Maxie (drag queen)

At the age of 13, Maxie, then known as Jayvhot Galang, made his first TV appearance as a contestant on the Philippine variety and game show Wil Time Bigtime. He received a standing ovation from the audience after covering the songs "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "Habang May Buhay" (While There's Life) by AfterImage.^[6]

In 2013, the then-teenage Maxie was cast as the title role in the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)'s Maxie The Musicale: Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, a theater adaptation of the 2005 coming-of-age comedy-drama film Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (English: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros). The musical follows a young gay boy trying to navigate life in a tough Manila neighborhood.^[7] Maxie received critical acclaim for his performance in the musical. Walter Ang of The Philippine Daily Inquirer gave the play itself a negative review, writing that "the self-indulgent staging is overly long and overly loud" and criticized its "faulty" sound system. However, Ang described Maxie as "irrepressibly ebullient" and added, "The sound system lets up during duets and solos, allowing audiences to hear Galang's deft vocal maneuverings. While he lacks technique for some songs requiring a falsetto, his trailing curlicues and soulful delivery are great, while his torch songs and finale anthem are highlights."^[8] Likewise, Rouchelle R. Dinglasan of GMA News wrote in his review, "No doubt a belter like Jayvhot Galang would fit the role of Maxie perfectly in this musical, never mind that this was his first play. The 15-year-old, a self-confessed veteran of amateur singing contests, seemed hesitant to sing in falsetto but when he hit those birit (belted) notes, he definitely carried it with much grace and prowess."^[9] Maxie's theater debut inspired his drag name.^[7]

As a drag queen, Maxie's first TV appearance was in 2021 at the now-defunct Philippine noontime variety show Tropang LOL's Drag Queendom contest.^[10] In 2023, Maxie competed on the second season of the international drag competition series Queen of the Universe and finished in 5th place. In 2024, he won the third season of the Philippine drag reality competition Drag Race Philippines.^[7]

On December 20, 2024, Maxie uploaded a cover of the Skusta Clee song "Dyosa" (Goddess). The cover went viral in the Philippines, accumulating more than 7 million views in a month. Amid its success, Maxie was subjected to online hate speech. On social media, Maxie addressed the idea that he "ruined the fantasy" of the song and questioned why so many of Skusta's fans "got angry" that he covered it. He attributed their anger to homophobia, further asking, "If it's for the straight people, it's only for the straight people? Not allowed for gays?" Numerous netizens came to Maxie's defense online.^[11]

Early in 2025, Maxie held his first solo concert, titled Maxieverse: The Concert, over two days at the Aliw Theater and the MOA Sky Amphitheater.^[12][13] On August 9, 2025, he was announced as one of the hosts of TV5's music countdown show Vibe.^[14] Later, he was invited to perform at the inaugural Filipino Music Awards on October 21, 2025, where he showcased his hit songs "Tado" and "Halika Na Lika Na".^[15]

The media has recognized Maxie as one of the youngest HIV awareness advocates in the Philippines.^[7] Since the age of 14,^[11] he has worked with organizations such as UNICEF Philippines and the National Youth Commission to share information about health, particularly in the context of the LGBTQ+ community and HIV.^[7]

Maxie grew up in San Andres Bukid, Manila, raised by his parents, Angel Jr. and Wilma.^[16] He has five other siblings, and one of whom is Angel, a trans woman who is also his co-competitor in Drag Race Philippines Season 3.^[17] Maxie is a gay man.^[18]