From Lady Gaga to Bonnie Tyler to a “poop mix,” the show’s latest batch of drag stars break down their favorite songs to perform.
The New Queens of Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race
MTV
With 2024 officially upon us, RuPaul has just three words for you: Start your engines!
On Friday (Jan. 5), fans will finally get to see the premiere episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 on MTV. Introducing a brand new crop of 14 world-class drag performers, the new season will follow the contestants as they compete for a cash prize of $200,000 and the sought-after title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Split into a two groups across two premiere episodes, the new cast of 14 queens will compete in two talent shows — one themed after MTV’s Spring Break and the other after the Teen Choice Awards. Once they’ve finished, the queens will be subjected to the season’s first big twist; they’ll have to rate each other to determine the week’s top and bottom performers.
The return of Drag Race also means the return of the beloved Lip Sync for Your Life format. Over the course of 15 years, the battle royale for survival has not only saved hundreds of queens from elimination, but has also boosted gains for the artists they feature. As executive producer Tom Campbell told Billboard in 2022, “that’s part of what this show does; it’s passing down these generational moments.”
With a flock of fabulous new performers for fans to fall for over the next few months, Billboard decided to speed up the getting-to-know-you process by asking each contestant a simple question; what is your go-to lip sync song? Below, the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 breaks down (in their own words) their favorite songs to perform for Billboard, ranging from Britney Spears to Barbra Streisand to a “poop mix.”
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Amanda Tori Meating
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV I very much love dialogue, so I do a lot of those in my mixes — I have one I love where I do that one scene from Saturday Night Live where Kate McKinnon is abducted by aliens. I’m also a massive Little Monster, so lately I have been doing the Chromatica Ball arrangement of “LoveGame,” that’s been a big hit lately. Oh, and also, “Run Away With Me” by Carly Rae Jepsen is an excellent lip sync song!
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Dawn
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV I want to start by saying I am unabashedly a Swiftie, however, I refuse to perform Taylor Swift, because that’s just not the vibe in the club. Now, getting booked for a Taylor Swift night and having to perform Taylor? Everything, we love that. Anyways, my favorite song to perform to right now is fully “Toxic” by Britney Spears. I love that song — it’s so much fun, there’s layers and levels, it gets kooky, so that’s my favorite one at the moment.
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Geneva Karr
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV You know what? I know because I’m Latina you might not even think of this for me, but I actually really love “Disco Inferno” [by The Trammps]! There’s so many waves, there’s a lot of ‘ra-ka-ti-ka-ka-ti-ka,’ and you get to hit ’em with the one-two-boom, high-kick split. I absolutely love that song, it’s definitely my go-to when I’m thinking, “Hmm, what am I doing today? Let’s gag the children.”
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Hershii Liqcour-Jeté
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV I am a monologue gal, so I like to look at my performances as very short, urban, Tyler Perry plays. So, I mix a lot of monologues into my stuff. My favorite mix that I’m doing right now that will be spread across America come 2024 is my “Single Ladies” mix. It’s got a lot of talking and a lot of dancing.
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Megami
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Well, 100%, my go-to song is always going to be “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Ms. Bonnie Tyler. You pull that out, and baby, there is no one who is going to be beating me on that one. It’s a good old-fashion ’80s camp classic power ballad — give it to me.
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Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Currently, I would have to say that it’s between Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” and Rihanna’s “S&M,” the B. Ames remix. Those songs just have a tendency to take over for me, and I just end up doing the most off-the-wall, crazy things.
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Mirage
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV God, this is hard! I guess I’d say, I really like performing to Joel Corry songs. I do a lot of EDM music and house music. It’s very nightclub, very high energy, and I’m out there getting my life. I’m on top of the audience, I’m flipping around and grabbing money through my legs.
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Morphine Love Dion
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Oh, no question, it’s “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira, down, period. My hair is wet, I’m oiled up, I’m on the floor, maybe humping the wall, or the floor, or the bar, or the bartender. I’ve got on some low-rise jeans, a little shimmy-shimmy, and we’re there.
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Nymphia Wind
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Mine would definitely be “Marry the Night” by Lady Gaga. Anything with a dig yourself out of the dirt kind of energy is what we’re looking for.
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Plane Jane
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV So, I guess it depends. But for a nightclub situation, I would definitely go with a shorter mix. I do mixes, I don’t usually do songs, it’s just that my attention span fits that style better. There is a mix called the “Poop Mix” on Soundcloud, it was created by the incredible artist Ayesha Erotica, and that is absolutely a go-to for me.
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Plasma
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Well, this is not going to surprise very many people, but it’s usually “Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Barbra Streisand — I mean, of course, she’s my idol and my hero. But, I’m also very obsessed with an artist by the name of Dolores Gray, who sings a song called “Thanks a Lot But No Thanks.” The drag artist Lypsinka actually made that particular song famous during her drag career in New York City. It’s sort of like the lesser-known version of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” but it’s essentially her singing, “Thank you for all of these riches, darling, but no thanks, I’m good! I’m set, darling, but thank you very much for the private jet, I will take it!”
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Q
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Oh, I am a Gaga girl all the way. Artpop is my favorite album, I do so many songs off of Artpop when I’m performing. My favorite off of the album is probably “Venus” — there’s just something about Gaga being so camp and so fashion at the same time that really gives you everything you want.”
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Sapphira Cristál
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV Ugh, I love music so much, I just don’t know … I’m gonna give you three. First up, there’s the “Air Mail Special” by Ella Fitzgerald, which is just perfect because it’s got every single thing you want. I like to be very active and animated in my performances, so that allows me to do all of the things I want. Second, I’ll say “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Hudson — I know it’s a thing that maybe people don’t want to admit, but Ms. Hudson did that on that song. And the third would truly just be anything by Whitney Houston.
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Xunami Muse
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV For me, I would have to say that it’s a toss up between “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” by Celia Cruz or it’s gonna be “How Many Licks” by Lil’ Kim. Those are my two that I’m back and forth with. Range, baby, I got range!
