosen to compete in season 3.
Manila flourished on the show. She was the second queen to win all the 3 challenges that the fandom considers the most important (The Snatch Game, Makeover and Ball), and made it all the way to the finals where she was the runner-up.
Despite not winning the crown, Manila was such a massive hit with the show’s fans that they voted for her to be brought back for not one but two RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars seasons, where she went on to win 3 challenges in season 4.
Despite her time on Drag Race coming to an end, this girl’s star keeps rising. In the years since her time on the show, she’s starting her own show in the Philippines called Drag Den with Manila Luzon. Her motivation for creating a drag show in the Philippines is to uplift the drag community from underground spaces and bring them into the mainstream.
Manila says she’s excited to “create an opportunity similar” to RuPaul’s Drag Race for Filipino queens, and wants to be able to “give back in some way”.
“In the Philippines, the drag scene is still quite small and underground, so I’m excited to bring it to the forefront… Hopefully, they’ll have a similar journey that I’ve had and that the rest of us queens have had [and] we’ll take over the world, one little island at a time!”
Manila’s work extends beyond the stage. She’s a big supporter and member of the LGBT community, and participates in fundraisers, events, and charities aimed at uplifting the community. Her activism extends to AIDS support and research. One of her notable fundraising appearances involved her appearing In a television ad called “Red Ribbon Runway”, donned in a designer gown that was later auctioned by Logo to fund AIDS research.
Manila’s exploits as a queen both on and off the stage have made her an icon in the LGBT community, and an icon for anyone looking interested in style, beauty, and fashion.
Manila is starting her very own academy, Manila’s School of Drag. She will teach you the best-kept secrets of the art of drag right from the basics and practicalities of make-up and fashion, to creating a persona and cultivating your stage presence.
By the end of her course, you’ll have a brand new wardrobe worthy of a fashionista, know what make-up types and brands are the best (and how to apply them), and know everything you need to know about drag — the history, theories of beauty, fashion, and how to not only project confidence, but to feel confident as your most fabulous self.
Your drag experience won’t end when this course does because you’ll be joining a community of drag queens just like you. You’ll learn together and support each other on your journey, because your community is all about support and positivity to build each other up.
So take the plunge and learn straight from a queen amongst queens. Manila’s School of Drag is all about you, and setting you on the path to slay.
Learn A-Z of Drag
By Admin Nas Academy
By Team Nas Academy
WE EMPOWER CREATORS.
