Within the realm of drag where every performer has a unique story to tell, a few names shine as brightly as Marina Summers.
In a span of just five years, the 27-year-old drag sensation catapulted to global prominence through her participation in RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World Season 2.
Let's take a closer look at Marina Summer's foray into the drag scene from a behind-the-scenes producer to a spotlight-stealing artist.
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EARLY LIFE
NAME
Marina's legal name, or what drag queens irreverently refer to as their "government names," is Adrian Matthew Guinto Alabado.
Meanwhile, her stage name "Marina" comes from her love for the beach, while "Summers" comes from her love for the summer season.
On November 9, 2022, Marina replied to a tweet asking what her pronouns are.
She wrote (published as is), "Out of drag - he/him. But she/hers is okay as well only IF you’re addressing MARINA kahit out of drag"
BIRTHDAY
A Sagittarian whose birthday falls on November 28, 1996, Marina is turning 28 this year.
HOMETOWN
Before moving to Manila to finish her studies and pursue a career in drag, Marina was raised in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.
FAMILY
The drag community might refer to all its members as sisters, but outside of it, Marina also has someone to call her biological sister, Mariel Sabrina Sampilo.
Together, they appeared in matching looks and ensembles for the eighth episode of Drag Race Philippines Season 1 titled "Twinning."
Marina wrote about the collab on Twittter, "Wouldn’t wanna have this moment any other way.
"This was such a special moment for me and my sister and no one can take that away from us!"
In the episode, Marina recalled how she used to bond with Mariel through fashion and make-up: "Our story goes way, way back. Nung bata pa lang kami, kumukuha ako ng mga damit niya, sinusuot ko.
"Tapos magla-lock kami sa kuwarto, tapos me-make-up-an ko siya, dadamitan ko siya ng kumot, tapos aayusin ko yung buhok niya.
"Ako kunyari si Tyra Banks tapos siya yung model, tapos tuturuan ko kung paano mag-pose."
EDUCATION
Marina is a proud PUPian, having studied under the College of Communications at Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila.
CAREER
In an interview with Spill the Tea, a British magazine dedicated to drag and the LGBTQ+ community, Marina revealed that she used to produce shows for a living.
"Moving into the city to study at college, that’s when I was immersed in queer culture more so, especially drag culture," she reminisced.
"I started watching local shows and then I was introduced to RuPaul’s Drag Race because of the infamous 'So Emotional' lip-sync battle. That’s when I became more and more invested in drag!
"But really, the defining moment was when I was working behind the scenes."
She explained, "As a producer by profession, I wanted to feature local queens from a bar in Manila for a show that I was working for.
"I interviewed the queens and got to know drag better.
"From makeup to fashion, to performance and to having conversations about drag as a form of expression, art and as a profession, it really sparked that idea in me to start doing drag."
Eventually getting into the art in 2019, it did not take long before Marina became a regular performer at the Nectar Nightclub in Taguig.
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, she also co-founded Drag Playhouse PH, an events organization that provides drag content and entertainment for its patrons.
Drag Race Philippines Season 1
Marina skyrocketed to fame when she participated in Drag Race Philippines, the first Filipino franchise of RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired in 2022.
By the end of the competition, she finished as a runner-up, just second to season winner Precious Paula Nicole.
Her track record during the show was impressive, winning 2 Maxi Challenges and 1 Mini Challenge.
Her iconic entrance quote: "Just like summer, this is my season."
Read: Drag Race Philippines's most controversial and trending episodes
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World Season 2
As the lone representative from Asia competing at RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World Season 2, Marina carries with her the pride of being Pinoy: "Sobrang sarap sa feeling na pumunta ako doon hindi lang as a queen person but as a Filipino."
So far, she has been raking in favorable feedback from fellow drag artists and enthusiasts of the drag scene.
With two episodes out now, Marina left a remarkable impression as the drag queen to earn the first golden RuPeter Badge for the season, after winning the Lip Sync for the World challenge.
Despite not being triumphant at the second episode's Maxi Challenge, she stands strong among candidates who received positive critiques.
MUSIC
Drag queens may have risen to prominence for lip-syncing, but some queens, including Marina, also take the spotlight for their naturally-gifted voices.
From the moment she decided to venture into drag, releasing songs has been part of her aim: "What I love most about singing and making music is that I get to write and talk about how I feel.
"Just like drag, it’s my creative vessel to create content, art and masterpieces," she said in the same interview with Spill the Tea.
Launching her music career in 2020 with the single "I Have Arrived," Marina has always wanted to get people to know the feeling of being bejeweled and at their peak.
In 2022 and 2023, she released the singles "Divine" and "Ride 4 Me" respectively, adding more choices in the sultry music category.
Without missing a beat, Marina continues to bless her fans with feel-good music through "AMAFILIPINA," introduced early this year.
She became an unstoppable force during her performance on the stage of It's Showtime on February 21, 2024.
The stage started with a grand entrance of Marina belting the lyrics: "Amafilipina. Filipina Winnah!"
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