Drag artist M1ss Jade So has never been one to blend into the crowd. Known for her theatrical visuals, unapologetic attitude, and commitment to the Filipino queer community, she’s been pushing against the boundaries of what drag can be, even long before she was cast in Season 2 of Drag Race Philippines in 2023.
Whether she’s performing at DIY drag shows or walking the most over-the-top runways, Jade represents a part of the drag scene that bridges glamor with transgressiveness; so when she was invited to appear in the music video of “Perfectly” by English singer-songwriter FKA twigs, known for her similarly avant-garde approach to pop music, it validated to Jade everything she had built from the margins.
In June, Jade travelled to London to see Beyoncé live at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and she posted a video on Instagram showing Beyoncé allegedly noticing her three times in the front row. After the concert at 1 a.m., Jade recounts how she received a message from Parma Ham — producer of a queer club night in London called Wraith, which hosted the album launch of twigs’ latest album, Eusexua — to take part in twigs’ music video.
“Parma was like, ‘Are you in London? Shooting with twigs today and I think you might be great in it,’” Jade recalls. She scrambled to pull together an outfit — fur boa as a top, shawl as a skirt — and got her makeup done in a rush. “By the way, the Wraith clubgoers grew into me. It is a community of queer people who understand each and everyone’s uniqueness. I felt safe, just like the queer techno raves in Manila.”
On set, Jade was starstruck. “I entered the room as twigs tried out clothes in front of me. I fan-girled instantly,” she says. Still, she held back from losing it in front of the team. “She was so sweet. Her team styled my hair [and] shared some makeup for retouching, while, in my head, I’m freaking out sitting beside twigs.” During the shoot, she made sure to catch twigs’ attention during the group dance. “I made [my] way to get beside her and that’s when the eye-to-eye contact happened.” From catching the attention of Beyoncé to sitting alongside twigs (on her last day in London, no less), it all felt like serendipity to Jade. “I went home with a huge smile and happy tears thinking that this [was] my ‘I made it’ moment.”
Eusexua as Manifestation
Jade likens being in the same room as twigs was a spiritual experience. “It may look crazy to others that I’m fan-girling hard even if I met her a few times,” she says, “[but] my adoration for her is different. It is the interconnection of ourselves, resonating with her music, the way she speaks her mind, her principles, her abilities, how she carries herself — and especially her spectacular talents.” She connects this sense of presence to Eusexua, which has become her own personal philosophy and “way of life.” Eusexua has not only helped Jade move through the world without any illusion of modesty, but it further reinforced her transformative act of “godessafication.”
“Goddessa behavior is my charisma and uniqueness,” Jade notes. “Goddessa supremacy is my nerve. Goddessafication is my manifestation and embodiment of my full capabilities.”
