A ‘pandemic’ dream come true for the Divine Divas

Precious Paula Nicole, Brigiding and Viñas DeLuxe are having their first-ever headline show Divine Divas: The Ultimate Drag Experience this Feb. 10 at New Frontier Theater. It’s a dream come true for these drag queens who began their joint act, “Divine Divas,” online to help themselves get through the pandemic.

“This is the product of our dream during the pandemic. Finally, (it’s) a real stage,” Precious, the first-ever Drag Race Philippines winner, recently said of her first major concert with fellow queens Viñas and Brigiding.

The trio continues to be buoyed by the popularity of Drag Race Philippines Season 1, where Precious was crowned “first drag superstar,” while Brigiding and Viñas landed on sixth and seventh places, respectively. The show raised awareness on the country’s thriving drag community. But pre-Drag Race, they’ve been long-time friends brought together by the art of drag.

Precious was first to enter the drag scene 12 years ago. “Before I became a drag queen, I was a stuntman, a double for Thor,” joked Precious before turning serious, “I worked as a professional dancer since I was 16.” She got into drag because “ang ganda lang din tingnan na napapakita mo ang feminine and masculine side, still as a performer.” While it was very hard starting out, Precious said that once you score regular gigs, there’s really a life doing drag.

Brigiding, who got drawn to performing and being in front of audiences while doing ad-promo work at ABS-CBN, met Precious in 2013 when she came to O Bar, known as home to the most popular drag acts. “From there, we became close,” Brigiding, a communication arts grad, recalled.

On the other hand, Viñas met Brigiding after the latter commented on her social media post about a makeup tutorial. “So, chinat ko siya and nagkamabutihan kami ng loob. Nagka-landian ng konti,” Viñas, also a CommArts grad, laughingly shared. “When we went to O Bar, (Brigiding) introduced me as a suitor so entrance would be free of charge hahaha.” That visit made Viñas realize she also wanted to explore the drag world.

Over the pandemic, their friendship was sealed for life. Due to income loss with bars being closed, they started staging Facebook Live shows. The name Divine Divas originated from fans of their virtual hangout, first dubbed Divine Bar, from the gay lingo of “di ba?,” a favorite expression. They didn’t expect it would grow big and last this long. All they wanted was to entertain themselves during a tough period and at the same time, earn.

Precious revealed, “In all fairness po, there were times when we would earn more there than (in) bars… Most of our viewers were new fans of drag. They found us entertaining, especially OFWs and people from the provinces who couldn’t come to Manila.”

This led to another career opportunity, the drag reality competition Drag Race Philippines, which aired mid-2022 on HBO GO. As fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, it was on their bucket list to join one long before the Philippine edition happened.

“Sinumpa talaga namin na dapat tayong tatlo makapasok (we promised each other that all three of us should make it to the first season),” Brigiding said.

Initially, it was only Viñas and Brigiding who were interested in joining. “I told (Precious), ‘Sige, ‘wag ka mag-audition and me and Brigiding will tour, and we will leave you behind.’ So sumali siya. Siya pa ang nanalo! It was a success because after Drag Race, we were able to tour Cebu and other provinces,” Viñas said.

Nevertheless, Drag Race Philippines was where their friendship was tested. “There were misunderstandings and mixed signals na parang siempre nilagay kayo dun para ilabas yung mga good side and best side, best and worst personality traits that before we knew it, we were already hurting each other without even intending to or meaning to,” admitted Brigiding. “We brought that with us even after the show. But when we realized that what happened there doesn’t define who we are or who we should become after the show, our connection with each other was restored and our bond even became tighter.”

Precious agreed, “Drag Race was really one of those things that tested us. We lost trust in each other. We lost focus on the fact that before we became contestants, we were friends because there was just one crown, one prize and everyone of us wanted to win. By doing that and thinking kailangan kong manalo, may nabibitawan kaming salita na ‘di namin alam na masakit pala sa kanya or sa akin… But we were able to solve that afterwards.”

Before the show aired, they also felt the pressure of winning over the public. By the third episode, they were no longer begging people to watch the reality series. They became a hit that shows outside would be packed, with tickets selling out in a minute that at first they thought something was wrong in the ticketing system. What made them happier was that the majority of their audiences were new fans of drag.

From online shows and clubs, they’re now taking on bigger venues like the New Frontier Theater. They will also star in an ABS-CBN/iWant series, Drag You & Me. Viñas has recorded songs under Tarsier Records, while Divine Divas will debut an original song in tonight’s show.

Viñas said, “It’s very very hard to be a drag queen but once mabuo siya, it’s very fulfilling. Once you hear people’s applause, ang sarap ulitin.”

“(It’s) mentally, physically and financially (challenging) because it’s not cheap. Yung mga ginagamit para lang maging ganito ka ganda ay talagang magastos but worth it yung love and support of the people, even through tips, we really appreciate it.”

Any advice to aspiring drag queens, especially those wanting to join Drag Race Philippines Season 2?

“‘Wag na,” Precious joked.

“Marami na kami,” Brigiding quipped.

“‘Wag niyo masyadong galingan para may career pa kami,” Viñas jokingly added.

But on a more serious note, they offered encouraging words being drag queens supporting drag queens.

Brigiding said, “It’s your time to shine. Enjoy!”

Precious said, “Sabi nga ni RuPaul, it’s the beginning of the rest of your life. Don’t forget why you’re there in the competition. Always do the best of the best of the best.”

Divine Divas is mounted by Fire & Ice Media, the production company of singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra and wife, former Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Liza Diño. (Visit www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 891-15555 for tickets.)