What’s in a name? If you’re a drag queen, the answer is quite a lot. And while some drag names may be nonsensical at best (yes, we’re looking at you, Heidi N Closet!), others are clever and filled with meaning. Like Manila Luzon, a name chosen by a performer who takes colossal pride in her Asian heritage; a name that pays homage to her mother and grandmother, their hometown of Manila, and Luzon, the island on which it sits. 

As far as drag legends go, they don’t get much bigger or more iconic than Manila Luzon. Born in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, to a Filipina mother and an American father, Luzon has competed on three seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, toured the world, appeared in countless TV shows and recorded more music videos than Taylor Swift has had bad breakups. Now, she is going it alone, starring as the Drag Lord of Drag Den, a new drag competition, made “by Filipinos, for Filipinos”—the first season of which was nominated for two Asian Academy Creative Awards (with Manila Luzon taking home the trophy in her category as Best Entertainment Host) while the second is set to premiere globally on Amazon Prime next week. (Read the rest on VOGUE.com.