Taylor Sheesh and Taylor Shiteh on Why Two Taylor Swifts Are Better Than One  

CEBU, Philippines —  Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour may not have the Philippines as one of its stops, but that’s not preventing Filipino Swifties from having their own version, thanks to Taylor Sheesh and Taylor Shiteh who have so far performed together twice in Cebu: July 27 at SM Seaside City and August 31 at SM City Cebu.

They’ve had separate gigs here too. One of Sheesh’s stints in a jam-packed nationwide schedule was a performance for University of San Carlos students last August 19 at Family Park near their Talamban campus. Shiteh, meanwhile, has appeared in numerous local events, including one in The Outlets at Pueblo Verde, Lapu-Lapu City on August 12.

Asked by The FREEMAN if they ever tire of performing as the Grammy-winning artist, Shiteh said, “Strike while the iron is hot. People love watching us. As long as we have an audience, we will keep performing. My goal with Sheesh is to make Swifties happy even if Taylor isn’t coming to the Philippines.”

Event organizer John Michael Remollo, who has arranged some of Shiteh’s shows through his company JMR Productions, said that whether it’s just one of them or both in a show, it’s always a full house. “Even if promotions are done through social media only, so many Swifties in Cebu show up. They are excited to see Sheesh and Shiteh perform,” said Remollo.

The performers are treated as celebrities in these events, with the malls’ security guards escorting them towards the stage. Despite this, they still consider themselves regular Swifties who love to perform their favorite artist in drag.

“I don’t consider it a celebrity moment,” said Sheesh. “I am a fan of Taylor and we are celebrating her music with the Swifties. Just like Taylor, we are down-to-earth and humble.”

“She’s really relatable in all aspects, whether for the LGBTQ+ community, children, even the elderly support Taylor,” Shiteh added.

Sheesh

Outside the Sheesh persona, Mac Coronel is a call center agent and an online gamer from Antipolo City. It was that fateful day in 2017 during a Lady Gaga-themed party in Nectar Nightclub when he impersonated the Oscar-winning performer and was egged on by friends to join a lip-sync battle. Emerging victorious, he started performing drag regularly in the same nightclub.

Coronel became a Swiftie in 2008 during Swift’s Fearless era which launched the former country artist to global stardom. Naturally, his favorite artist was part of his drag repertoire.

During an album listening party last year of “Red (Taylor’s Version)”, Coronel dressed up as Swift, and an event organizer asked him do an impromptu performance. The rest is history.

Coronel named his Taylor persona after discovering a photo of his performance on social media with the caption “Sheesh” – an expression of exasperation, though it was used as a play on Swift’s name.

Since her performance at Ayala Malls TriNoma last May 21 at a fan event by Swifties Philippines, Sheesh has received intensive media coverage, beginning with an article in Rolling Stones. Sheesh was recently interviewed by ABC News’ “Good Morning America”, where the anchors praised her creativity.

Videos of Sheesh has gone viral on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. These have been received positively by Swifties from other countries who wish to travel to the Philippines to see Sheesh themselves.

“I feel overwhelmed and forever grateful,” said Sheesh. “I didn’t expect that international media outlets would validate my talent and recognize me as an artist.”

Another Swift impersonator, Ashley Leechin, also became viral within the Swiftie fandom – though not for the right reasons. Fans criticized Leechin for incorporating Swift’s personal life into her act. Many Swifties expressed preference for Sheesh who imitates the star only as a performer.

“I don’t want to be compared because I am not too nosy about the gossip about Ashley,” Sheesh said. “I don’t know her whole story of why she impersonated Taylor so I don’t want to judge her.”

On what makes a good Swift impersonation, Sheesh emphasized the authenticity of their love for Swift. “We provide entertainment and we want to celebrate Taylor’s music. We are not just using Taylor for clout.”

Shiteh

Popoy Delano, aka Shiteh, is a freelance makeup artist from Lapu-Lapu City who started doing drag in 2018 in a gay bar. Aside from Swift, she also impersonates iconic singer Cher.

“Taylor is my favorite artist. It’s comfortable impersonating my idol because there’s no burden doing it,” said Shiteh.

Shiteh has always done Swift in drag here in Cebu before Sheesh’s name was in the headlines, but he was inspired by Sheesh’s rise to fame. While Cebuano Swifties are happy to see Shiteh, the performer has been on the receiving end of bashing on TikTok from those who think there should only be one Swift impersonator.

“I am doing what I want to do. Me and Sheesh are like sisters and we are supportive of each other. I am only annoyed by the comments saying ‘Nasaan si Sheesh? Sino ka?’. Just go to Sheesh’s profile. Why are you commenting on my profile? But other than that, I don’t take it seriously,” Shiteh said.

Sheesh stands by Shiteh and other Taylor impersonators, stating, “We don’t notice bashers because I don’t want comparisons. That’s our number one rule: never compare. Our interpretations of Taylor is part of the aesthetic and brand of our drag. Let’s stop comparing because Taylor supports other artists, so it should be the same for us drag performers.”

While other Pinoy drag artists are gaining prominence by participating in “Drag Race Philippines” and “Drag Den with Manila Luzon”, they’re not sure about taking the same path.

“I had a lot of offers [to join] but let’s see if I have enough money. Me and Shiteh don’t want to join if we are not prepared,” Sheesh said.

“Drag is expensive and I don’t like competition. Maybe soon,” Shiteh added.

Both are seeing Swift next year on the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour. Sheesh will be watching on March 4, while Shiteh has secured a ticket for March 9. They both hope to receive the hat that Swift gives to a lucky audience member during her “22” performance in the tour’s Red segment.

“Hopefully we get the hat because we are broke from buying the tickets,” Sheesh jested.