Taylor Sheesh

{{Infobox person

| name = Taylor Sheesh

| image = Taylor Sheesh at Fisher Mall Malabon.jpg

| alt = refer to caption

| caption = Sheesh performing at Fisher Mall Malabon on November 24, 2023

| birth_name = John Mac Lane Coronel

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|11|29}}

| nationality = Filipino

| occupation = {{hlist|Drag queen|social media personality|former call center worker}}

| years_active = 2017–present

| known_for = Impersonating Taylor Swift

}}

John Mac Lane Coronel (born November 29, 1994), better known by their stage name Taylor Sheesh, is a Filipino drag queen known for impersonating the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Having opened for RuPaul's Drag Race contestants in the Philippines, Sheesh has been professionally impersonating Swift since 2017.

Sheesh rose to national and international fame in 2023 after videos of her{{NoteTag|Coronel's pronouns are he/him. However, when he performs as Sheesh, Sheesh's pronouns are she/her. This article uses both sets of pronouns accordingly.|name=A}} 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.

Early life

John Mac Lane Coronel grew up in Manila, the Philippines. His{{NoteTag|name=A}} father was a car electrician and his mother is a housewife. He became a fan of Taylor Swift in 2009, at age 15, while he was a high school student of Sta. Catalina National High School in Antipolo, Rizal.{{cite news|url=https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/525013/the-glam-that-is-taylor-sheesh-a-glimpse-inside-philippines-rising-drag-artist|title=The glam that is 'Taylor Sheesh': A glimpse inside Philippines' rising drag artist|first=Jessa|last=Ngojo|date=September 3, 2023|accessdate=December 22, 2023|publisher=Cebu Daily News}}{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Interview with a star Swiftie: Why this call center agent is happiest when he's Taylor Sheesh |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/07/11/23/mac-coronel-is-happiest-when-hes-taylor-sheesh |website=ABS-CBN |access-date=2023-07-22 |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004833/https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/07/11/23/mac-coronel-is-happiest-when-hes-taylor-sheesh |url-status=live }} He listened to Swift's 2009 single "Fifteen", following her music ever since, and "memorising all her mannerisms—her moves, her songs and choreography".{{Cite web |last=Ratcliffe |first=Rebecca |date=November 1, 2023 |title=Meet drag star Taylor Sheesh, the Philippines' answer to Swiftie mania |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/01/from-call-centre-worker-to-drag-star-taylor-sheesh-the-philippines-answer-to-swiftie-mania |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=The Guardian}} His first drag impersonation was of American singer Lady Gaga,{{Cite web |last=Bautista |first=Jilianne |date=2023-07-18 |title=Everything about Taylor Sheesh, the Drag Queen Taylor Swift impersonator |url=https://villagepipol.com/everything-about-taylor-sheesh-the-drag-queen-taylor-swift-impersonator/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=Your Guide to the Big City |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722044915/https://villagepipol.com/everything-about-taylor-sheesh-the-drag-queen-taylor-swift-impersonator/ |url-status=live }} 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. He started impersonating Swift in 2017.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-07 |title=Philippine 'Swifties' flock to Taylor Sheesh show |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230707-philippine-swifties-flock-to-taylor-sheesh-show |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004833/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230707-philippine-swifties-flock-to-taylor-sheesh-show |url-status=live }} 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."{{Cite web |date=2023-06-27 |title=The viral drag queen giving local Swifties the Eras experience |url=https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/taylor-sheesh-swift-drag-and-the-eras-tour/102528684 |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=ABC Everyday |language=en-AU |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004834/https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/taylor-sheesh-swift-drag-and-the-eras-tour/102528684 |url-status=live }} His drag name, Taylor Sheesh, is a combination of Swift's first name and the slang word "sheesh" used to express exasperation. 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.

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 mall in Taguig.

Career

File:Taylor Sheesh.jpg emulation at SM Seaside City in Cebu City on August 1, 2023]]

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 at Trinoma mall in Quezon City on May 21, went viral on social media.{{Cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |date=2023-05-23 |title=Filipino Taylor Swift Stans Packed a Mall to See an Eras Tour Drag Show |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-philippines-drag-show-eras-tour-1234740131/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722010615/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-philippines-drag-show-eras-tour-1234740131/ |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |access-date=2023-07-22 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-23 |title=Filipino drag queen goes viral performing Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at the mall |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/filipino-drag-queen-goes-viral-performing-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-at-the-mall/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=GAY TIMES |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004834/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/filipino-drag-queen-goes-viral-performing-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-at-the-mall/ |url-status=live }} 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. In June 2023, American drag performer Jiggly Caliente was criticized for making fun of Sheesh's appearance on Instagram; Caliente eventually apologized.{{Cite web |last=Madarang |first=Catalina Ricci S. |date=2023-06-16 |title='It's just wrong': Jiggly Caliente expresses apology to Taylor Sheesh after hurtful post |url=https://interaksyon.philstar.com/celebrities/2023/06/16/253839/its-just-wrong-jiggly-caliente-expresses-apology-to-taylor-sheesh-after-hurtful-post/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=Interaksyon |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004835/https://interaksyon.philstar.com/celebrities/2023/06/16/253839/its-just-wrong-jiggly-caliente-expresses-apology-to-taylor-sheesh-after-hurtful-post/ |url-status=live }}

Sheesh began receiving international coverage in July 2023.{{Cite web |title=Taylor Sheesh fills void for Philippine 'Swifties' |url=https://www.scmp.com/video/asia/3227468/taylor-swift-impersonator-fills-void-philippine-swifties-after-no-show-us-megastar |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722005104/https://www.scmp.com/video/asia/3227468/taylor-swift-impersonator-fills-void-philippine-swifties-after-no-show-us-megastar |archive-date=2023-07-22 |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=South China Morning Post}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Westerman |first=Ashley |date=2023 |title=After snub by Taylor Swift, Filipino 'Swifties' find solace in another Taylor |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/21/1188239232/taylor-swift-impersonator-taylor-sheesh-philippines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722005943/https://www.npr.org/2023/07/21/1188239232/taylor-swift-impersonator-taylor-sheesh-philippines |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |access-date=August 15, 2023 |website=NPR}}{{Cite news |date=2023-07-21 |title=A Taylor Swift drag queen rises in the Philippines |language=en |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/21/taylor-swift-drag-queen-philippines/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722005725/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/21/taylor-swift-drag-queen-philippines/ |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |url-status=live}} Sheesh also performed at Brooklyn Warehouse, a large event space in the Metro Manila region.

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.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} 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]."{{Cite web |last=Gularte |first=Alejandra |date=2023-09-01 |title=If Taylor Swift Isn't Available, Try Taylor Sheesh |url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/09/taylor-swift-drag-taylor-sheesh-philippines.html |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=Vulture |language=en-us}} 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.{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Sheesh performs for Bretman Rock during his PH visit |url=https://www.cnnphilippines.com/entertainment/2023/8/27/taylor-sheesh-performance-bretman-rock-ph-visit.html |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=CNN Philippines |language=en |archive-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830061348/https://www.cnnphilippines.com/entertainment/2023/8/27/taylor-sheesh-performance-bretman-rock-ph-visit.html |url-status=dead }}

In September 2023, Sheesh was the subject of a featurette on an episode of Good Morning America, a US morning television program.{{Cite web |last=Antonio |first=Josiah |date=September 4, 2023 |title=Taylor Sheesh featured on 'Good Morning America' |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/09/04/23/taylor-sheesh-featured-on-good-morning-america |access-date=September 4, 2023 |website=ABS-CBN}} 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. Sheesh told The Guardian that her performances are "not for clout or fame but to celebrate [Swift's] music".

In February 2024, Sheesh attended the Eras Tour in Tokyo, Japan.{{Cite web |title=LOOK: Taylor Sheesh gushes over seeing Taylor Swift in 'Eras Tour' in Japan |url=https://philstarlife.com/celebrity/331972-taylor-sheesh-sees-taylor-swift-for-the-first-time-in-eras-tour-in-japan? |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=Philstar Life}} She was interviewed by the Australian radio channel SBS Filipino on February 14, wherein she confirmed that she is set to headline the Errors Tour—a free concert at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, on February 16, 2024, marking Sheesh's first international show in tribute to Swift.{{Cite web |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Taylor Sheesh on being an impersonator, breadwinner, and how Taylor Swift changed her life |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/filipino/en/podcast-episode/taylor-sheesh-on-being-an-impersonator-breadwinner-and-how-taylor-swift-changed-her-life/q0i5uzzb0 |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=SBS Filipino |language=en}} Around 9,000 attended the concert. On February 17, Sheesh appeared on Australian breakfast program Today.https://x.com/TheTodayShow/status/1758622663801487589?s=20{{cite news |last1=Antonio |first1=Josiah |title=Taylor Sheesh featured on Australian talk show 'Today' |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/2/18/taylor-sheesh-featured-on-australian-talk-show-today-011 |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=ABS CBN News |date=18 February 2024}} She delivered four performances in Singapore, the Southeast Asian stop of the Eras Tour, in March 2024, and facilitated the boarding announcement for Cebu Pacific flight 5J1989, named in honor of 1989, Swift's fifth studio album, bound for Singapore.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-03 |title=Taylor Sheesh becomes ground crew announcer for flight 5J 1989 bound for Singapore |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/899299/taylor-sheesh-becomes-ground-crew-announcer-for-flight-5j-1989-bound-for-singapore/story/ |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=GMA News Online |language=en}}

In April 2024, Sheesh was physically assaulted by a male audience member during a concert in Bayambang, Pangasinan. It sparked renewed calls for the passage of an anti-discrimination bill that would protect members of the LGBTQ community from harassment and violence in the Philippines. Bayambang Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao condemned the assault on her social media. Sheesh urged the Congress of the Philippines to pass the SOGIE bill (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Equality Bill).{{Cite web |date=2024-04-17 |title=Attack on Taylor Sheesh sparks calls for more LGBTQ protections in Philippines |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3259314/attack-philippine-drag-artist-taylor-sheesh-sparks-outrage-and-renewed-calls-lgbtq-equality-bill |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

Media reception

NPR journalist Ashley Westerman praised the accuracy of Sheesh's body language and stage presence to those of Swift's, and described Sheesh as "the Philippines' top Taylor Swift impersonator". The Guardian said, "on stage, Sheesh moves much like the American star, with the same hair flicks and hand gestures." BBC described Sheesh as "the Taylor Swift drag tribute dazzling Asia" and praised her outfits—"an impressive collection of fringed outfits and bejewelled leotards".

Coronel's life story and Sheesh's rise to fame are to be featured on an episode of the Philippine anthology television show Magpakailanman, starring Filipino actors Luis Hontiveros and Boobay.{{cite news |date=April 12, 2024 |title=Taylor Sheesh's story to be featured on 'Magpakailanman' |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/showbiz/chikaminute/903456/taylor-sheesh-s-story-to-be-featured-on-magpakailanman/story/ |accessdate=April 13, 2024 |publisher=GMA Integrated News}}

Personal life

Coronel worked at a call center in the Philippines. 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. In 2023, Coronel again quit the call center and began pursuing drag full-time, touring the Philippines as Sheesh. He uses the female pronouns when in character as Sheesh and the male pronouns outside the stage.{{Cite news |last=Bonnie McLaren |first=Mitch Mansfield |date=2024-02-22 |title=Taylor Sheesh: The Taylor Swift drag tribute dazzling Asia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-68353191 |access-date=2024-02-29 |work=BBC Newsbeat |language=en-GB}}

Coronel is gay. He realized he was gay as a child and has stated it was "something his family could not accept"; however, following his success as Sheesh, his relatives have "congratulated" him.