Filipino fans flock to see drag Taylor Swift impersonator

By Linh Le July 9, 2023 | 11:39 pm PT

Thousands of Filipino fans attended as close to a Taylor Swift concert as they could ask for when drag singer Taylor Sheesh rocked the stage at a Manila shopping center.

Wearing a gold sequin dress and a long curly blonde wig impersonating Swift’s iconic hairstyle, Taylor Sheesh imitated Swift’s choreography and lip-synced to the American singer’s songs in her 2010 "Speak Now" album, leaving thousands of fans screaming and singing along, reported The Strait Times Sunday.

Taylor Sheesh performs on the stage at a Manila shopping center on July 7, 2023. Photo by AFP

The performance was an event celebrating the release of Swift’s re-recorded version of "Speak Now,"and many fans said they had lined up for four hours to watch Sheesh do her thing.

"She [Taylor] is so popular here [the Philippines]," Sheesh said backstage. "We all know that [for] every situation, there’s always a Taylor Swift song."

Sheesh, a call-center worker whose real name is Mac Coronel, began impersonating Taylor Swift in 2017 and gained popularity after footage of an imitated performance of Swift went viral in May.

Meanwhile, Swift is holding her ongoing "The Eras Tour," with Singapore being the only Southeast Asian country on the tour as of July 10, 2023.