Exclusive with Marina Summers
Marina Summers, welcome to Spill the Tea lovely! To start, when did you discover that you wanted to do drag?
I grew up in a small town in a province where the queer community is not that prominent, so I had no education of or exposure to the LGBTQIA+ culture. Moving into the city to study at college, that’s when I was immersed in queer culture more so, especially drag culture. I started watching local shows and then I was introduced to RuPaul’s Drag Race because of the infamous “So Emotional” lip-sync battle. That’s when I became more and more invested in drag! But really, the defining moment was when I was working behind the scenes. As a producer by profession, I wanted to feature local queens from a bar in Manila for a show that I was working for. I interviewed the queens and got to know drag better. From makeup to fashion, to performance and to having conversations about drag as a form of expression, art and as a profession, it really sparked that idea in me to start doing drag.
Before being cast on the show you showed off your vocal skills and released your single ‘I Have Arrived’. With Drag Race over do you think you will release more music?
Definitely releasing more music in the coming weeks. Hashtag pop star era haha! I really want to carry the torch in championing local queer and drag talent even after the show has ended. Music has always been a huge part of my life, whether it be singing or dancing. This year, I was lucky enough to be one of the first local drag queens to be signed under a record label, so there are a lot of plans coming up in the coming days.
What do you love about singing?
What I love most about singing and making music is that I get to write and talk about how I feel. Just like drag, it’s my creative vessel to create content, art and masterpieces.
How did it feel to be selected for the very first season of Drag Race Philippines?
There’s always pride when you’re a part of a “first” and to be part of the very first Filipino iteration of the franchise is an honour. I mean, twelve of us are now part of herstory. It has always been a goal of mine to represent and help elevate the respect towards local drag not only here in the Philippines, but also internationally, so being in the first season of Drag Race Philippinesreally is a big boost to help achieve that goal.
Was the competition what you expected or totally different? How did it feel to get so close to the crown?
As a fan of the show and reality TV in general, I expected the competition to be hard and I already knew what areas I should work on to do well, but really, nothing prepares you for Drag Race. Just when you thought you knew it all, twists and turns appear! When I arrived I knew I had to come in with a clean slate - open rooms for change and failure, and I think that helped me throughout the competition.
I already saw myself in the end, but what I didn’t expect is doing well all season long. I never thought I’d be doing well in an improv challenge, a design challenge – HELL, even snatch game! So being so close to the crown is just the cherry on top. Of course, I wanted to win, and I was expecting to win. And being the last queen to actually know about their loss, it was a bit of a challenge to process all the emotions. But looking back, I’m very proud of what I was able to show on and off the show and I think either one of the top 2 deserves the crown. I have always been (and will always be) a fan of Precious, so I really do think the crown fits well on her. But tell her I just need a share from her cash prize so I can finally move on. Haha!
If asked would you want to return to take on a Philippines All Stars or say Drag Race Vs the World?
You know, I always say, summer never ends and I won’t be tired of sharing Marina’s sunshine with the Philippines and with the world. If given a chance to return, I would grab every opportunity to show Marina’s growth and light. Just like the sun after setting, I will rise again. A new day will always come.
Let’s not forget losing is the new winning (as RuPaul says), getting on the show is a huge achievement. What do you hope the future holds for you?
Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I lost. I gained more than I lost to be honest. My fanbase has grown in measures I didn’t even think were possible. I’m so excited to share more of Marina to them even after the show ends. There’s a swell of work and projects coming up for me: working on my music career; also working on a few TV shows and films. And of course, like always, I will keep on trying to help bring drag to more audiences in the mainstream media and provinces - so a tour would be very nice to help achieve that.
Shout-out time! What queer performer deserves a shout from you and why? - This can be a drag King, Queen or anything in-between or simply a queer artist doing their thing.
I don’t think she'll be needing this, but a huge shout out to Mama Ru! Sounds cliche, but thank you for helping pave way for a global phenomenon that is drag. For a young little brown asian gay boy like me, it’s so hard to see a representation of myself on TV and being able to be that image for younger queer kids out there is beyond belief. So, thank you! Maraming Salamat at Mabuhay ka!
Drag Race Philippines is available exclusively on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. To subscribe click here.