All Eyes Are On Myx Chanel

All Eyes Are On Myx Chanel

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One of the most visible drag artists today talks about their inspirations, Drag Race, Bekenemen, and their hopes for the future of drag in the country.

“Drag as a career is a privilege,” says Myx Chanel. “Not everyone gets to do what they want and have as much fun doing it for a living.” For the past two and a half years of having a day job on top of drag, as a self-proclaimed workaholic, they used to like the feeling of progressing into different industries and, in a way, keeping the divide of their identities and having them both grow. “The demand for drag right now is at an all-time high, and personally, I feel like my momentum is ripe. If I don’t jump into it now, sayang siya.” They admit that while the work is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, the fulfillment they get from the immediate reaction of people watching them perform is not something you can get in many other jobs. 

Fashion Meets Fiction

Myx Chanel always gets inspiration from the things that inspired them as a kid. “Cartoons, video games, anime, pop music, musicals—those are the things I can easily draw inspiration from. I’m the bunso kasi of four kids, and my siblings are all older than me, so I kinda grew up on my own. ‘Yunyung mga companions ko growing up. I like celebrating my inner child through drag,” they share. 

They discovered Drag Race in 2013 and have been playing around with makeup, wigs, and dressing up. “First time ko makanood ng Drag Cartel in December 2019, and I really wanted to join. 2020, sabi ko, game! Let’s start building it up. My original goal was to do Drag Cartel ng March pero nag-lockdown,”recalls Myx. As the pandemic continued for the next couple of years, they kept going with drag and eventually found a lane for themselves in the online scene.

The pros and cons of the success of Drag Race PH

Success is a widely understood concept, but it is not all good. On the one hand, it could mean money, prestige, and gratification. On the other hand, a pay-off. Myx Chanel explains, “The biggest pro is that more people have their eyes on drag, and more people are being inspired, more people are willing to give money to the queens, give them bookings, give them jobs. Especially from the pandemic na huling-huli ang nightlife na bumangon, tapos ngayon, ‘yung drag scene sobrang phoenix rising from the ashes, lumipad siya dire-diretso upwards. Siguro, the con is, of course, when there are more eyes on you, there are more people that are going to be critical, some unwarranted, some unfounded criticism, may mga ganon naman talaga.” And then they add, “Nagkaron ng premium ‘yung Ru girls over everyone else. Parang double-edged siya. Mas pinapahalagahan nila ‘yung girls that have been on the show than everyone else. I’m super happy for them; they deserve all the opportunities that they’re getting pero biglang nagkaroon ng hierarchy bigla eh.”

Myx Chanel makes a very valid point, “In a way, I kinda feel bad for the older queens na mas hindi makasabay sa mainstream that have been longer, that have done so much for the industry pero parang napag-iiwanan sila ng panahon just because they’re not able to keep up with the youth. It kinda feels like right now, you need to get on Drag Race to have your drag validated. But I think naman, in general, it’s been really good for everyone.”

“Ang sarap maging bakla!”

Bekenemen was a passion project between Myx Chanel and Baus Rufo built around their love for Drag Race. It has snowballed into something so massive that it has contributed to the success and overall Drag Race Philippines experience. For a game-changer that is Drag Race Philippines, there was a need to congregate (like that itching need for Catholics to go to church on a Sunday) and have that strong sense of togetherness to share the outpouring of gay everything. It’s been said a hundred times before, but when Baus uttered these words on the mic, perhaps out of queer ecstasy, it felt like a release. “Ang sarap maging bakla!” never felt more right. 

“We went from barely surviving as a community, as a nightlife industry ‘nung pandemic to now, like, fully thriving, ang saya makita. It’s great to see that happen,” says Myx Chanel. Bekenemen was the hottest ticket during the entire run of Drag Race Philippines. “‘Nung finale, we crashed the site, ‘yung Upmesh, ‘yung ticketing partner namin, kasi parang there were 10,000 people waiting, and we only had hundred-something tickets.”

The next best thing

The drag scene in the country is in its fireworks phase. It’s beautiful, loud, and no longer ignored. “It’s becoming more mainstream pero separate pa rin siya from mainstream media as a whole. There’s definitely more space for drag queens on TV besides reality shows: drag queen actors, models, and celebrity endorsements. I think there’s gonna be more of that in the future,” they quickly state. 

“I think it’s about time that queer people as entertainers are taken more seriously by the mainstream. People are building a bigger respect for the craft and art behind drag, and it’s about time na it’s legitimized in spaces outside the drag scene.”

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