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Despite what some lawmakers around the country are trying, the art of drag is not going anywhere. Case in point, RuPaul’s Drag Race continues its supreme reign as the pinnacle of modern reality television.
With its latest season, Drag Race managed to up the stakes not only financially (with a newly-boosted $200,000 cash prize) or in terms of network (the show made the jump from VH1 to MTV this year), but through its execution as well — with its largest-ever cast of 16 talented queens, each episode of the hit show’s 15th season saw every contestant working hard to earn their keep.
While the queens gave their all in each of the maxi challenges — including Drag Race staples like Snatch Game and the Rusical — it was season 15’s lip syncs where the queens really brought their A-game. Whether it was a Lip Sync For Your Life to survive another week on the show, or a Lip Sync Lalaparuza performance in the show’s battle royale format, every queen who appeared on season 15 had to rely on their lip sync abilities in order to impress throughout a season where everyone seemed impressive.
But which of this season’s many lip syncs stood out amongst the rest … and which ones failed to impress? Ahead of the finale airing this Friday (April 14), Billboard is taking a look back at all 20 of the lip syncs performed thus far on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15, and ranking them from worst to best. Check out where your favorite landed below:
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Spice: Camila Cabello, “Don’t Go Yet”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Rule number one of every lip sync, on or off RuPaul’s Drag Race: you must know the words to the song. Yet in this Lalaparuza lip sync, neither queen could manage to remember the song’s lyrics — with one even choosing the song as a means of sabotaging the other. Both Malaysia and Spice ended up bopping around the stage while trying to hide the fact that they simply had no idea what Camila Cabello was singing on the song’s chorus.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Salina EsTitties: Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
The moment that “Single Ladies” began playing in this mid-season Lip Sync For Your Life, members of the BeyHive everywhere got excited — at long last, one of Beyoncé’s most iconic hits would be making its Drag Race debut. But by the time it had ended, even lip sync winner Salina EsTitties was offering up an apology to Queen Bey. Neither queen managed to match the song’s hype or energy in this largely lackluster lip sync, though Salina’s commitment to recreating the video choreography beat-by-beat was at least admirable.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Spice: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”
For a song as gritty as “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” we expected these queens to get much more into it than they ultimately did. Both Loosey and Spice seemed to lack the raw, punk spirit of the song, instead aiming for safe performances that would remove them from the Lalaparuza tournament. In the end, Loosey did manage to put some funny moments into the song, earning her early exit from the contest. But, in the words of Marcia Marcia Marcia watching from a couch: “Pick it up girls, c’mon.”
Watch the full lip sync here.
Amethyst vs. Princess Poppy: Diana Ross, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Along with knowing your words, reading the room is the key to a good lip sync. That’s clearly what Amethyst did when giving her performance to Diana Ross’ rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Matching the groove of the song with the vibe of her performance, Amethyst delivered a perfectly serviceable, if not somewhat boring, lip-sync to an iconic song. Princess Poppy, on the other hand, decided to show as much of her “between-me-down-there” (as RuPaul would call it) as possible, making for a very strange and one-sided lip sync.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Salina EsTitties vs. Spice: Lil Nas X, “That’s What I Want”
The real criminal in this lip sync was the choice of song. Both Salina and Spice did fine given the assignment, but we’re stuck wondering why “That’s What I Want” was the song picked out of all Lil Nas X’s discography for a Lip Sync For Your Life. “Call Me By Your Name (Montero),” “Industry Baby,” and even “Old Town Road” would have all been much better choices with clearer paths to success for either of these two queens, while “That’s What I Want” offered very little for our performers to act on.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Salina EsTitties: Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Hear us out on this one. Yes, objectively speaking, this was a very bad lip sync — Loosey and Salina tried “Running Up That Hill” and instead came tumbling down it. But sometimes, a performance can be so bad that it transcends objectivity and becomes compelling again, and that’s what ended up happening here. A lip sync is meant to entertain, and watching a very sad sea monster and a hot-dog-fingered abstract painting try to convey the complicated emotions of Kate Bush’s classic single turned out to be very entertaining, indeed.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Sugar vs. Spice: Pat Benatar, “You Better Run”
Much like the “Running Up That Hill” lip sync, the inevitable showdown between Sugar and Spice entered into “so bad it’s good” territory pretty early on. Watching these twinning queens work together with matching choreography in a competitive lip sync, only to have one of them actually face-plant twice on national television is the kind of high-camp comedy we’ve come to expect from Drag Race. It’s giving pure chaos, which we simply love to see.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Anetra vs. Luxx Noir London vs. Jax: Vanessa Williams, “The Right Stuff”
There is no denying after watching season 15 that Anetra, Luxx and Jax are all incredibly gifted lip sync performers in their own right. But when tasked with performing at the same time to Vanessa Williams’ iconic “The Right Stuff,” it suddenly became very hard to follow who was doing what. Had this been a classic head to head showdown between two of these three, we imagine this lip sync could have been one for the books. But by introducing a third queen, the stage suddenly became too jumbled with kicks and splits and drops to fairly discern which queen was winning.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Anetra vs. Mistress Isabelle Brooks: David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland, “When Love Takes Over”
The final showdown ahead of the season 15 finale was another bit of proof that dancing and stunts are not what makes a good lip sync performance. For the majority of this head-to-head, both Anetra and Mistress Isabelle Brooks remained in their respective spots on the stage, choosing to let their faces do the performing. Sure, we still got some duck-walking from Anetra and some speedbag punches from Mistress, but this lip-sync was sold by the passion in both queens’ faces throughout.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Amethyst vs. Irene Dubois: Ariana Grande, “7 Rings”
If you listen to the beat and tempo of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” you’ll realize that the star’s casual-flex anthem is not that easy to dance to — and yet both Amethyst and Irene Dubois still managed to bop and shake their way into a memorable premiere lip sync. While Irene’s laid-back, sexed-up performance certainly managed to pull our attention, Amethyst’s spot-on embodiment of the track’s energy won her the day, with Ariana herself smiling in approval.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Jax vs. Robin Fierce: The Bangles, “In Your Room”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
The Bangles may not be an obvious pick for a RuPaul’s Drag Race lip sync smackdown, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way that Jax and Robin Fierce performed to their single “In My Room.” Offering up two completely different performances, Robin showed off her flowing dance chops, while Jax proved to be a lightning-fast, endlessly agile performer, each stunning the judges in their own ways. Even with her A-tier stunts and choreo, Jax still got a run for her money from Robin, making their face-off all the more entertaining to watch.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Luxx Noir London vs. Salina EsTitties: Celine Dion, “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”
Lip-synch smarter, not harder. That may as well have been Salina EsTitties’ motto when she faced off with Luxx Noir London to Celine Dion’s iconic “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” for the Lalaparuza. Picking and choosing when in the song she would serve emotion, camp or sexuality, Salina proved to be a master of timing with this performance. For every beat of the song, she kept viewers on their toes, wondering where she would take them next — which helps, since it left few eyeballs on Luxx’s lip sync.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Loosey LaDuca vs. Luxx Noir London: Hayley Kiyoko, “For the Girls”
There is nothing better in a Lip Sync For Your Life than seeing a queen who will do whatever she has to in order to stay, which is exactly what we got with Luxx and Loosey’s Hayley Kiyoko showdown. Where Loosey tried to show some restraint, Luxx let herself go wild in this performance. Utilizing dips, drops and more hair flips than we can could, Luxx proved that sometimes, the key to winning is being nothing but utterly confident.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Anetra vs. Jax: CeCe Peniston, “Finally”
At the end of a lip-sync marathon and performing their third number in a matter of minutes, Anetra and Jax were both understandably tired by the time they arrived at CeCe Peniston’s “Finally.” But even when they were both worn down, this pair of lip sync superstars managed to turn out one of the highest-energy lip syncs of the season. Pulling out every dance move in their repertoire to this certified bop, the queens gave viewers whiplash with how quickly we felt ourselves bouncing back and forth between their gag-worthy moves, resulting in a photo-finish decision from the judges’ panel.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx vs. Marcia Marcia Marcia: Anitta, “Boys Don’t Cry”
Everyone loves an underdog. When Marcia Marcia Marcia was seemingly singled-out for this Lalaparuza lip-sync as a queen who could be beat, she had a tall task when it came to proving herself. Yet prove herself she did, showing everyone that she wasn’t joking when she said she was a classically-trained dancer. Every move in this performance was purposeful and clean, as Marcia whipped around the stage like a hurricane made of pure drag, leaving Malaysia deep in her wake.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Amethyst vs. Salina EsTitties: Janelle Monáe, “Q.U.E.E.N.”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Guest judge Janelle Monáe said all that needed to be said when she started screaming mid-lip sync. When the original artist cannot help but yelp at your performance, you know you’ve done something right. Amethyst and Salina both knew their assignment from the song’s first note —the lyrics literally instruct you to be “a freak for getting down.” But it was Salina who embodied every ounce of swagger found in “Q.U.E.E.N,” while also adding her perfectly-executed bits (like losing her skirt for the “skirt on the ground” lyric) to make this lip sync one for the history books.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Mistress Isabelle Brooks vs. Jax: Taylor Dayne, “Tell It To My Heart”
Going up against a noted lip-sync assassin like Jax would be nerve-wracking for any queen … unless, of course, you’re Mistress Isabelle Brooks. The self-proclaimed “heavyweight champ” earned her title with this stunning lip sync to “Tell it to My Heart”. Instead of falling into the trap of attempting to outdance a trained dancer, Mistress instead focused on the drama of the song, utilizing her already-commanding stage presence for a phenomenal embodiment of this late ’80s dance-pop classic.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Aura Mayari vs. Jax: Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa, “Sweetest Pie”
There was no “Pie” leftover after this lip sync ended, because Jax ate and left no crumbs. While Aura struggled to remember all the words to Megan Thee Stallion’s rapid-fire rap, Jax remained cool, calm and collected while hitting every word and every movement of this song with perfect precision. Every flip and roll she did throughout the number landed with grace, fluidly transitioning each time into her next “oh my god how did she do that” trick. We’d say that Aura did a good job, too, but if we’re being honest, we kind of forgot that she was there about halfway through this incredible routine.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Anetra vs. Sasha Colby: Fifth Harmony, “I’m In Love With A Monster”
There is a reason that this lip sync was the showdown fans had been waiting for until it finally happened in episode 8. Anetra and Sasha are two of the best lip sync artists in the show’s history, and having them battle it out to Fifth Harmony halfway through the season felt like a gift for fans who’d been dedicated to keeping up with the season. Both queens had their words, their stunts, their acting and their presence down to a science throughout this high-octane number, never letting up on the gas. How the judges decided which of these two won or lost is simply beyond us.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Anetra vs. Marcia Marcia Marcia: Doja Cat, “Boss Bitch”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
By every possible metric you can judge a lip sync from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Anetra and Marcia Marcia Marcia’s “Boss Bitch” performance gets a perfect score. Words? Dance moves? Face-serving? Storyline? Moments that make you say out loud “wait did she actually just leap over her body?” 10’s, 10’s, 10’s across the board.
Anetra and Marcia definitively showed what makes the Lip Sync For Your Life format — and for that matter, the art of lip-synching itself — so compelling; from the moment Doja Cat groaned “Mmm, I ain’t tryna,” both queens kept their audience rapt while they masterfully executed perfectly plotted-out presentations. While there were plenty of excellent lip-syncs throughout season 15, none of them came close to the masterclass displayed here.
Watch the full lip sync here.
Swifties worldwide felt a collective sense of heartbreak on Saturday (April 8), when reports emerged that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have split after six years of dating.
“The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” a source reportedly told ET. Billboard has since reached out to representatives for Swift and Alwyn, but had not received a response. The couple has yet to publicly reveal the status of their relationship.
Swift began dating the actor, who has appeared in a number of films including 2018’s The Favourite and 2022’s Conversations With Friends, in 2016. They’ve stayed private about their relationship throughout the past six years, though they’ve mentioned each other in interviews.
Alwyn also worked with Swift on her albums under the pen name William Bowery, winning his first Grammy in 2021 as a co-producer of Swift’s album of the year winner, Folklore (along with Swift, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner).
On Evermore, Alwyn co-wrote “Champagne Problems,” The National-assisted “Coney Island” and “Evermore.” And on Swift’s most recent release, Midnights, he contributed to “Sweet Nothing.”
We’ve compiled a timeline of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship, which you can check out below. We also have a timeline of everything the former couple has said about each other, which you can find here.
November 2016 – Swift Attends ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ Premiere
After rumors began swirling that Swift met Alwyn at the 2016 Met Gala, and that the duo attended a Kings of Leon concert a month after the superstar’s split from Tom Hiddleston, the first public sighting of Swift and Alwyn in the same location came in November 2016.
Swift was joined by her mom and friends Este and Alana Haim at the Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk premiere, in which Alwyn plays the titular character.
May 2017: First Reports of a Relationship
The Sun published a report that the duo had been together for a few months.
“This isn’t a new couple alert or a secret relationship – the only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us, Taylor and Joe’s closest friends and their families, were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time,” a source reportedly told the publication. “After her 1989 tour and all the attention Taylor received, she learned she had to be more protective of her personal life and she and Joe decided early on to keep their private life private.”
Summer 2017 – First Paparazzi Photos
The couple was finally caught in public in June 2017, when they were seen sitting on a balcony in Nashville. A month lather, they were snapped leaving Swift’s NYC apartment (while trying very hard to be incognito).
May 2018 – Instagram Official (Kind Of)
Both Alwyn and Swift posted photos of themselves (solo) next to the same exact cactus, which the actor later admitted was unintentional. “I didn’t even think of that until I was in New York and someone else mentioned it,” he said, according to ET. “It wasn’t purposeful at all!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bif99lZH4NY
https://www.instagram.com/p/BihcBfFB5yc
September 2018 – Joe Talks About Taylor for the First Time
“I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” he said of their relationship. “I think we have been successfully very private, and that has now sunk in for people.”
“But I really prefer to talk about work,” he added.
November 2018 – Swift Posts About Alwyn’s Movie
Another subtle Instagram nod to their relationship came when Swift promoted The Favourite, in which Alwyn played Samuel Masham. She even tagged Alwyn in the caption.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqgSGXVl22M
February 2019 – Swift and Alwyn Step Out at BAFTAS After Party.
The duo walked hand-in-hand, with Alwyn dressed in a sleek tuxedo and Swift in a pale blue Stella McCartney dress, as they headed out of the party.
August 2019 – The ‘Lover’ Era
In August 2019, Swift released her seventh studio album Lover, which she revealed during a YouTube Live is about relationships and her current “lover.” Fans then began noticing clues about the couple in songs like “London Boy,” “Cornelia Street,” “Paper Rings” and the album’s title track.
October 2019 – ‘SNL’ After Party
After Swift took the stage at Saturday Night Live, the couple were seen holding hands while heading to New York’s Zuma for the show’s after party.
December 2019 – Alwyn Attends ‘Cats’ Premiere
Alwyn supported Swift at the premiere of Cats, in which she played Bombalurina.
January 2020 – Date Night at the Golden Globes
While the duo didn’t walk the red carpet together at the 2020 Golden Globes, where Swift was nominated for best original song for her and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats track “Beautiful Ghosts,” the couple sat together inside the venue.
April 2020 – Benjamin Button Photos
With COVID-19 spreading rapidly, Swift and Alwyn seemed to enjoy quarantining together, as Alwyn shared multiple photos of the singer’s cat Benjamin Button.
July 2020 – William Bowery Enters the Scene
With the release of Folklore, fans noticed a mysterious William Bowery credited as a writer on both “Exile” and “Betty.”
Fans immediately began speculating that Bowery was Alwyn, as the couple had spent a lot of time in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City early in their relationship.
November 2020 – Swift Reveals ‘Peace’ Is About Alwyn
During a conversation with Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone, Swift shared that the Folklore track is “actually more rooted in my personal life. I know you have done a really excellent job of this in your personal life: carving out a human life within a public life, and how scary that can be when you do fall in love and you meet someone, especially if you’ve met someone who has a very grounded, normal way of living. I, oftentimes, in my anxieties, can control how I am as a person and how normal I act and rationalize things, but I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives. I can’t control if there’s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.”
She added that while Alwyn “absolutely” understands her life, the relationship has changed her perspective on privacy. “Whether that’s deciding where to live, who to hang out with, when to not take a picture—the idea of privacy feels so strange to try to explain, but it’s really just trying to find bits of normalcy. That’s what that song ‘Peace’ is taking about. Like, would it be enough if I could never fully achieve the normalcy that we both crave?”
November 2020 – William Bowery’s Identity Is Revealed
In Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions, Swift revealed that the identity of Bowery is none other than Alwyn, confirming fan speculation. “There’s been a lot of discussion about William Bowery and his identity because it’s not a real person,” she said in the Disney+ special. “William Bowery is Joe, as we know.”
December 2020 – William Bowery Reappears on ‘Evermore’
Bowery is credited on the album’s “Champagne Problems,” “Coney Island” and “Evermore.”
April 2021 – Alwyn Is Officially a Grammy Winner
Alwyn co-produced six songs on Folklore, which won album of the year at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards – “Exile,” “Betty,” “My Tears Ricochet,” “August,” “This Is Me Trying” and “Illicit Affairs.” In addition, he co-wrote “Exile” and “Betty” under the pseudonym William Bowery.
March 2022 – The Couple Attends Pre-Oscars Party
“Taylor was introducing Joe to many people around her,” a source told E! of CAA’s pre-Oscars party at the San Vicente Bungalows. “She looked smitten and proud to be there with him.”
Another source said the two “were very coupley and cute and seemed happy to be there together. Taylor and Joe were together all night. He was leading her around introducing her to people, and Taylor also introducing people to Joe. When Joe was leading Taylor around, he held his arm around her back.”
April 2022 – Alwyn Addressed Engagement Rumors
Rumors had been circulating for years that the duo planned to tie the knot, but Alwyn kept the topic private as usual. “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”
June 2022 – Bahamas Vacation
TMZ shared photos of the couple kissing while swimming in the ocean, and relaxing on sun beds during their sunny vacation.
February 2023 – “Lavender Haze” Music Video
Before releasing Midnights, Swift revealed to fans that “Lavender Haze” is inspired by her relationship with Alwyn. “I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men,” the musical artist explained in a post on Instagram. “I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would describe being in love…If you were in the lavender haze, then that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”
She continued, “I guess theoretically, when you’re in the lavender haze, you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud. I think a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just ‘public figures’, because we live in the era of social media. If the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re going to weigh in on it.”
When the music video for the song was released in February 2023, Swift snuck in one of her famous Easter Eggs on a “Mastermind” vinyl that appears in the clip. On the cover are Sagittarius and Pisces constellations, which are Swift and Alwyn’s zodiac signs, respectively.
April 2023 – Breakup Reports
According to ET, a source said the breakup was amicable and “was not dramatic.”
“The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” the source reportedly noted. Swift and Alwyn have yet to publicly confirm or deny the split.
Shady singer extraordinaire Randy Rainbow is well-known for his politically charged parody videos.
Although they started off as mock interviews with politicians and celebrities, Randy eventually showed off his singing abilities in parody music videos based on Broadway tunes and pop hits. In these videos, Randy has taken a particular interest in President Trump and his administration.
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Not only does he have incredibly versatile vocals, Randy is also a hilariously talented lyricist. His sharp wit and tongue are the perfect tools that allow him to create the most scathing videos, guaranteed to make you laugh.
Here are 43 times Randy Rainbow has read Trump for filth since the start of his 2016 presidential campaign.
“Ya Got Trump Trouble”
“Ya Got Trump Trouble” was Randy Rainbow’s first-ever political satire song about Trump. Randy made this video in response to Trump’s official GOP nomination in 2016, and it got more than 4 million views on Facebook. In this song, Randy warns the American people of the impending chaos that Trump will unleash should he win the 2016 election, all to the tune of “Ya Got Trouble” from Music Man.
Watch here.
“Grab ‘Em by the P—y!”
In this video, Randy plays the role of Trump’s conscience and offers him some advice about one of his earlier scandals in 2016. The parody was made in response to Trump’s infamous discussion about condoning the sexual assault of women in a 2005 recording.
Watch here.
“Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence”
“Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence” was Randy’s final warning to the American public that voting for the duo on Election Day would be a very bad idea. Sadly, not even this solid rendition of “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins would be enough to prevent the election outcome.
Watch here.
“Donald Trump, Grow Up!”
After Mike Pence was booed during a showing of Hamilton, Trump took to Twitter to defend the vice president. In response to his stance, Randy crafted this Hamilton-inspired track that completely roasts Trump.
Watch here.
“Tweets, Tweets & Nothing But Tweets”
In “Tweets, Tweets & Nothing But Tweets,” Randy rants about Trump’s incessant tweeting to the tune of “Greens Greens” from Into the Woods. Not only is Randy completely over Trump’s never-ending stream of tweets, but he also hilariously points out all of the spelling errors Trump has made in several of his ridiculous tirades.
Watch here.
“You’re Making Things Up Again Donald!”
Randy holds nothing back in this parody of “Making Things Up Again” from Book of Mormon. In the song, Randy opens up with Donald spewing made-up facts about other countries and calls Trump out on spreading false claims.
Watch here.
“Putin and the Ritz”
Randy grills Jeff Sessions in a mock interview at the beginning about Trump’s involvement with Vladimir Putin and Russia. After breaking into a parody version of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Irving Berlin, Randy comes for Trump’s relationship with Putin and also drags Trump’s entire staff for failing to keep it a secret.
Watch here.
“Unpopular”
Randy’s response to Trump’s dwindling support during his first 100 days in office came in the form of this parody of “Popular” from Wicked. In the song, Randy lists all of Trump’s controversies and failures that have surrounded him since his inauguration at the beginning of 2017.
Watch here.
“The Russian Connection”
Randy takes on Trump in an interview about James Comey and his ties to Russia in “The Russian Connection.” Randy sings about Trump’s failed attempts to sway the FBI from investigating his connection to the foreign country, as well as Trump’s accomplices who also tried to cover it up.
Watch here.
“Donald Trump’s Mango Tour”
Randy channels Evita in another parody video digging at Trump’s inability to properly form decent relationships with other countries. Instead of the “Rainbow Tour,” Randy fittingly named the song “Donald Trump’s Mango Tour” to match the president’s appearance.
Watch here.
“Covfefe: The Broadway Medley”
One of Randy’s most ambitious parodies comes in the form of “Covfefe: The Broadway Medley,” which incorporates a handful of big hits from Broadway. While all of these songs come from different musicals, they all explore the same issue: How does one exactly pronounce “covfefe”?
Watch here.
“Before He Tweets”
Randy breaks from his usual Broadway shtick and takes on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” In this parody, Randy drags Trump for being a complete and utter troll on Twitter.
Watch here.
DACA Shame
Randy opens up this parody video by interviewing Kellyanne Conway about the Trump administration’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In Randy Rainbow fashion, he bursts into song and touches on the racist undertones that Trump’s decision carries.
Watch here.
“Desperate Cheeto”
“Despacito” also received the Randy Rainbow political-satire treatment. In “Desperate Cheeto,” Randy decimates Trump and lists every single controversy and issue that has risen since he took office.
Watch here.
“Buttons”
Randy starts this video as a journalist grilling Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about Trump and Kim Jong-un’s nuclear attack threats. When he breaks into song, he compares the two world leaders and warns viewers that if Trump continues to poke at Kim Jong-un, we might find ourselves in a nuclear war.
Watch here.
“All About His Base”
Randy criticizes Trump’s fans and supporters and the president himself about their lack of awareness to the problems that he has caused in the parody of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” Scarily enough, Randy explains that as long as Trump has his “base,” there’s no talking sense to him.
Watch here.
“You Can’t Stop His Tweets”
Randy Rainbow tackles Hairspray and Trump’s horrible tweeting in this “You Can’t Stop the Beat” parody. Much like Randy’s other parody videos surrounding Trump’s tweets, Randy goes in on Trump’s incessant habit of posting the most absurd things on Twitter.
Watch here.
“Commander of Cheese”
This parody song was inspired by Kellyanne Conway’s slip-up during an interview with CNN when she called the commander in chief, the “Commander of Cheese.” Leave it to Randy Rainbow to take this hilarious case of word vomit and make an entire song comparing Trump to moldy cheese.
Watch here.
“A Very Stable Genius”
Randy certainly has an ear for the best songs that make for the perfect foundation to make fun of Trump’s massive ego. In “A Very Stable Genius,” Randy parodies “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from The Pirates of Penzance and points out Trump’s habit of making himself seem grander than he actually is.
Watch here.
“If You Ever Got Impeached”
Randy lists all the countless possibilities if Trump were to ever get impeached for his shady actions in this parody of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz.
Watch here.
“Voting”
The singer makes a few digs at Trump, all while encouraging American citizens to vote during the midterm elections.
Watch here.
“Trump’s Favorite Things”
The iconic “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music was also parodied by Randy Rainbow. In the spirit of the original track, Randy lists a handful of things that Trump is very fond of, such as climate change deniers, $5 spray tans and traitors.
Watch here.
“There Is Nothin’ Like a Wall”
In this South Pacific-inspired video, Randy focuses on the government shutdown and Trump’s obsession with building a border wall.
Watch here.
“The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango”
Randy Rainbow’s video, “The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango,” is a parody of the original “Cell Block Tango” track from Chicago. With a couple of nods to Trump’s indicted associates, Randy warns that Trump and Sarah Huckabee Sanders “have it coming” next.
Watch here.
“Border Lies”
“Border Lies” is a parody of Trump’s declaration of a national emergency regarding his campaign’s promised border wall. Rainbow, acting as a CNN reporter at Trump’s most recent press event, then begins his spoof by telling the president, “Some say that you’re full of shit and others, well agree/ That you’re just fomenting fear with your hyperbole.”
Watch here.
“Suckers”
With a song as ubiquitous and catchy as the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker,” it was almost guaranteed that Rainbow would parody it. Following the president’s tweets calling for four democratic Congresswomen to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Rainbow took aim at Trump’s supporters not only for their continued support, but also for echoing his rhetoric. “‘Cause they’re suckers for all of the criminal/ Shame-worthy things that you do,” he sings.
Watch here.
“Cheeto Christ Stupid-Czar”
When Trump tweeted that he was the “King of Israel” and looked to the sky during a press conference and said “I am the chosen one” in August 2019, Randy Rainbow had a field day with the president, crafting a full medley of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Mashing together songs like “King Herod’s Song,” “Everything’s Alright” and the titular track, Rainbow skillfully burned the president for appearing to claim that he was in any way holy.
Watch here.
“He’s Just a Gurl Who’ll Quid Pro Quo”
As the impeachment inquiry took place in the House of Representatives throughout November 2019, the president’s team began claiming that nowhere in Trump’s phone call with Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky did the president offer a “quid pro quo” of foreign aid in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden. Rainbow, naturally, disagreed with his hilarious take on Oklahoma‘s “I Cain’t Say No.”
Watch here.
“That Don!”
As the impeachment inquiry turned into an impeachment trial before the Senate, Trump was facing criticism for everything from the Ukraine scandal to his decision to assassinate Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani. So Rainbow stepped in to offer him some campaign advice (mainly, advice that he should drop out) with a hilarious rendition of “Gaston” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Watch here.
“No Rules For Donald”
Once the impeachment trial in the senate wrapped up, with Trump being acquitted for both articles of impeachment brought against him, Rainbow decided to give Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” a makeover. Crafting a parody where he lays out that the President’s acquittal led to more bad behavior, he confidently declares “there are no rules for Donald, he can do anything at all.”
Watch here.
“The Coronavirus Lament”
When the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the world in March 2020, Trump was roundly criticized for his lack of response to the fast-spreading virus. So, Rainbow offered his own critical take, hilariously roasting the President to the tune of “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys & Dolls, singing “From a lack of intelligent leadership/ And a headline that’s getting real old/ A person can develop a bad, bad cold.”
Watch here.
“A Spoonful of Clorox”
After Trump made a comment in a White House press briefing about how ingesting disinfectant could potentially kill the coronavirus in the body, Randy Rainbow joined the medical community in shutting down the idea. Parodying “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins, the singer listed off a few harmful ways of “treating” COVID-19, before declaring that “a spoonful of Clorox makes your temperature go down/ In the most destructive ways.”
Watch here.
“The Bunker Boy”
The White House confirmed that during the Black Lives Matter protests outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave on June 1, the president was moved to an underground bunker. The news led the hashtag #BunkerBoy to trend on Twitter, and inspired Rainbow’s June 7 video. “The Bunker Boy” is sung to “The Jitterbug,” a tune performed by star Judy Garland that was cut from The Wizard of Oz. In the video, Rainbow teases the president by wondering where he is and pointing out that he’s in hiding. The singer also pokes fun at Trump by depicting him as an orange munchkin speaking behind a heavy-duty door, and dressing as The Cowardly Lion.
Watch here.
“Cover Your Freakin’ Face!”
Rainbow had more material to work with after Trump told attendees at his June campaign rally that he had instructed his team to “slow the testing down” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States. In addition, the president has continued to refuse to wear a mask, though health experts have advised the facial covers help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. In response, the comedian dropped his latest video on June 29, rewriting the lyrics to “Put on a Happy Face” to “Cover Your Freakin’ Face!” He sings to the jazzy tune: “Maybe if we can’t see your mouth, you won’t say stupid s–t/ Don’t spread droplets all over the place/ And cover your freakin’ face.”
Watch here.
“Poor Deplorable Troll”
When President Trump’s approval ratings began plummeting alongside his polling numbers against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, fans could practically hear Rainbow cracking his knuckles. With his The Little Mermaid parody “Poor Deplorable Troll” released on July 6, the singer gleefully took on the villainous role to mock and humiliate the president as much as he possibly could. Rainbow also made it clear that with this song, he wouldn’t be holding anything back, as is evident with searing lyrics like “I couldn’t help but notice all your rallies and events are like your sex life; no one comes.”
Watch here.
“Gee, Anthony Fauci”
Rainbow, like many people in the country, are looking for scientific expertise to help lead the U.S. out of the coronavirus pandemic, so he implored Dr. Anthony Fauci to come to our rescue. In the July 22 parody, the comedian took on West Side Story‘s “Gee, Officer Krupke” to poke fun at Trump and his staff. “Please, Anthony Fauci, we’re all at a loss/ We can’t rely on Barbie or Cruella DeVos,” Rainbow sings. “He’s winding ’em up and they’re playing his tunes/ They’re all unethical buffoons!”
Watch here.
“If Donald Got Fired”
Rainbow teamed up with Patti Lapone to parody Gypsy’s “If Mama Was Married” to dream about what the world would be like without Trump as commander in chief. Sings Rainbow: “We could go back to life as we once knew it; miserable and unfair, but at least without the daily threat of complete authoritarianism and apocalyptic destruction!”
Watch here.
“How Will You Vote?”
The satirist went over the qualities of presidential candidates Trump and Biden in a parody set at the final debate, weeks before the election to help viewers decide who to cast their ballots for. Not surprisingly, the president’s weren’t too positive. Sings Rainbow about the business mogul: “Well, does he give a flying f— about whether you live or die? / Cover up his crimes and wish them all away? Does he lock children in cages? / Act like Nazis are okay? / That’s how you know, that’s how you know that he’s the one.”
Watch here.
“Not Re-Elected Today!”
While Trump continued to refuse to concede that he lost to Joe Biden nearly two weeks after the election, Rainbow was busy putting together a parody to poke fun at the president’s inability to come to terms with his defeat. Dressed as White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany — complete with blonde wig — the satirist parodied Company‘s “(Not) Getting Married Today,” singing: “He’s embarrassed so he isn’t coming out because he lost / I mean he didn’t lose, he won / And that’s exactly what I said / And so he’s sending out his staff to make preposterous pronouncements / While he binges Egg McMuffins ’til reality sets in.”
Watch here.
“Sedition!”
Rainbow once again drew inspiration from Fiddler on the Roof‘s “Tradition,” this time to point the finger of blame at Trump for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by the president’s supporters who want President-elect Joe Biden’s victory overturned.
Watch here.
“Seasons of Trump”
On Jan. 19, 45’s final full day in office, the comedian released a farewell video. Parodying Rent‘s “Seasons of Love,” Rainbow recalled all “2,102,400 minutes” of Trump’s presidency, from covfefes to various lies and more. “How do you measure four years of this s–t/ In scandals, impeachments, in porn stars, in Scaramuccis/ In rallies, in insurrections, in flies,” sings Rainbow while dressed in various costumes.
Watch here.
“Lock Him Up Yesterday!”
Rainbow took aim at his most frequent target in light of the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings. Starting out the video posing as a faux-Representative on the House Committee, Rainbow cuts to video footage of Trump fumbling his speech denouncing the attacks on the Capitol and struggling with the word “yesterday.” This, naturally, leads to a parody set to the tune of The Beatles‘ 1965 hit “Yesterday.” Mocking Trump’s seeming inability to pronounce the word, Rainbow uses his opportunity to also spoof the high-profile FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. “Does it really take the FBI/ To verify he tends to lie?” he sings.
Watch here.
“Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica in Queens!”
The comedian went back to the former president’s roots — he was born in Queens, NYC — for his April 3, 2023, jab. The parody dropped one day before Trump’s expected arraignment in New York after being indicted by a grand jury after an investigation into an alleged hush money payment scheme to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The video kicks off with a fake interview between Rainbow and the real estate mogul, during which the comedian urges Trump to come up with a new campaign slogan for his “comeback/indictment tour.” After a few failed suggestions, Rainbow launches into “Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica in Queens!” — a take on The Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” In the spoof, he roasts Trump as “the bloated orange lunatic who’s been twice impeached,” and compared him to “a butternut squash” with bleached hair.
Watch here.
Despite what some lawmakers may be attempting throughout the U.S. right now, transgender and non-binary people are not going anywhere anytime soon — and they’re more than ready to make their voices heard.
Friday (March 31) marks International Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual commemoration since 2010 that has been honored around the world as “a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces,” according to GLAAD.
This year, the world certainly needs a reminder of what exactly trans and gender diverse community is up against — despite being only three months into the calendar year, 2023 has already broken the record for the most anti-trans legislation introduced across the U.S., with states like West Virginia, Iowa and Kentucky all banning gender-affirming care for minors.
In a 2022 interview with Billboard, Human Rights Campaign deputy director of communications Laurel Powell put it simply: “There is a very well-funded, well-organized movement to try and drive a wedge between people and their LGBTQ+ friends, neighbors and family,” she said. “This is being driven by extremist legislators.”
International Transgender Day of Visibility provides allies another opportunity to not just contribute to the many organizations across the U.S. that are fighting to stop this wave of anti-trans hatred, but also to celebrate the myriad contributions trans and gender diverse people have made to society.
Below, Billboard takes a look at 15 artists who are redefining what it means to be openly transgender and non-binary in the music industry today:
Shea Diamond
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Shea Diamond, both an activist and a singer-songwriter, belts out the bold anthem “I Am Her” with soul and strength. “There’s an outcast in everybody’s life / And I am her,” she sings. According to Diamond, the song began as a statement to a world which said she shouldn’t exist and now stands as an anthem “for all those that felt shunned for simply being who they were.”
Find Shea Diamond on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Anohni
Anohni is not afraid of tackling topics often considered controversial. In “Drone Bomb Me,” Anohni sings of a nine-year-old Afghan girl whose family has been killed by a drone bomb. Her latest album, Hopelessness, covers issues from climate change to Guantanamo Bay. “I wanted to do something that was gonna go down fighting,” Anohni told Pitchfork.
Find Anohni on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
SOPHIE
There are few artists who have directly impacted the current sound of pop music more than the late SOPHIE. A pioneer in both the dance and pop fields, the producer pushed the boundaries of her respective genres to their breaking points, eventually giving way to glorious soundscapes that were fueled by the aesthetics of bubblegum pop and the experimentation of the avant-garde dance scene being led by the collective at PC Music. But it was on their magnum opus project Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides where SOPHIE finally took a moment to allow herself to stand in the spotlight, coming out publicly as transgender and fully taking ownership of her trailblazing work in the music industry.
Find SOPHIE on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Peppermint
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Along with being the season 9 runner-up of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Peppermint is also a talented musical artist in her own right. While she flexes her many talents on everything from original ballads to pop diva tributes, it’s on her 2017 anthem “Civil War” where Peppermint gets real about the reality of life as a transgender woman in this day and age. “I’m an army of one, marching alone/ Fighting for my life,” she sings, stirring up emotions.
Find Peppermint on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Skylar Kergil
Skylar Kergil, an American activist, singer-songwriter and YouTube personality, has a folk sound that sends a statement. “Strangers stare and they want to be the first to/ Ask for my life in one word/ But it’s not that simple,” Kergil sings in “Tell Me A Story.”
Find Skylar Kergil on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Left at London
While many people know Left at London for their hilarious Vine and TikTok content, they really ought to know her for her music first. The singer’s eclectic offerings can range from funk-driven, sexy anthems to folksy kiss-offs aimed at transphobes, all while infusing her charismatic persona and expert songwriting into instantly memorable tracks that you’ll find yourself going back for again and again.
Find Left at London on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Ryan Cassata
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Ryan Cassata has been representing the transgender community in the music industry for over a decade. Whether they’re preaching the importance of community on songs like “We’re the Cool Kids” — which Cassata said is about coming together, battling ignorance “and hopefully beating it” — or getting real about heartbreak on more recent tracks like “If You Ever Leave Long Island,” Cassata always manages to uplift and celebrate his community through song.
Find Ryan Cassata on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Ah-Mer-Ah-Su
Star Amerasu, a self-professed “poptronic princess,” chronicles her complicated encounters with anti-anxiety medicines known as benzodiazepines (or benzos) in the song “Klonopin.” The light lullaby peeks into the taboo topic of prescription pill use and abuse. “I got problems, you got problems, they got problems, we all got problems / Why don’t we just run away, come again another day,” Amerasu sings.
Find Ah-Mer-Ah-Su on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Against Me!
In “Transgender Dysphoria Blues,” Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! tells the tale of gender dysphoria. “You want them to see you / Like they see every other girl,” Grace sings. “They just see a faggot / They’ll hold their breath not to catch the sick.” The punk rock track seeps the pain and frustration that many transgender people feel. Since coming out publicly in 2012, Grace has talked often and openly of her identity. Recently, Grace told SF Weekly that she feels free — a sensation she never had in the first part of the band’s life.
Find Against Me! on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Ethel Cain
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Since her debut in 2019, Ethel Cain — the haunting, righteous persona inhabited by singer-songwriter Hayden Anhedönia — has been crafting her own dark world to mirror the reality we all live in. That universe came into full fruition on 2022’s Preacher’s Daughter, a moving alternative album tracking a story about trying to live up to the impossible expectations of the American Dream, especially as a transgender woman struggling to find acceptance. It’s just one testament to Cain’s staying power as a musical auteur that she can craft a story that simultaneously disquiets your mind, while also never letting your attention stray from her phenomenal music.
Find Ethel Cain on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
The Cliks
Lucas Silveria, known as the front man of The Cliks, was one of the first transgender men to be signed to a major label recording contract. The Cliks released Snakehouse with Warner Music Canada in 2006. After transitioning, Silveria admitted that he needed to take on a new sound. The Motown swing of “Savanna” is something to be swayed by.
Find The Cliks on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Dua Saleh
Non-binary artist Dua Saleh is here to give you honesty. The rising rap-meets-R&B-meets-pop phenomenon out of of Minnesota writes what they feel on the regular, whether it’s pain (“Cat Scratch”), pleasure (“Day to Day”) or anything in between. With a voice you won’t be able to get out of your head and a tendency towards enthralling production, Saleh is an artist more than worthy of listening to ASAP.
Find Dua Saleh on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Cavetown
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
For indie artist Robin Skinner, a.k.a. Cavetown, the name of the game is community. Along with crafting instantly-catchy indie-rock tracks, Skinner spent much of his career building their core fanbase through direct interaction — whether that’s on video sharing sites like YouTube or through streaming platforms like Twitch. Using their platform to give back when the opportunity arises, as well as dedicating some of their songs to their community, Cavetown has proven the power of platform time and time again.
Find Cavetown on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
KC Ortiz
“When I was 17 or 18, I wanted to be the next Lil’ Kim,” Chicago-based rapper KC Ortiz told Billboard in an conversation with LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Rayna Russom about President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military members. The former Air Force personnel released her second album Church Tapes this July.
Find KC Ortiz on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Nakhane
South African star wants to show you a good time. The pop singer-songwriter spent much of their career blazing their own trail as an openly non-binary African star. It was with their 2018 masterwork You Will Not Die that they captured the attention of veritable stars like Elton John and Madonna. Nakhane’s versatile musical voice lends itself toward change more often than not, meaning you never know what to expect when you press play on their latest work — making it all the more fun to find out what they have in store for you.
Find Nakhane on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour set list features a surprise song, so far performed during a mini acoustic set, on each date of the the superstar’s 2023 trek.
Guitar in hand and making her way to the end of the stage’s catwalk at March 17’s Eras kickoff in Glendale, Arizona, Swift revealed her intentions for the acoustic portion of her long-awaited live show. She’ll perform a surprise song that will not be played again on this tour — probably.
“The plan, the goal, would be to play different songs every single night and never repeat one. Right? So that when you heard one on this tour, you would know it’s the only time that I was going to play it in the acoustic set, unless — caveat — unless I mess it up so badly,” she said with a small laugh, “that I have to do it over again in some other city. Send your best wishes towards me that I don’t do that.”
The Eras Tour is her first real tour in five years, and the first time the prolific songwriter is getting to perform selections from Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights to sold-out stadium crowds.
Eras Tour night one introduced a career-spanning, whopping 44-song setlist with a runtime of more than three hours, with Swift playing anywhere from one to eight tracks from all 10 of her full-length studio albums. The show’s nightly secret song is sure to keep her fans on their tallest tiptoes, waiting to hear what gem will be unveiled at their concert.
Below, check out the list of all the surprise songs she’s brought to The Eras Tour, courtesy of social media live streams and post-concert clips uploaded by Swifties in attendance. Bookmark this page, as the list will updated regularly as the tour goes on.
“Mirrorball”
Image Credit: Courtesy
Performed at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (March 17, 2023)
“I was thinking about the first one I would play for you,” Swift said at the very first Eras Tour concert, to a crowd of fans who were still gloriously spoiler-free about what was in store for the rest of the show. “I was thinking about what song to play first, and I was thinking about how one of the songs that I wrote with you in mind during the pandemic was one of the first songs I wrote for Folklore, and it was me writing about how badly I craved the connection that I feel from the care that you have directed in my way. I’m trying to tell you I love you, and I’m babbling,” she noted. Swift tried again: “I was trying to think of sort of an eloquent way to say that I love you and I need your attention all the time, and I came up with ‘I’m a mirrorball.’” After the wordy intro, Swift begins singing “Mirrorball” at the 2:17 timestamp in the video above.
At one point during the first show of her long-awaited, highly anticipated Eras tour on Friday night (Mar. 17), Taylor Swift described herself as “really overwhelmed, and trying to keep it together all night.” It’s easy to understand: this enormous stadium trek, one of pop’s hottest tickets in years, also happens to be Swift’s first proper tour in five years, thanks primarily to the pandemic. The pop superstar has released a whopping four original albums (plus two re-recorded ones) since last hitting the road, and on Friday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., she told the crowd that she had been dreaming about this day — the day that she could finally perform this wealth of new material — for a long time.
“Overwhelming” would also be an apt way to describe the sheer tonnage of the Eras tour: with segments dedicated to all 10 of Swift’s studio albums, the show entertained a sold-out, frequently screaming stadium audience for 3 hours and 15 minutes, as Swift tirelessly showcased her skill set and various artistic personas across a whopping 44 songs. The most dominant artist in popular music has used this live run to reflect on the various iterations of her career to date, and the achievement is often staggering, with costume changes, set-piece upheaval, vulnerable moments in a crowd of thousands and sing-alongs that will rival the scope of any tour this year.
The Eras tour is going to satisfy a lot of Swift diehards in the coming months, who will surely find their own favorite pockets of the set list. And while Swift fans should embrace the entire experience, the opening night provided some clear-cut highlights. Here are the 13 best moments from the Eras tour kickoff in Glendale on Friday night:
The Cathartic Opening of “Cruel Summer”
Although Swift technically opened the show with part of a different Lover track, “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” the brilliant synth-pop single “Cruel Summer” was the first to get the full, stadium-show treatment, complete with a raised platform, backup dancers and Swift unveiling a diamond-encrusted one-piece with matching tall boots. For both the fans in attendance and Swift herself, the song seemed to represent an exhalation — this tour was finally happening, and this immaculate song, three-and-a-half years old at this point, was finally being performed.
The First Era-Hop, Into ‘Fearless’
“Tonight, we’re going to be going on an adventure, one era at a time!” Swift declared a few songs into the show — a concept that truly sunk in a few minutes later, when the first era of the evening, Lover, gave way to Fearless both in the set list and stylistically. Gone was the glitter getup and deep pop rhythms, replaced with a fringe dress and sunny country licks from Swift’s acoustic guitar, as she jumped into the Fearless title track, “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story.” The “Fearless” change-up marked the moment that the idea of the Eras tour fully snapped into place, and the crowd was enthralled with the approach.
Taylor’s ‘Evermore’ Defense
In the middle of the Evermore mini-set, Swift sat down at a moss-covered piano and talked to the audience about how gratifying it was that she was finally getting to perform her “four new members of the family” — Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights, the four albums she’s released since her last tour. She added that Evermore “is an album I absolutely love — despite what some of you say on TikTok!” She paused for comic effect, then deadpanned, “I’ve seen it. I’ve seen all of it!” Even if some TikTok users haven’t warmed as much to Folklore’s counterpart, Swift gave Evermore prime placement in her set list, with a total of five songs performed from the album, including “’Tis The Damn Season,” “Willow” and “Tolerate It.”
The Unexpected “Don’t Blame Me” Showcase
When the Evermore part of the set ended and snake scales appeared on screen, everyone in attendance knew that Reputation was next up — and while singles like “…Ready For It?,” “Delicate” and “Look What You Made Me Do” were all delivered with high energy, “Don’t Blame Me” was bestowed with a fiery passion that, even compared to how its swooping harmonies were presented on the Reputation tour, elevated the album cut. Quite literally: Swift sprung skyward on a platform while attacking a big, showy note during the song’s climax, making for one of the more memorable technical performances of the evening.
“Enchanted” as the Dramatic ‘Speak Now’ Representative
It’s hard to quibble with set list exclusions when the set list in question contains 44 songs… but still, Speak Now are not going to be thrilled that the Eras tour contains only one song from that particular era. At least that song stood out as a highlight: “Enchanted” found Swift in a flowing ball gown maximizing the emotional stakes, with acoustic strums laying the groundwork for a full-band crescendo. If “Mine,” “Back to December,” “Mean” and “Dear John” aren’t getting any burn on this tour, “Enchanted” will have to be a powerhouse for the third-album diehards… and on opening night, it was just that.
The Extended Version of “All Too Well”…
After rolling through Red highlights like “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble,” Swift spoke to the audience about how meaningful the success of both the original Red in 2012 and the re-recorded version in 2021 had been for her. Then, Swift asked if the crowd had an extra 10 minutes to spare. The chart-topping 10-minute version of “All Too Well” followed the roars in response, and naturally functioned as a centerpiece for the entire set, arriving roughly at the halfway point and becoming an emotional anchor for the evening. By the time that paper snowflakes fell across the stadium during the final minute, the magic of the moment was widely accepted.
…And the Three-Word Shout-Along Within “All Too Well”
When you attend a Taylor Swift show in 2023 (and beyond), you simply will not experience a bigger sing-along moment than the phrase “F–k the patriarchy!” In the 10-minute “All Too Well.” Not only does everyone in attendance sing along, they scream along, and wind up to it in the preceding lyrics! Talk about magic! Count on Swifties loudly flipping off men in power, in unison, for years to come.
‘Folklore’ Deep Cut-Turned-Viral Smash “August”
Taylor Swift pays attention to her fans — when she says she’s seen the Evermore hate on TikTok, she’s kidding around, but rest assured she’s actually seen it. So when deciding which tracks from the sprawling Folklore to play, there’s no doubt that Swift noticed the fan adoption to “August,” which wasn’t a focus track upon the album’s release but has since become a fan favorite that’s often bubbling up on social media (especially during the titular month each year). The mass sing-along of “August” may have caught some offline attendees as a surprise, but Swift’s fans fiercely love the wistful folk-pop track, and demonstrated their appreciation at the opener.
The Neon Golf Clubs of “Blank Space”
Swift’s backup dancers rode out on neon-lit bicycles during her performance of the 1989 smash, but that was only prelude to one of the night’s better visuals: Swift and her cohorts brandishing blue-lit golf clubs during the bridge, and then smashing an animated car (a la Swift’s crazed attack in the “Blank Space” video) on a mid-stage screen, each new dent in time with the song’s beat. It was difficult to look away from the spectacle, and became the sort of sight gag that sticks with you long after the show has wrapped.
The Surprise Acoustic Track
Deep into the evening, Swift grabbed her guitar and announced that she planned to perform an acoustic song that wasn’t included in the Eras set list during the tour, with the hope of never duplicating the song she selected for each performance. It’s a strong move in theory — even after the Eras set list gets mulled over endlessly, there will still be a new surprise each night — and was even better in practice, as the achingly beautiful “Mirrorball” was selected for the first performance. The acoustic tracks probably won’t be as strong as the Folklore standout on a nightly basis, but for the Glendale audience, the choice made opening night even more special.
The “Anti-Hero” Metaphor Comes to Life
Earlier in the evening, Taylor Swift gave a begrudging shout-out to everyone in the audience who was dressed like a “sexy baby” in tribute to the “Anti-Hero” lyric; later, when her latest No. 1 smash was performed, Swift embodied the “monster on the hill” line that follows it. On the video screen behind her performance, Swift turned herself into a Godzilla-esque creature terrorizing a city before glumly sitting on (and destroying) an office building. On a night with a lot of impressive choreography and stage setups, that straightforward visual — Swift as the problem, it’s her — became one of the more interesting spectacles of the show, and added to the performance of the hit single.
The “Vigilante Shit” Dance Routine
Speaking of spectacle: Swift goes full-on burlesque alongside her dancers for the Midnights standout, dancing on and around a chair and having an absolute blast while doing it. The song comes about three hours into the performance, but Swift conjures every ounce of energy to turn one of the more sparsely produced songs in her catalog into an enthralling jam.
Ending With a Fan Favorite
The final era presented during the Eras tour is Midnights, and Swift could have capped it with a hit — “Anti-Hero,” of course, or maybe fast-rising follow-up “Lavender Haze.” Instead, she concludes the evening with a trio of non-hits that fans truly adore: “Bejeweled,” “Mastermind” and “Karma.” The logic behind that decision is simple: the Eras tour is less about hits than it is about fan service, and ending on a song like “Karma” nods to those who inhale every song on a Swift track list instead of just paying attention to the singles. This run of shows is for the fully committed Swift listeners, and an album cut like “Karma” is the perfect way to bid them adieu for now.
More than perhaps any other show in the history of television, RuPaul’s Drag Race has always prided itself on creating a space for the intersection of pop culture and queerness. Whether it’s in a lip sync for your life to a famous LGBTQ anthem, or a pitch-perfect Snatch Game impersonation of a gay icon, Drag Race delivers a bevy of queer cultural moments every year.
In the series’ more recent seasons, one particular brand of those moments emerged as a fan-favorite: the Rusical challenge. Since the debut of “Shade: The Rusical” back in season 6, every main season of Drag Race has featured the now-iconic challenge where queens are tasked with picking roles and creating on a show-stopping theatrical experience. Complete with costumes, choreography and the occasional 11 o’clock number, the Rusical challenge is a near-perfect way to celebrate the queer community’s undying obsession with musical theater.
Just like Broadway itself, pretty much anything can be turned into a Rusical: Some challenges have seen queens telling an original story about drag ingenues interacting with evil queens; others have seen them telling the lightly altered stories of pop divas; one even saw the queens attempting to sell fake pharmaceutical products. In the case of season 15, the queens will be performing in their very on Footloose parody, Wigloose: The Rusical on Friday (March 17).
What makes a good Rusical performance? Below, Billboard takes a look back at every Rusical performance in the history of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, and ranks them from worst to best based on their general concepts, execution, music and overall impact. Take a look at where your favorite Rusical ended up below:
‘PharmaRusical’ (Season 10, Episode 2)
Concept: Who came up with this? It’s sort of funny, but ultimately very strange and random to take the format of drug infomercials and transform them into drag puns that sort of become songs. We don’t need to hear a song about a drug called Badonkadonx that will give you a bigger butt — even when it’s trying to be over-the-top and campy, it still fizzles out.
Execution: It’s tough to remember a single performance from such a strange Rusical. The Vixen made the most out of what she was given, and Mayhem Miller’s ballad about anal options was objectively funny. The rest largely got left in the background.
Music: The songs of this Rusical are disjointed, skipping around frequently from hip-hop to Broadway to pop at a frenzied pace. There’s not a lot to say here – there’s very little that’s actually successful in this music.
Overall: Especially in a season that had another (much better) Rusical, the PharmaRusical was a forgettable experience, and one that you certainly don’t need to think too much about. If you’re looking to rewatch old episodes, feel free to skip this.
Glamazonian Airways (Season 7, Episode 2)
Concept: While being slightly more coherent than the PharmaRusical, Glamazonian Airways still elicits the question, “Why?” Spoofing airline takeoff videos makes a bit more sense than satirizing pharmaceutical commercials, but it isn’t exactly ripe for comedy.
Execution: Mrs. Kasha Davis served a full ham dinner, which is the only sensible choice for this strange lip-sync experience. Ginger Minj earned her win with her choreography and her wacky faces. Most of the other queens in this challenge did a serviceable job, with only Katya, Miss Fame and Sasha Belle standing out for their struggle with performing the number.
Music: With a top 40 pop feel to each of the songs, there’s a plenty of continuity here. There’s nothing particularly exciting about the selections, but they certainly aren’t bad.
Overall: Glamazonian Airways is another rare swing-and-miss among the Rusical challenges. Especially when compared to later entries on this list, this season 7 challenge failed to take off.
Kardashian: The Musical (Season 9, Episode 5)
Concept: Now this is what we call a concept. Taking a Broadway sensation like Hamilton and parodying it by changing the subject to reality TV royalty is a perfect way to get both the competing queens and the audience at home invested in what’s happening.
Execution: Unfortunately, even with such a good concept, two queens ended up bearing the weight of this Rusical on their shoulders. Alexis Michelle’s unhinged portrayal of Kris Jenner was perfect for the challenge, and Shea Couleé’s Blac Chyna was an absolute scene-stealer. But in a musical centered around the role of Kim Kardashian, it’s hard to watch Cynthia Lee Fontaine’s strained stint in the spotlight.
Music: The music isn’t bad, per se. But when the reference point you’ve chosen to mimic is a musical like Hamilton, there’s suddenly a lot of expectation to live up to. The “club song” featuring Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan was fun, as was “Momager,” but the moments meant to directly reference Lin-Manuel Miranda’s magnum opus fell apart.
Overall: The idea of Kardashian: The Musical is greater than the sum of its parts. While the concept should work, the only truly memorable parts of this performance were Alexis Michelle, Shea Couleé, and Nina Bo’nina Brown constantly insisting that she should’ve been Blac Chyna.
Shade: The Rusical (Season 6, Episode 4)
Concept: As the first-ever Rusical, the idea behind Shade is simple; what happens if we take some classic stage tropes and reflavor them for drag queens? A winsome ingenue, a jaded diva, a brassy villain, a Greek chorus — they hit all of the marks. It’s not particularly inventive, but hey, it’s not really meant to be.
Execution: Courtney Act, Adore Delano and BenDeLaCreme are absolute stars in this Rusical. Courtney and Adore nail the live singing, and BenDeLaCreme is pure camp as the eye-patched, leopard-printed villain. Outside of that, there’s not a lot to say; queens like Darienne Lake and Gia Gunn struggled with their singing, while Trinity K. Bonet and April Carrion looked lost on the stage.
Music: As RuPaul once said to Nina West and Silky Nutmeg Ganache: “Meh.” This musical was designed to be campy and funny, not musically exciting.
Overall: Shade: The Rusical kicked off the Rusical challenge trend on Drag Race, and featured a number of highly entertaining, memorable performances. But taken altogether, the numerous rough patches showed some of the kinks that still needed to be worked out for the future of this challenge.
Cher: The Unauthorized Rusical (Season 10, Episode 8)
Concept: Considering that The Cher Show, an actual Broadway musical exploring the life of this pop icon, was already in the works at the time of this Rusical’s release, it’s safe to say that the concept is solid. This is a simple, fun way to give each queen the spotlight, by having them highlight a different era in the Goddess of Pop’s decades-spanning career.
Execution: The good largely outweighs the bad here — Kameron Michaels’ ’60s Cher had great vocals and a very funny impersonation, Monét X Change proved that she could sing the house down, and Miz Cracker delivered one of the best (and frankly, underrated) performances of the show as Vocoder comeback Cher. A few queens stumbled, like The Vixen and Asia O’Hara, but even then, the queens still worked this number out.
Music: While the performances in this challenge made us Believe, the music was not Strong Enough. The verse for Miz Cracker’s comeback Cher, including like “I know the gays will buy this/ And I know Britney will try this” is far-and-away the best, while the Movie Star Cher section sounds like it’s pulled from another project entirely. When the music works, it works — unfortunately, there are more than a few sections where it doesn’t.
Overall: The format of this unauthorized Cher Rusical, along with some high-quality performances from the queens of season 10, make up for the music’s dip in quality.
Social Media: The Unverified Rusical (Season 13, Episode 8)
Concept: Taking each major social media platform and personifying them into a cast of wildly unhinged characters is an easy, albeit hackneyed plot device that leads to all kinds of ridiculous on stage shenanigans. It’s fun, it’s campy, it’s what you’ve come to expect from a Rusical. It’s certainly not worth a downvote, but it’s not getting retweeted any time soon.
Execution: The queens did a pretty good job in this challenge, with a few exceptional standouts, and a few who we simply must swipe left on. Rosé, as expected, killed her role as Foxy, Denali and Gottmik’s Russian bots had us rolling, and while the judges were focused on a mistake Tina Burner made in character, we couldn’t help but absolutely adore her performance as the evening’s emcee, Friendster. Meanwhile Symoné and Kandy both fizzled in their respective roles as Instagram and LinkedIn, while Elliott with 2 Ts’ TikTok impersonation felt like it simply could not pass the vibe check.
Music: The song parodies here are very good — rewriting both the music and lyrics of Barbra Streisand’s iconic Funny Girl showstopper “Don’t Rain On My Parade” to fit the theme was the strongest choice of the night, with the nods to Broadway staples like “The Cell Block Tango,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and even “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” picking up a lot of the slack from the bland story.
Overall: While the concept may not have been particularly inventive or interesting , Social Media: The Unverified Rusical was saved by smart musical numbers and showstopping performances from a few of the queens. Feel free to give it a like.
Trump: The Rusical (Season 11, Episode 4)
Concept: Some fans were very trepidatious about Drag Race making light of the controversial president and his lackeys with this Rusical — but looking back, this was probably the most on-brand way for Drag Race to address the Trump administration. Turning Grease into a political spoof where the queens get to openly mock those surrounding Trump (and praise those who opposed him) was about as good of a concept as we’ve seen in these Rusicals.
Execution: The queens did a great job on this yuuuuge challenge. Silky Nutmeg Ganache stole the spotlight with her Oprah Winfrey number, Nina West’s turn as Sarah Huckabee Sanders was gut-busting, Ariel Versace nailed the leading role of “Shandy,” and Yvie Oddly’s deranged Kellyanne Conway was exactly the right amount of crazy. But without uttering a single word, Ginger Minj’s guest star turn as Donald Trump himself was the show-stopping moment of this entire Rusical.
Music: It’s not easy to create multiple parody songs about political corruption in the style of Grease, but Drag Race managed to do it. While not every number was a winner, the vast majority of them hit their marks as needed, and deftly walked the line between imitation and original.
Overall: Trump: The Rusical had the potential to fall flat on its face, yet it managed to be one of Drag Race‘s most consistent Rusicals. It was over-the-top, funny, and kept the spirit of Grease intact throughout, all while getting to throw up a big middle finger to the Commander in Chief.
VH1 Divas Lip Sync Live (‘All Stars’ Season 3, Episode 2)
Concept: Simplicity, it turns out, is key when putting together a Rusical. With Drag Race and All Stars having made the official move over to VH1 , creating a musical around the network’s iconic Divas series made perfect sense for the show — and felt like a simple, easy way to both reimagine tracks from RuPaul’s catalog and let the queens embody some of their favorite chart-topping artists.
Execution: Simply put, everyone did great. BenDeLaCreme was born to shake her ass while impersonating Julie Andrews, Shangela’s Mariah was spot-on, Trixie Mattel could pull off Dolly Parton in her sleep, and Bebe Zahara Benet looked like the spitting image of Diana Ross herself. Even Thorgy Thor’s turn as Stevie Nicks, while less impressive than some of her cohorts, was still unbelievably entertaining to watch.
Music: Retrofitting each of RuPaul’s singles for different divas — spanning genres like pop, country, rock, adult contemporary and more — is a Herculean task. But each song fit every queen and made the performance that much more fun to watch, anticipating just how they would take a song like “Peanut Butter” and make it work as a Celine Dion showstopper.
Overall: From top to bottom, this challenge checked every box it needed to, and earned its Diva title.
Bitch Perfect (Season 8, Episode 2)
Concept: With Pitch Perfect‘s continued cultural dominance back in 2016, this challenge was a perfect way to honor (and poke fun) at the impact of a cappella. There’s no need for a convoluted plot or fleshed-out characters when all we really want to see is our favorite drag queens competing in different collegiate singing troupes.
Execution: Go back and watch Bitch Perfect and try not to have a great time. Everyone in this challenge is giving their best, campiest performance art, and absolutely working out the choreography. The late, great Chi Chi DeVayne is an immediate standout — her handstand-twerk continues to impress us to this day — while Thorgy Thor’s unbridled energy is infectious. Kudos to every single one of these queens.
Music: This is some of the best music ever put to the stage in a Rusical challenge. Whether they were going for bubblegum pop on “Jealous of My Boogie” or scintillating hip-hop on “Geronimo,” every a cappella arrangement in this performance was absolutely stellar.
Overall: It may not be the first one that comes to mind for some fans, but Bitch Perfect is far and away one of the best Rusical performances ever brought to the mainstage of Drag Race. Everybody say “underrated!”
Moulin Ru! The Rusical (Season 14, Episode 12)
Concept: This story is about … drag. The idea here is pretty simple — taking the hit film and Broadway musical Moulin Rouge, re-translating it using the music of RuPaul herself, and casting drag queens (as well as Leland and Leslie Jordan) in the roles. With a built-in and already beloved story, you have yourself a winning formula for a Rusical.
Execution: Can we get a standing ovation? Throughout this marvelous Rusical, each of the seven queens did a fabulous job pulling out all the stops to ace the monumental task of telling the story of Moulin Rouge armed only with RuPaul’s repertoire. Some queens, though, sparkled more than others — Lady Camden in particular, in her Harold Ziegler-adjacent role as “Mama Z,” stole every moment she appeared, nefariously stroking her beard and twiddling her mustache. Willow Pill also managed to shine as the Green Fairy with her high-energy, ratcheting-up performance in the show’s back half.
Music: Producers Leland and Gabe Lopez nailed the assignment. Each of the tracks throughout the Rusical took on RuPaul’s songs — including “Cover Girl,” “Freaky Money” and “Jealous of My Boogie” — and gave them that dramatic, brassy twist that makes Moulin Rouge so fun to listen to over and over again. Also, listen closely to that Green Fairy medley, and you’ll hear the beautiful vocal stylings of Allie X giving a truly unhinged performance.
Overall: Season 14’s installment of the annual Rusical challenge was, to borrow a phrase, spectacular-spectacular. With a clear-cut concept, some entertaining takes on RuPaul originals and a series of show-stopping performances, Moulin Ru will go down as one of the best Rusicals in the show’s herstory, come what may.
HERstory of the World (‘All Stars’ Season 2, Episode 3)
Concept: Taking a tour through history, guided by a handful of the powerful women who helped shape it? Brilliant. Not only is the concept easily accessible for fans, but it opens the door for hilarious performances and creative liberties with music throughout history. Someone in the Drag Race writers room deserved a raise for this concept, and we hope they got it.
Execution: Even the judges had a hard time finding faults in these performances. They ended up singling out Katya and Ginger Minj, but both excelled in the challenge — Ginger’s absolutely unhinged Catherine the Great was hilarious to watch, and Katya’s Princess Diana felt spot-on. Of course, the two scene stealers were Detox as a neon-colored, opera-singing Marie Antoinette, and Alyssa Edwards’ rootin’, tootin’, gun-shootin’ Annie Oakley. If there had been an audience, we would have expected a standing ovation.
Music: With every song, the producers upped the camp factor, making this challenge even funnier than it needed to be. Making hard pivots from heavy metal to opera to rockabilly to salsa, the music in HERstory of the World is insane — and yet every song works for the context it’s put in.
Overall: While it was far from the first Rusical, HERstory of the World certainly helped cement the Rusical’s status as a mainstay challenge on Drag Race, thanks to how exceedingly well it was executed.
Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical (Season 12, Episode 7)
Concept: The fact that we don’t have a real-life Madonna jukebox musical is, frankly, criminal. With a songbook as iconic and versatile as Madonna’s, Drag Race would be foolish not to pay homage to the Material Girl’s career through a Rusical.
Execution: First things first — yes, Jan was robbed. The New York City queen slayed every vocal, nailed every dance move, and was a near-perfect embodiment of Early Madge. But when you look at the rest of the talent in this Rusical, it’s understandable why the judges had such a hard time choosing who should win the challenge — everyone was phenomenal. Gigi Goode’s True Blue-era impersonation was endlessly entertaining, Jaida Essence Hall served pure sex, Crystal Methyd was ridiculous (and really good!), and even Brita (who ended up sashaying away in this episode) did an excellent job portraying the iconic cone-bra phase of the Queen of Pop’s career.
Music: One word: composition. Nailing a parody song is a difficult task, but each and every track in the Madonna Rusical perfectly evokes a specific song in her catalog without directly using its melody. Every song managed to be both funny and good — a feat that no other Rusical accomplished quite like this one did.
Overall: This Rusical had everything — incredible performances, a strong well of material to pull from, excellently orchestrated music and stellar choreography. Frankly, no other Rusical compares — Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical is unquestionably the best Rusical in the history of Drag Race. Period.
Jimmy Fallon loves a good prank. The late night talk show host is known for playing tricks on his fans and famous friends, and most recently made his way into The Voice auditions.
On March 7, Fallon pretended to blind audition for the NBC singing competition’s coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper, delivering a performance of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near).”
Clarkson, Horan and Chance all turn around to take a peek at who the mysterious singer is, but Shelton remained unfazed by the prank. Saturday Night Live alum then walks offstage and presses the country star’s button for him. “You broke the rules!” Shelton jokingly scolds him, grinning when he sees Fallon’s face.
However, The Voice mischief is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Fallon’s pranks. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites, which you can check out below.
The Switch of the Jimmys
When April Fool’s Day came around in 2022, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel knew exactly what to do. The two late-night hosts took inspiration from The Parent Trap, as Fallon went over to the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio in Los Angeles and Kimmel when to the Tonight Show studio in New York City for the day’s show.
“This is something we’ve been planning for years, it was a top secret operation,” Kimmel said of the Jimmy-themed prank.
Watch it go down here.
Accidental ‘Game of Thrones’ Spoiler
When Fallon had Maisie Williams as a guest on The Tonight Show, the duo began talking about the final season of Game of Thrones, in which the actress plays Arya Stark.
While chatting, Williams seems to accidentally reveal that her character dies in the second episode of the final season — which, we now know, isn’t true. She then looks shocked and covers her mouth with her hands. Fallon assures the visibly upset actress, telling her that they can re-film the segment. She then storms offstage, before the duo reveal that the whole scene was a big April Fool’s Day prank.
Watch it here.
Paul McCartney Elevator Prank
Fallon and Beatles legend Paul McCartney surprised people who thought they were taking a run-of-the-mill tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza by setting up scenes to appear in when the elevator doors opened on their floor.
The unsuspecting tourists caught hilarious glimpses of the celebs lounging around in smoking jackets, performing magic or battling in ping pong.
Watch it at the three-minute mark here.
Dua Lipa Superfan
OK, so this one isn’t technically a “prank,” but it’s too cute to not include. Papa Richy, an 80-year-old grandfather who loves Dua Lipa went viral on TikTok after his family gave him tickets to the Future Nostalgia singer’s concert.
So, when Lipa appeared on the Tonight Show, Fallon put together a surprise for Richy — meeting the pop star in person. The tricked the grandpa by making him believe he was going on a radio show when he was actually walking out onto the talk-show host’s stage with his granddaughter Kadie Bernstein.
“I got to dance with Dua!” Papa Richy shouted to the audience after it all went down.
Watch the sweet moment here.
‘Ben & Jerry’s’ Surprise
To celebrate the release of his “Tonight Dough” ice cream flavor, Fallon played a fun prank on fans who were testing the treat down in 30 Rock’s Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop.
Employees at the shop encouraged fans to try to ice cream from a robotic arm attached to the wall. Little did they know, Fallon was inside the robot operating the arm, and he later surprised the customers when he began talking to them through a hole in the wall.
Watch it here.
Justin Timberlake is no stranger to a good collaboration. His wide-ranging voice blends seamlessly throughout a number of genres, and his decades-long experience in the music industry has allowed him to make several high-profile, talented friends along the way.
In 2020, the Trolls World Tour soundtrack was unleashed with the help of two new Timberlake duets: “The Other Side” (with SZA) and “Don’t Slack” (with Anderson .Paak). Most recently, in 2022, he teamed up with Calvin Harris, Halsey and Pharrell Williams for “Stay With Me,” featured on Harris’ Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2.
In honor of his decades of music magic, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite JT collabs, from pop to hip-hop and R&B. See them below.
“Dead & Gone” – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake
In 2008, this song was inescapable. The single came following T.I.’s smash Paper Trail album, which claimed two Hot 100 No. 1s with “Whatever You Like” and the Rihanna-assisted “Live Your Life.” T.I.’s flow mixed with JT’s melodic chorus paints a cinematic picture of leaving your old self in the past.
Listen here.
“My Love” – Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.
Speaking of T.I. collabs, 2006’s “My Love” was a definite standout from Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds album. The album is still a staple at clubs, and gets the whole crowd going with the instantly recognizable opening line of “Ain’t another woman that can take your spot, my love.”
Listen here.
“SexyBack (Remix)” – Justin Timberlake feat. Missy Elliot & Timbaland
Yes, we all know JT brought sexy back with Timbaland on his 2006 hit, but did you know the song got a fun twist from Missy Elliott? The DJ Wayne Williams Ol’ Skool Remix of the tune features a new opening verse from Elliott and another flow before Timberlake’s last verse. Elliott puts references the already risqué lyrics in her own way by rapping, “Don’t you like the way I make you be my little slave?/ Whip you like a kid every time you misbehave.”
Listen here.
“Love Sex Magic” – Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake
The songstress called on JT for her 2009 Fantasy Ride tune. The duo trade honeyed and sultry verses alongside an equally seductive music video in which Ciara gets flexible on an attentive Justin.
Listen here.
“TKO (Remix)” – Justin Timberlake feat. A$AP Rocky, J. Cole and Pusha T
A total knockout to say the least. A$AP Rocky, J. Cole and Pusha T trade verses on a cold-hearted woman over The 20/20 Experience track’s menacing beat, before JT comes in with the explosive chorus.
Listen here.
“Holy Grail” – Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z and JT explore the struggles with fame in the lead single off the rapper’s 2013 album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. “Caught up in all these lights and cameras/ But look what that s—- did to Hammer/ Goddammit I like it,” Jay-Z raps in his verse, in response to JT’s proclamation, “Sipping from your cup ’til it runneth over, Holy Grail.”
Listen here.
“Cabaret” – Justin Timberlake feat. Drake
JT’s process for seduction is laid out in the alluring “Cabaret,” featured on his 2013 album, The 20/20 Experience. Drizzy hops in for a high-energy third verse, rapping, “Got a bunch of old girls that I threw away for ya/ I been in the gym doing two-a-days for ya/ So I can lift ya up when I do the thang to ya.”
Listen here.
“Until the End of Time” – Justin Timberlake feat. Beyonce
The originally solo song off FutureSex/LoveSounds got a dreamy remix thanks to Queen Bey, as the duo muse about everlasting love.
Listen here.
“Like I Love You” – Justin Timberlake feat. Clipse
Still one of Timberlake’s fan favorites, “Like I Love You” was the lead single off his 2002 debut solo album, Justified. The must-have tune for a night out features production from The Neptunes (Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams) and a verse from Clipse (Pusha T and No Malice).
Listen here.
“Ayo Technology” – 50 Cent feat. Justin Timberlake
“Ayo, I’m tired of using technology/Why don’t you sit down on top of me?” Timberlake declares to his “new-age” girl in the chorus of this 2007 hit, which peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100.
Listen here.
“Rehab” – Rihanna feat. Justin Timberlake
RiRi called on the crooner for the Good Girl Gone Bad cut for the background vocals, and the two get close in the steamy music video.
Listen here.
“Suit & Tie” – Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
The moment we had all been waiting for in 2013. Timberlake had been on a six-year hiatus since the release of FutureSex/LoveSounds, and finally satisfied fans itching for new music with the release of The 20/20 Experience’s lead single, “Suit & Tie.” The sleek, nostalgic tune features a guest verse from frequent collaborator Jay-Z, who stunts that the duo are decked in “Tom Ford tuxedos for no reason.”
Listen here.
“Say Something” – Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton
JT’s 2018 album, Man of the Woods, only had two features, and they did not disappoint. “Say Something” was the star track of the album, marking Timberlake’s first musical dip into his country, Tennesseean roots. The modern-yet-acoustic feel to the tune is complete with Stapleton’s husky vocals and the duo’s soaring harmonies.
Listen here.
“Morning Light” – Justin Timberlake feat. Alicia Keys
Man of the Woods’ second collab comes in the form of the peaceful love song with vocals from Alicia Keys. “I’m in love with you/ Laying here in the morning light/ And all I want to do, is hold you tight just one more night/ Yes I’m in love with you,” the duo sing in the sugary sweet chorus.
Listen here.
“4 Minutes” – Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
The Queen of Pop and Timberlake share a flirtatious back-and-forth in this 2008 hit, as they claim to have the four-minute length of the song to “save the world.” The urgency builds in the “tick tock tick tock” Madonna teases at the end before the tune’s final breakdown.
Listen here.
Side projects are an exciting component in music, because they offer fans the chance to immerse themselves in disparate sounds from their favorite acts that can be just as captivating as (or fascinatingly contrasting with) their primary outfits. The results may be unpredictable, but they let certain members of a group dive into sounds that might’ve not fit in their original band. Or they may be an extension of the riveting experimentation that already took place in their initial project, but with more emphasis on other instruments or styles.
Enter the electo pop-rock enigma of Astronomía Interior (AI): an electrifying mix of digital configurations that seem to radiate somewhere in outer space. It’s the latest side project of two Zoé bandmates — but this time, Jesús Báez and Ángel Mosqueda joined forces to release songs that “at times seemed to come from another world or a distant future,” as they describe. The duo released their eponymous debut album in January through Universal Music Mexico, and will perform at Vive Latino on March 18.
This is not the first time that members of Zoé have explored on their own. Frontman León Larregui continues to navigate his solo side with great success since Solstis (2012) and Voluma (2016). On Friday (March 10) the singer-songwriter releases his second set of two singles: “Chromocismic Ave,” a multilingual track with psychedelic touches, and “Holidays,” a gentle coo with guitar arpeggios, both from his upcoming album Prismarama due out later this year. (The band’s former drummer, Siddhartha, has also enjoyed a fruitful career on his own.)
Other prominent bands such as Maná have seen their members Sergio Vallín and Alex González launch side projects, and Gustavo Santaolalla, one of Latin America’s most important Latin rock producers, created a fascinating electronic tango project with Bajofondo, while also composing for film and more recently for the world of video games.
Side projects are defined by their inclusion of one or more artists who are primarily known for their participation in another group, such as Jay de la Cueva or De La Tierra, for example. They can also be an artist or band that temporarily and/or radically changes style – like HopPo! or Terri Gender Bender. Sometimes, those initiatives become bigger than what the artist anticipated, as in the case of Kumbia Queers, a rowdy troupe of punks who came from separate independent music projects.
Without further ado, here are 10 outstanding Latin music side projects of the last decade (in alphabetical order).
Astronomía Interior
Members: Jesús Báez and Ángel Mosqueda of Zoé
Astronomía Interior (AI) is the latest musical project of Zoé keyboardist Jesús Báez and bassist Ángel Mosqueda. As an extension of their musical versatility beyond the Mexican troupe, the duo shoots for the stars to “gradually build a constellation full of musical magic” that will form a “musical galaxy based on emotion and visuals,” as they describe in a press release.
In January, AI released its debut album Astronomía Interior, which contains hypnotic pieces of electro-pop brilliance such as “California”, “Un Día Especial” and “Estrella Fugaz.” The duo will be touring the U.S. this year and are confirmed for Vive Latino (March 18) and Pa’l Norte (March 31) festivals in Mexico.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoDDLZqJ0xN
At The Drive-In
Image Credit: Andrew Benge/Redferns
Members: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta; Paul Hinojos, Tony Hajjar, and Keeley Davis (their most recent line-up).
It’s arguable that At The Drive-In should’t be considered the side project of The Mars Volta members Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, since At The Drive-In happened first, and also both musicians have a variety of side projects. But given the greater commercial success they had with TMV (a group with whom they have released seven studio albums versus four), we will assert, for the purpose of this list, that the post-hardcore group eventually became their side project.
Formed in the 1990s, At The Drive-In is one of Cedric and Omar’s most recognizable projects. In 2000, they released one of their most acclaimed albums, Relationship of Command, a year before forming TMV. Since then, the original group went on hiatus, until reuniting in 2016 for one more brief period.
Both Omar and Cedric have been incredibly active in diverse spaces, where they have exercised their creative muscles in unpredictable ways. Other side projects of theirs include bands such as De Facto, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, Bosnian Rainbows and Antemasque.
Dante Spinetta
Known for: Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas
Whether solo or with a group, Dante Spinetta is a star in his own right. The rapper/singer formed the pioneering Kuryaki and the Valderramas in the ‘90s in Buenos Aires when he was 14 years old, alongside Emmanuel Horvilleur, to tremendous international success.
At the turn of the decade, Dante released solo material that saw him delving deeper, with the riveting mix of hip-hop, funk and R&B heard in albums like Elevado (2002) and El Apagón (2007). With 2010’s Pyramide, the Argentine artist moved old-school rap and música urbana to the forefront.
Last year, the eccentric artist dropped his fifth solo album, Mesa Dulce, where fans could hear him embracing his funky and soulful side, while also welcoming rising stars like Trueno and CA7RIEL into the mix for a few features.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co3M8uXshJq
De La Tierra
Image Credit: Martin DarkSoul
Members: Andreas Kisser of Sepultura, Alex González of Maná, Andrés Giménez of A.N.I.M.A.L., Harold Hopkins Miranda of Yupa, and previously Flavio Cianciarulo of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
One decade ago, four musicians of internationally successful bands united to usher in Latin metal’s reawakening. It started with Mexican drummer Alex González’s yearning to explore a more hardcore sound outside of Maná’s pop-driven rock ballads. Enlisting A.N.I.M.A.L. frontman Andrés Giménez, bassist Flavio Cianciarulo of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs from Argentina and guitarist Andreas Kisser of Sepultura from Brazil, De La Tierra was born.
The all-star troupe released their eponymous full-length debut in 2015 and second album II the following year, which straddles death metal and slashing hard rock. Adding Puerto Rican bassist Harold to the lineup, after Flavio’s departure, the band released their last rock ballad, “Distintos,” which features Andreas’ crystalline acoustic guitar pluckings against Andrés’ fervent vocals.
Gustavo Santaolalla
Image Credit: César Guekian
Known for: Bajofondo, record producer, composer.
Gustavo Santaolalla’s range as a musician, composer and producer is impressive, and his diverse musical talents make it a bit difficult to see where the main project begins and the side project ends.
As a musician, the multi-instrumentalist co-founded the Uruguayan-Argentinian ensemble Bajofondo, with their gripping formula of tango and electronic music. Santaolalla had already helped establish the pioneering rock nacional band Arco Iris in the hippie era.
As a producer, Gustavo Santaolalla established himself as the man behind many of rock en español’s greatest records of all time. He helped pave the way for the genre’s cross-continental explosion, producing hits for megastars like Café Tacvba, Ely Guerra, Julieta Venegas, Maldita Vecindad, Los Prisioneros, Juanes and many more Latin rock icons.
As a composer, his film scores have been featured in some of the most important Latin American cinema — including award-winning 21st century films like Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Motorcycle Diaries and Babel. His works have also appeared in TV shows and video games.
HopPo!
Members: Rubén Albarrán of Café Tacvba, Juan Pablo “Muñeco” Villanueva, Carlos Icaza, Rodrigo “Chino” Aros, Giancarlo Baldevenito.
While on a break from Café Tacvba, the eccentric frontman Rubén Albarrán took advantage of his creative wanderlust to help form HopPo!, which means “Let’s Go” in the Dakota language. He teamed up with three Chilean musicians to create music that honored the Chilean song movement, including beautiful covers from Chile’s ‘60s protest leader and musician Violeta Parra.
Equipped with a charango, sitar, pan flutes, guitar and drums, the rock-leaning folk combo was a charming homage to the protest music of Latin America in its fight for social and political justice, causes that Albarrán has been very vocal about.
Their last song as HopPo! to date is the Jorge González cover, “El Futuro Se Fue.” González is best known as the frontman of the political pop-rock band Los Prisioneros. Other releases by the side project include the EPs Te Vas al Sur (2014) and La Maga y el Sadhu (2018).
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Kumbia Queers
Members: Juana Chang, Pilar Arrese and Inés Laurencena of She-Devils; Flor Linyera; formerly, Ali Gua Gua of Las Ultrasónicas.
Starting off as a side project, Kumbia Queers made a big splash in the late ‘00s with their quirky tropical punk covers of the Cure, Black Sabbath, the Ramones, and Madonna, where they wrote original lyrics catered to their punk and queer lifestyle. With their knack for clever wordplay, signature fusion, and outrageous stage theatrics, the Argentine-Mexican queercore troupe capitalized on this niche and their “side” gig became a huge hit.
Their 2011 release La Gran Estafa del Tropipunk EP was an underground sensation, and songs like “Celosa” and “Daniela” have endured in the Latin alternative music catalog with humorous songwriting and danceable rhythms. They later followed that up with Pecados Tropicales (2012) and La Oscuridad Bailable (2019), in which they continued to embrace cumbia villera, with infectious synthesizers and an irreverent attitude.
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Mexrrissey
Image Credit: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage
Members: Camilo Lara of M.I.S.; Ceci Bastida of Tijuana No!; Chetes of Zurdok; Sergio Mendoza of Calexico and Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta; Jay de la Cueva of Moderatto, Fobia and Titán; Adan Jorodowsky of Adanowsky; Alex González of Twin Tones; and Alejandro Flores of Café Tacvba.
Comprised by Morrissey lovers, the Mexican supergroup reimagines songs by The Smiths’ frontman, as evidenced by their only album, No Manchester (2016). Founded by Camilo Lara and Sergio Mendoza, the cast of charro-clad rockers take turns performing songs by Moz. Complemented by a brass section and a vihuela, the album documents Britain’s fascination with bleak humor and Mexico’s knack for melodramas — just seek no further than the telenovela.
Passion, rebellion and melancholy take center stage as listeners watch the journey of a sad loner wandering through a republic full of agony, as heard in the song “Mexico.” With Jay de la Cueva’s angelic coo, Chetes’ swaggering sneer and Adanowsky’s warm vocals, “Estuvo Bien” is a great remake of “Suedehead.” Meanwhile, Ceci Bastida channels Moz’s cool in her surfy remake of “The Last of the Famous International Playboys,” refashioned as “International Playgirl.”
Sergio Vallín
Image Credit: Elishia Perosa
Known for: Maná
In Sergio Vallín’s first solo project, Microsinfonías (2021), Maná’s guitarist ventures into classical music, accompanied by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. For the seven-track, self-produced instrumental album, the Mexican artist composed the intro and outro, and reworked hits by Alejandro Sanz (“Cuando nadie me ve”), Marco Antonio Solís (“Dónde está mi primavera”), Maná (“Vivir sin aire”), and Juan Luis Guerra (“Bachata rosa”), demonstrating his versatility in conducting beautiful arrangements with piano and shimmering strings.
Teri Gender Bender
Known for: Le Butcherettes
Mexican-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Teri Gender Bender, better known as the frontwoman of Le Butcherettes, is stepping out of her usual zone to forge an identity of her own. Last year she released a series of lo-fi bilingual singles and EPs, including Saturn Sex and State of Fear. Her solo work is a sample of avant-garde pop in which the tapatía explores facets of her life with an idiosyncratic and experimental approach, without ever abandoning the distorted sound of her electric guitar.
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