From her early days as a wide-eyed aspirant to her whirlwind romance with national fame, and now in her continuing reign as entertainment and pop culture royalty, there remains to be an incontestable fact that Nadine Lustre is an indomitable force and she is showing no signs of slowing down. An award-winning actress, a musician, a sold-out concert performer, creative visionary and entrepreneur, fashion icon, and even a fan-anointed figure head, while cognizant to the attendant boon, curse, and responsibility of her ascent to the pantheon of entertainment greats, editor Leo Balante writes, heavy is the head that wears the crown, but Nadine Lustre has declared herself completely free from edicts on her person other than hers, and has mastered—no, lived and breathed—the art of being Nadine Lustre.

Long before “drag” as an artform and a source of entertainment emerged from the underground scene to global mainstream consciousness, an unassuming but already groundbreaking resto-bar in Malate, O BAR, has long opened its doors to serve as a safe space for the queer community. Sixteen long years later—a few changes in its zip codes, and even with a few other establishments tailing its success, O Bar continues to break through the mold and redefine what a gay bar is and should be, holding itself proud not just as a mecca of talent to some of the most celebrated drag talents in the Philippines, but a heart that continues to pulsate equality, respect, and love for all.

In a wide and ever-changing sea of beautiful faces in entertainment, Iza Calzado stands out and makes an unrelenting stand. As the critically-acclaimed multi-hyphenate continues to take on a diverse slate of marked roles with close to two decades in the business under her belt, not only does she continue to be an acting marvel, she serves up her platform for good, to bring about culture-shaping discussions on empowerment, body positivity, mental health, and self love. Editor Leo Balante looks closer as Calzado shows us what it means to not just be a once-in-a-lifetime showbiz tour-de-force but, more importantly, a complex, uncompromising, but remarkable human being.