Lip syncing. To drag fans everywhere, it’s practically its own art form. Dancers, actors, models, musicians, and comedians can all shine in this diverse and inclusive medium, and that’s what makes it so compelling. I mean, it must be an intriguing phenomenon, considering straight people made their own less cool version. Ever seen Lip Sync Battle? Me neither.
But good lip sync artists don't always get the credit they deserve. Lip syncing, at least in the drag world, requires talent, amazing memorization skills, time, creativity, and intense attention to detail. You have to memorize all your words, know which words and syllables to punch, and create a number people want to see just as much or even more than the original version. Queens that lip sync well have the incredible ability to use other people’s music and words to create entirely new performances, breathing life into words that might not have held very much meaning prior and even prompting strong emotional responses in audience members.
Every Monday night, we watch RuPaul choose two queens to lip sync against one another to retain their places in the competition. In the last 10 minutes of the show, we often see wigs flying, costume pieces strewn all over the stage, shoes bucking off, and arms flailing, as queens desperately fight to keep their spots. Throughout watching them battle it out, we often find ourselves as viewers screaming at the TV, jumping up and down, getting chills, or even critiquing the queens’ decisions. I can’t call myself a lip syncing connoisseur. After all, who am I to say what a queen is doing wrong? But here are the things I know are right.
First, some of my favorite LSFYL performances from RuPaul's Drag Race:
Manila vs. Delta
There's no good video, so enjoy this gif as you reminisce.
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Raja vs. Carmen
Roxxxy vs. Alyssa
But lip syncing often looks pretty different in the club or theater setting. Queens have more time to prepare their performances, they can make their own mixes and use props, and they typically don’t have anyone else taking up half of the stage, battling them for $100,000. They’re just performing what they want and getting those tips.
Now take these performance tips from some queens’ incredible lip syncs out in the real world.
Use humor!
The fact that she lip synced a boy song combined with her spot-on impression of Crazy Eyes? Amazing. And extra pro points to Bob the Drag Queen for having this amazing mix to lip sync to. Good mixes are often crucial to mainly comedic lip sync performances.
Dance!
Barbie’s Addiction kills this Ariana tune with an interesting dance lip sync number. We're used to seeing dance lip syncs like Laganja's or Kennedy's with high kicking and leaps galore, and even though Barbie's Addiction is perfectly capable of those things, too, she's absolutely captivating in this punchy, more model-esque version of a dance centric lip sync.
The Haus of Edwards, notorious for dancing the house down, slays the audience with this crowd pleasing number. And of course, the mix is perfect.
Interact with the audience!
Morgan McMichaels does a mean P!nk impersonation, and here's a perfect example of it. The second half of Morgan's lip sync showcases her ability to interact with and hype up a crowd. Seriously, start at 3:20 if you're feeling antsy to see the audience interaction. I love the annoyance on the bartender's face.
Get political!
Bob the Drag Queen kills it again with a hilariously scathing performance. I love a queen that cares about social issues, and this performance will always be one of my favorites.
Use those props!
Evah Destruction knows how to work a stage and a tambourine. Props like tambourines, cell phones, purses, guns (fake, of course), and canes often come into play in amazing lip syncs.
Get sensual.
This is a totally different lip sync for Detox when compared to what we saw from her on Drag Race. She switches out the camp we're familiar with for hilarious raunchiness, and everyone seems to be having a good time.
Know your words and cues, and manipulate every facial feature, especially your mouth!
We know and love queens like Detox and Vicky Vox for their mouth manipulation, but this performance by Evah Destruction has to be one of the most unique lip syncs that relies heavily on using the face for physical comedy. The song choices, the makeup, and the acting are all perfect. Her ability to perform as this over-the-top character is a testament to her creativity and acting prowess.
My favorite kind of lip sync? Music mixed with relevant spoken word.
Morgan is a master performer, and this number is evidence. The Blondie tune combined with the humorous phone calls makes for an adorable number. Also, how the hell did she memorize all those lines?
Oh, and if you’re ever on Drag Race, here’s my parting message and my only "don't"--
Don't take the wig off in your LSFYL. It's cool when planned, but when done out of desperation or unpreparedness on television, you know Michelle gives the side-eye of death, with death being elimination. Venus D-Lite, Stacy Layne Matthews, Shangela, Yara Sofia, Milan, Madame Laqueer, and little Kenya Michaels can vouch for that…
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