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After a high-octane season that saw the show’s highest ratings in three years, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 went out with a bang on Friday (April 14).
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: Every Lip Sync From Season 15, Ranked
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In the finale episode, the top four queens (Anetra, Luxx Noir London, Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Sasha Colby) performed in a series of solo lip sync numbers, before getting narrowed down to a top two. With Anetra and Sasha Colby advancing to the final event, the pair performed a dramatic lip sync to Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood,” where only one queen emerged victorious — Sasha Colby.
The Hawaiian drag superstar — best known for winning the prestigious drag pageant Miss Continental back in 2011 — humbly accepted her new scepter from RuPaul at the end of the finale, declaring that she was dedicating her win to her community. “This goes to every trans person, past, present and future,” she said. “Because we are not going anywhere.”
Colby came into the finale with the strongest track record of any of her competitors — along with never landing in the bottom in any of the show’s challenges, Sasha also racked up four challenge wins over the course of the season, more than any other queen on the show. Fans favored Sasha for the crown, with 47% of respondents to Billboard‘s pre-finale poll declaring Sasha as their winner (Anetra was the next closest with 44% of the vote).
Speaking to Billboard a few days after her crowning, Sasha Colby talked about what it meant for her to win the crown, how she executed two extremely memorable lip syncs in a single episode, her Beyoncé conspiracy theory and why it’s more important than ever to have a trans woman take home the Drag Race crown.
You must have had a wild weekend, queen.
It’s really been wonderful, I got to spend some time with some really good friends who always supported my work. I just got to soak it in, let it integrate, you know?
Yes, because nothing big happened, right?
No, no, you know, I watched a little show on Friday, but other than that, it was chill [laughs]. Which is exactly how I felt going into the event on Friday night, I was telling the top four when we were doing our numbers, like, “Girls, it’s just brunch.”
Let’s get into it — congratulations to you, our winner, our current reigning! How are you feeling after clinching the crown?
I feel amazing! As a very competitive pageant girl, it’s nice to accomplish something, and it really feels good to sit back and know that this was a job well done. I did everything I could — I mean, I literally put my whole a– out there. It’s just really lovely to get this from the ultimate drag queen herself.
This is not your first experience taking home a crown — in your career, where does this particular honor rank amongst your many achievements?
This is the highest honor so far, until my presidency [laughs]. No, this is the pinnacle for me. Doing Miss Continental 11 years ago, Drag Race was, I think, about three seasons in. It was pretty new. When I made a miracle happen by winning Continental, I sort of thought that you get one miracle in your lifetime. But it’s wild to think that we made magic again — and by “we” I do mean my tribe, my family, because it definitely was not just me.
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Right after winning the crown, you had this beautiful moment where you dedicated your win to your community, to “every trans person, past, present and future, because we’re not going anywhere.” With everything going on in the country right now, why was that an important dedication for you to make?
You know, I was thinking about being funny, being cheeky — no pun intended. But really, what summed it up the entire competition me was the fact that I was getting so nervous. You get very in your head, you start feeling insane, like a drag-zilla, if you will. I had to step back and make the competition where it was not about this dream that I was so happy to have achieved. All that was in the back of my head was, “What’s going on?” You know, it was about traveling, and feeling unsafe where we’re going, and this rhetoric on the news about trans folks.
So it was a way for me to not make it about, “I need to win Drag Race, this is the end-all-be-all.” No, when you’re trying to achieve something, you have to look at what’s after. Once you know there’s something else you have to do that is greater than this desire you have, the desire immediately gets filled because of the purpose you have. To me, this is why I waited [to be on Drag Race], because I was supposed to be here right now, to be the face of exactly what these people are trying to eradicate.
Well-said. On a much less serious note, on a scale of 1-10, how certain are you in your conspiracy theory that Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce moniker was inspired by you?
Girl, that is desperate, desperate ploy for Beyoncé to contact me [laughs]. And you know what? The hive has not come for me yet, because deep down they know that they all would have done the same thing. If it meant mother would talk to them? They would’ve done the exact same.
They’ve just been sitting quietly saying, “Wait, no, let’s see what happens.”
Ugh, the doors Gia Gunn and I have opened [giggles].
There’s so much to talk about from the finale episode, so let’s start with your performance of the original song “GODDESS” — you were in perfect form for this number. Tell me a little about how you went about staging this, because it looked very meticulous.
Well, I was definitely thinking Continental 2.0 — I definitely have a formula when it comes to performances. Even if it’s a solo, I do have a formula that my dance director has worked with us all on for years; “When you tell a story, you have to have a beginning, a middle and an end.”
I like to use my body to write the story of what I see in the music. So if I feel a suspension of breath like there was in “GODDESS,” I want to show that with my body. If I feel tension, I want to show it. I remember Monica Monroe told me the most powerful thing is to understand the silence of the music. Because that takes you on a journey, and it points the viewer in the right direction. And, you know, I like being a little f–gy.
Then we get to the Lip Sync for the Crown, where you executed not one, but two absolutely wild outfit reveals. How much did you have to practice those before getting on the stage?
Can I be real with you? Not one time. The outfits weren’t finished and didn’t get delivered until the day before. I couldn’t unwrap that massive coat, because even if I did, there was no space with enough room to practice that reveal! I’ve done the trick with the second dress before (ripping out a chord from the center of the dress until it falls away), it’s an old-school burlesque trick. But it’s hard to execute, and we did end up painting a little purple on it so it would blend it, which made it a little trickier. So no, that was not rehearsed, and I was really on that stage like, “I am going to rip this off on camera.” I also just didn’t want to be that queen saying “I need to rehearse on the stage! I need to this!” It’s just like, it’s a competition, hold your cards close to your chest.
Do you have any big plans for what you’re going to do with the $200,000 cash prize?
I think I’m gonna try and save, to be honest! I’d love to save it up so I can buy a beautiful home. But, a splurge might be something like … great teeth, honestly. A star smile! Because dental health is very important! It seems like a vanity buy, but ultimately it’s a healthy buy.
What can fans expect from Sasha Colby’s reign as America’s Next Drag Superstar?
You can expect the same goofy, silly, sexy girl to come to every city. You can expect high energy, mothering love, and probably some groundbreaking things that are already in the works as we speak. I mean, I’m not gonna stop now! In the eternal words of RuPaul herself, “This is the beginning.”
After an extremely competitive few weeks that saw 16 queens contend for the crown, season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race finally came to an end on Friday night (April 14) when one queen walked away with the crown.
Filmed live on April 1 at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, the finale gave all of the eliminated queens a chance to return to the stage and show off their fabulous fashion, before the top four — Anetra, Luxx Noir London, Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Sasha Colby — began their official fight for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Taking to the stage in a series of solo performances, the top four rewrote their narratives for an eager audience: Anetra blossomed into a “Lotus” with her EDM-tinged single; Luxx declared that “It’s Giving Fashion” with her couture single; Mistress psychoanalyzed the “Delusion” of the season with a mesmerizing song; and Sasha Colby ascended to become a “Goddess” with her dance-pop anthem.
With only two queens able to move forward to the final showdown, RuPaul selected Anetra and Sasha Colby as the season’s top two thanks to their stellar performances. Advancing to the famous Lip Sync for the Crown, Anetra and Sasha put it all on the line to the tune of Amii Stewart’s 1979 classic “Knock on Wood.”
Anetra showed off her superior dance skills with a (literally) bleeding heart on her chest that she then removed during the performance. Meanwhile, Sasha Colby gave fans not one but two stunning outfit reveals, all while tearing up the stage and performing her signature hair flips along the way. With the lip-sync over, and the audience at home waiting, RuPaul announced that the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 was…
…Sasha Colby! Your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen clutched her face as she accepted the crown and scepter from RuPaul. As the crowd roared with applause, Colby dedicated her award to her community with an empowering statement. “This goes to every trans person — past, present and future,” she proclaimed. “Because we are not going anywhere.”
See the full moment when Sasha Colby clinched the crown below:
While Katy Perry spent a good portion of 2022 dazzling The Theatre at Resorts World for her Las Vegas residency, it’s been six years since her last world tour in support of her fifth studio album, Witness.
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In a new interview with Out, Perry said that it’s about time she hits the road again. “I still love making music. I still love spreading light and love,” she told the publication. “I know there’s a lot of people who couldn’t make it to Vegas. The last time I was on tour was in 2018. I’m… due. How about that? I’m due to go out and see the kids that couldn’t make it to Vegas.”
As for her extravagant Vegas residency, titled Play, the 38-year-old superstar looks back on the experience fondly and with empowerment. “I’m just so proud of the show that we created and we put on. It is such a spectacular show that we love so much,” she shared. “It’s almost like the greatest hits show! I call it all thriller, no filler. I wish I could bring it to the rest of the world, but it’s just not technically possible to cart around OTT toilets and bathtubs. Closing a chapter on Play allows me to start a new chapter. I’m so excited for the potential of my story to continue.”
The power-packed set list kicked off with “ET,” “Chained to the Rhythm,” “Dark Horse” and “It’s Not the End of the World,” and included hits like “California Gurls,” “Hot N’ Cold/Last Friday Night,” “Waking up in Vegas,” “Bon Appetit,” “Daisies,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Lost/Part of Me/Wide Awake,” “Swish Swish,” “When I’m Gone/Walking on Air!,” “Never Really Over,” “Teenage Dream,” “Smile” and Roar.”
As conservative country stars such as John Rich and Travis Tritt continue their calls for a boycott of Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth has responded to the ongoing controversy on Friday (April 14).
In a statement posted to the company’s official Instagram page and Twitter account, Whitworth said that he felt a responsibility toward making sure “every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew,” pointing to Anheuser-Busch’s history of support for “our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.”
In regards to the ongoing backlash, Whitworth clarified the company’s objectives as a brand: “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” he wrote. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Conservative backlash to the brand began when transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney participated in a branded partnership with Bud Light, advertising its Easy Carry Contest across her social media accounts, in which she thanked the company for sending her a can of the beer with her face emblazoned on the side.
In response to Mulvaney’s video, artists including Kid Rock and Ted Nugent began speaking out against the brand, with Tritt and Rich starting their own respective boycotts of all Anheuser-Busch products.
Whitworth never directly referenced Mulvaney, Tritt, Rich, or the boycotts themselves in his statement. Instead, he focused on “the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another,” while also adding that he as CEO would focus more on “protecting [Anheuser-Busch’s] remarkable history and heritage.”
Closing his official statement, Whitworth said that he would “continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across the nation.”
Check out Brendan Whitworth’s full statement below.
Halsey is teaming up with Hard Rock live to perform reimagined versions of their songs for a good cause.
“i’m playing a handful of intimate venues with a string ensemble this summer,” she tweeted on Friday (April 14), adding that donations and proceeds for the show will benefit two LGBTQIA+ focused organizations. Outright International advocates for human rights and equality for LGBTQIA+ people, and invests in the community as well as allies around the world to produce cultural, social and legal change. Human Rights Campaign aims to ensure all LGBTQ+ people — and particularly those who are trans, people of color or HIV positive — are treated as equal citizens around the world. In addition, the events will also benefit Hard Rock Heals, which provides assistance to health and wellness, disaster relief, humanitarian causes and more around the world.
The three shows will take place on June 24 in Hollywood, Fla.; June 30 in Gary, Ind.; and on July 2 in Wheatland, Calif.
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Halsey’s exciting announcement comes amid a treacherous time in the music industry, where a few artists have been sharing transphobic responses to trans activist Dylan Mulvaney teaming up with Anheuser-Busch to promote the brand’s Easy Carry Contest, including Kid Rock and Travis Tritt.
Additionally, conservative politicians have been targeting trans people, drag queens and queer culture in recent weeks, leading to a surge in anti-LGBTQ bills surging through Republican-led legislatures, particularly in Tennessee.
Boycotting Budweiser is like swearing off Google for online searches: You could do it, but it’s pretty hard to go out for a drink and avoid Bud, Bud Light, Busch, Corona, Modelo, Natural Light, Stella Artois, Michelob or one of the many regional and international brands owned by parent company AB Inbev.
That hasn’t stopped Kid Rock, John Rich and Travis Tritt from lashing out at the world’s leading beer company after transgender TikTok star and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video on April 1 of herself participating in Bud Light’s Easy Carry Contest for the end of the NCAA’s March Madness. In the clip, she revealed that the company helped her celebrate her “365th day of womanhood” with “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s face on the side.
The can, which was personalized for Mulvaney and is not available for commercial sale, was enough of an affront to the artists that Rock uploaded a video in which he attempted to obliterate 12-packs of Bud Light with a semi-automatic rifle, while yelling “f–k Bud Light, and f–kk Anheuser-Busch” into the camera. The “Devil Without a Cause” rapper-turned-country-rocker did not specifically call out Mulvaney (or mention the word trans), nor did he say that he was calling for a ban of AB products in his video.
On April 5, country singer Tritt announced that he would be “deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider,” adding that there were “many other artists who are doing the same.” Later that day, Rich of country duo Big & Rich tweeted suggesting he would be pulling Bud Light from his Nashville restaurant/bar Redneck Riviera.
While Rock has already pulled AB titles from his Nashville Honky Tonk Rock & Roll Steakhouse and, according to a bartender during a visit on Thursday (April 13), Rich’s Redneck Riviera is in the process of pulling Bud Light, the artists will have a harder time implementing any kind of ban on tour.
According to Chris Bigelow, president of food and beverage consulting giant Bigelow Consulting, “the artist has no say” when it comes to demanding a venue remove AB Inbev products from taps and venue bars during their shows.
“Maybe if it was a bigger star that said, ‘I won’t play your building [if you don’t remove them]’ and everyone wanted that star to play then maybe you’d say, ‘let’s figure this out,’” says Bigelow, whose company has worked with stadiums, arenas and convention centers to stock their food and beverage for more than 40 years in North America and around the world. “But I don’t see Kid Rock at that level and if he’s already booked to play shows I don’t see anything changing…. “Now if it was Beyoncé or Taylor Swift they might consider changing the taps, but I’ve never heard of them doing that.”
Rock currently has a number of U.S. arena shows on the books for this summer at a variety of buildings that currently have AB products on tap. And while they may not accommodate his Bud-cott venue-wide, Bigelow adds, “He can ask for whatever he wants backstage.”
The artists’ call for a boycott — which has been amplified by conservative network Fox News — is likely to make noise, but not change drinking habits much according to Neil Reid, a professor of geography and planning at the University of Toledo who is also known as the “Beer Professor” for his deep knowledge and study of the suds industry, which he has lectured about across the world for more than 25 years.
“I would imagine that these venues [the artists play while on tour] already have contracts with distributors or outside vendors that run their food service and concessions and I’d be surprised if any of these artists could eliminate any particular beer from these venues,” Reid tells Billboard of the standard contracts in which the venue and/or concession company of record decide what brews to serve based on existing contracts with buildings and distributors.
Reid says AB Inbev is the world’s leading beer barreler, with more than 500 brands that make up eight of the top 10 best-selling beers in the United States and nearly 40% of the U.S. market as of 2021 figures and 30% of the global market. He noted that AB has long participated in outreach to the LGBTQ community, including sponsoring pride celebrations, and that calls for a boycott typically make for good headlines but little else.
“These boycotts are typically a strategy to get those 15 minutes of fame and this one has already gotten it, but the news cycle usually runs out and they disappear,” he says. “Because consumers are creatures of habit — one thing in AB Inbev’s favor — and because they own so many different brands, someone might think they’re not buying one of their products and they actually are. It’s about me as a consumer feeling good about taking action, but I don’t see this adding to any significant numbers that will impact AB Inbev.”
–Additional reporting by Jessica Nicholson
With a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ sentiment making its way around the globe, Lil Nas X wants his fans to know that he is there to support them.
On Wednesday night (April 12), the “Old Town Road” rapper retweeted a report from a fan account that said his song “Sun Goes Down” off of Montero had reached No. 1 on the iTunes charts in Saudi Arabia.
In his tweet, the rapper sent a message specifically to his LGBTQ fans in Saudi Arabia, hoping that the song’s message resonated with them. “to my gays [sic] fans from saudi arabia reading this, i hope this song is getting you through whatever you’re going through,” he wrote. “and i hope someday soon the laws against us change and you can be free in your own home.”
The song traces Lil Nas’ personal journey from experiencing suicidal thoughts at a young age to self-acceptance of his queerness later on in life, with many seeing it as a hopeful anthem to coming out. “I know that you want to cry/ But there’s much more to life than dying,” he sings on the final post-chorus. “Over your past mistakes/ And people who threw dirt on your name.”
The rapper’s tweet was specifically referring to the Middle Eastern country’s criminalization of queerness. According to Human Dignity Trust, a U.K.-based legal advocacy group working to challenge same-sex discrimination laws around the globe, Saudi Arabia criminalizes same-sex sexual activity as well as public gender expression for trans people, with “a maximum penalty of death.”
Lil Nas’ touching message comes a few weeks after the rapper received criticism online for a tweet asking “where do the gays be in africa” shortly after Uganda passed a historically broad anti-LGBTQ law.
See Lil Nas X’s sweet message to his LGBTQ fans in Saudi Arabia below:
to my gays fans from saudi arabia reading this, i hope this song is getting you through whatever you’re going through and i hope someday soon the laws against us change and you can be free in your own home. https://t.co/Cn7j2FMdM3— pussy (@LilNasX) April 13, 2023
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”
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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.
After three months, 12 eliminations and 20 lip syncs, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 is finally coming to a close on Friday (April 14).
The finale (airing Friday at 8 p.m. on MTV) will see the show’s four finalists — Anetra, Luxx Noir London, Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Sasha Colby — duke it out for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar, as well as the series’ record-high cash prize of $200,000.
Drag Race has yet to announce the specific format of this year’s finale. Throughout the show’s history, finale episodes have had a tendency to change — while the final episodes for much of the show’s history simply featured a series of performances and interviews before the winner was crowned, more recent seasons have seen each of the top queens battle for the title in a series of lip syncs.
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With the format still unannounced, there are a number of criteria that could be used to choose a winner from season 15. If fans go purely off of queens’ track records on the show, then Sasha Colby would stand out as the clear front-runner — the former Miss Continental winner has taken home four challenge wins (more than any of the other finalists), and never landed in the bottom two. If fans are looking for the queen with the best lip sync record, Mistress Isabelle Brooks is currently undefeated when it comes to lip syncs, having survived both lip syncs she performed in on the show.
Whatever your criteria, the question still remains; who do you think should win RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15? Vote in our official poll below:
As Pride season gets closer, the GLAAD Media Awards are ready to celebrate the artists who are helping the LGBTQ community thrive.
On Wednesday (April 12), GLAAD announced that country-pop star Maren Morris and Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness would be receiving special honors at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on Saturday, May 13.
Morris is set to receive the organization’s excellence in media award, given out each year to “allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people,” according to a press release from GLAAD. The singer has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights in recent years, teaming up with GLAAD and other organizations to protest recent anti-LGBTQ bills passed in the U.S.
Van Ness, meanwhile, will be the first non-binary recipient of the Vito Russo award (named after the GLAAD co-founder and ACT UP activist), which is presented annually to “a LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ acceptance.”
The pair of stars are just the latest celebrities to receive special recognition from the organization. In March, Christina Aguilera and Bad Bunny were honored at the organization’s Los Angeles ceremony with the advocate for change and vanguard awards, respectively. In her speech, Aguilera called on the audience listening to “raise our voices if we want to live in a world that is free of discrimination, hate and violence.” Bad Bunny, meanwhile, specifically thanked the LGBTQ community “for embracing me, for loving me the way they do, and for inspiring me, too.”
The 2023 GLAAD Media Awards will take place in New York City on Saturday, May 13. To find tickets, click here.