Taylor Sheesh

John Mac Lane Coronel (born November 29, 1994), professionally known as Taylor Sheesh, is a Filipino drag queen known for impersonating American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Taylor Sheesh
refer to caption
Taylor Sheesh performing an Eras Tour emulation at SM Seaside City in Cebu City on 1 August 2023
Born
John Mac Lane Coronel

(1994-11-29) November 29, 1994
NationalityFilipino
Occupations
Years active2017–present
Known forImpersonating Taylor Swift

Having opened for RuPaul's Drag Race contestants in the Philippines, Sheesh has been professionally impersonating Swift since 2017. She rose to national and international fame in 2023 after videos of her free-of-cost shows that emulate the Eras Tour, Swift's 2023–2024 concert tour, in the malls of Philippine cities such as Quezon City, Cebu City, Taguig and Metro Manila went viral on social media. Publications have described Sheesh as "the Philippines' top Taylor Swift impersonator" and her shows as an alternative experience to the Eras Tour.[1]

Early life

John Mac Lane Coronel became a fan of Taylor Swift in 2009, at age 15.[2] His first drag impersonation was of American singer Lady Gaga,[3] when he dressed as her to a nightclub, participated in a "lip-sync battle" contest there unplanned, and won the competition. Coronel was hired to perform drag in the shows organized by the club's manager, and eventually opened for a few RuPaul's Drag Race contestants in the Philippines.[4] He started impersonating Swift in 2017.[5] Coronel stated, "I watched some of her live performances on YouTube and memorized how she performs, how she flicks her hair. How she awkwardly dances."[6] His drag name, Taylor Sheesh, is a combination of Swift's first name and the slang word "sheesh" used to express exasperation.[3] Coronel credited Filipino drag queens Viñas DeLuxe and Marina Summers, contestants of the first season of Drag Race Philippines, with helping improve his drag, aesthetic, brand, and performances.[4]

In 2022, Coronel was discovered by an event organizer when she attended an album-listening party for Swift's second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), dressed as Swift in Market! Market!, a shopping center in the city of Taguig.[3]

Career

In May 2023, videos of Taylor Sheesh performing a free-of-cost replication of the Eras Tour, Swift's sixth concert tour, to a large crowd in a Quezon City mall on May 21, went viral on social media.[7][8] The event was reported by American music magazine Rolling Stone in the mainstream media. Coronel stated that the show was organized by him and Swifties Philippines, a Facebook group.[4] In June 2023, American drag performer Jiggly Caliente was criticized for making fun of Sheesh's appearance on Instagram; Caliente eventually apologized.[9]

Sheesh began receiving international coverage in July 2023.[10] Five thousand fans watched Taylor Sheesh perform in Taguig. Videos of the event accumulated thousands of views on the video-sharing platform, TikTok. When the announced international dates of the Eras Tour did not contain any dates in the Philippines but only included Singapore from Southeast Asia, Coronel's performances were described as an alternative Eras Tour experience for Swift's Filipino fans.[1][11][9] Sheesh also performed at Brooklyn Warehouse, a large event space in the Metro Manila region. NPR journalist Ashley Westerman praised the accuracy of Sheesh' body language and stage presence to those of Swift's, and described Sheesh as "the Philippines' top Taylor Swift impersonator.[1]

In August 2023, Sheesh broke the record for the highest number of attendees for an Eras Tour emulation at The Outlets in Lipa, Batangas, with 10,000 registered attendees. Sheesh performed to over 10,000 attendees for over one and a half hours at Trinoma in Quezon City—her biggest crowd yet, with some fans willing to snag obstructed-view seats "just to get a glimpse of [Sheesh]."[4] In a private show, Sheesh performed for Filipino social media personality Bretman Rock, to celebrate his return to the Philippines, and also entertained at the birthday lunch of Rock's cousin.[12]

In September 2023, Sheesh was the subject of a featurette on an episode of Good Morning America, a US morning television program.[13] In an interview with Vulture, Coronel said that he makes the Taylor Sheesh shows free or affordable "as much as possible", with sponsorships offered by the hosting mall and a few brands. Food and unofficial merchandise from small businesses in the Philippines are also sold in the shows. Sheesh stated that people recognize him in public areas even when he is not in drag.[4]

Personal life

Coronel worked at a call center in the Philippines.[11] In 2018, he quit the call center job to pursue drag full-time, but had to return to his call-center job during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the lack of stable employment for drag performers in the Philippines.[3]

See also

References
  1. Westerman, Ashley (2023). "After snub by Taylor Swift, Filipino 'Swifties' find solace in another Taylor". NPR. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. "Interview with a star Swiftie: Why this call center agent is happiest when he's Taylor Sheesh". ABS-CBN. 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  3. Bautista, Jilianne (2023-07-18). "Everything about Taylor Sheesh, the Drag Queen Taylor Swift impersonator". Your Guide to the Big City. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  4. Gularte, Alejandra (2023-09-01). "If Taylor Swift Isn't Available, Try Taylor Sheesh". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  5. "Philippine 'Swifties' flock to Taylor Sheesh show". France 24. 2023-07-07. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  6. "The viral drag queen giving local Swifties the Eras experience". ABC Everyday. 2023-06-27. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  7. Mier, Tomás (2023-05-23). "Filipino Taylor Swift Stans Packed a Mall to See an Eras Tour Drag Show". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  8. "Filipino drag queen goes viral performing Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at the mall". GAY TIMES. 2023-05-23. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  9. Madarang, Catalina Ricci S. (2023-06-16). "'It's just wrong': Jiggly Caliente expresses apology to Taylor Sheesh after hurtful post". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  10. "Taylor Sheesh fills void for Philippine 'Swifties'". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  11. "A Taylor Swift drag queen rises in the Philippines". Washington Post. 2023-07-21. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  12. "Taylor Sheesh performs for Bretman Rock during his PH visit". CNN Philippines. August 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  13. Antonio, Josiah (September 4, 2023). "Taylor Sheesh featured on 'Good Morning America'". ABS-CBN. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
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