Drag performance has expanded to other formats, but the foundation of the art form is lip syncing or singing - but how do you choose what songs to perform?
I've been performing a long time, and I have done a lot of different kinds of music. No matter what I'm performing, I always like to think about what it is in that song that speaks to who this character I've created is. Obviously I am Janessa and Janessa is me, but she is also a character, and I like to choose music that expands and explores my journey in drag.
So I thought it would be fun to share some of my signature drag songs that I love to perform, and talk about about what they mean to me, why I chose them, etc.
Proud - Heather Small
This song was my go to for any Pride show or celebration. I love this so much! I love a good empowerment song in general, but I love that this one is also a call to action: "What have you done today to make you feel proud?" We should always strive to be better and show up better for our communities, and it doesn't have to be huge things. We can do a little something every day that makes us proud.
I used to have this gorgeous fishscale sequin gown that was rainbow colors. I would wear some sort of cover-up over it, and the first time she says, "I step out of the ordinary" I would drop the cover up. It always got a reaction. I still do this song from time to time, but the dress doesn't fit anymore and I haven't put together an outfit that is equally as spectacular for this number!
Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift
This is a newer favorite, but I love to pull this one out. I don't have any plans to quit performing, but after 24 years I am aware that I am closer to the end of my drag career than the beginning...probably. And while I appreciate that there are people who look up to me, I am somewhat uncomfortable with that. It's probably my own negative self-talk, but sometimes I think that people have a view of me that is way too rosy, and this really resonates. Sometimes I am the problem. I try not to be, and when I have been I try to learn from it. But how I feel about my public persona is...complicated.
Just like this song.
I also really love the line, "Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby, and I'm the monster on the hill. Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city." As a plus size performer, queer culture in general, and gay men's culture in specific, are extremely fatphobic. so this absolutely speaks to my experience.
This Is Me - Kesha
I don't know if this is still a thing with the younger generation, but when I was first starting, it seemed like most of the queens (and quite a few of the kings) would have their "signature diva" or performer that they really resonated with. I also felt a little left out of that...until Kesha. I love her early stuff - dirty, gritty, vulgar - and I love her later stuff - more refined, exploring her personal struggles - and I love her new stuff. She can do power ballads (the first time I heard that high note in Praying...Jesus), she can do dance songs, she can do weird artsy tracks, she can do soft folksy stuff. I adore her.
I often process things that I'm feeling through the songs I perform, and so I love that she has shared so much of her struggle with fans through her music. This cover has become one of my new Pride songs, and I often pair it with the next song.
Boys In The Street - Callum Scott
Occasionally I like to do a little "genderf@#$" drag song. Sorry, that's the term, no way to pretty it up. It's where a femme presenting performer does a song by a male artist, or vice versa. I'm going to talk more about it a little later on, but I love this song in particular because it is emotional, it is a tear-jerker, and it speaks to queer pain as well as queer healing. This is the kind of empowerment song I love to do.
Look, drag is about knowing your strengths. I'm not a great dancer, I can't do splits and flips and death drops. I'm not a skinny "lewks" queen. But I am a fierce lip-syncer, I can emote, and I can connect with an audience. This song is emotionally powerful and I love to harness that.
One of my more recent Pride numbers is to do a mix of this song going into Kesha's This Is Me. I love this song, but it focuses so much on the father's perspective, and even though it ends on a lighter note, it's very low tempo so I like to slide into the Kesha and bring the energy up a bit, and bring it back to my story, my perspective.
Cake By The Ocean - DNCE
Alright, let's talk about genderf@#$ (let's call it GF going forward) with this song - it's a bop! I love to do GF songs from time to time because I like that it's a reminder that drag is a gender-based art form. There are different ways of approaching it, and different presentations and identities tied up in it, but at the base of it is some sort of engagement with our understanding of gender and gendered expectations.
I like that this song has a little bit of a playful sexuality to it, but it's also a very male-perspective song. They are speaking in a way that isn't "appropriate" for women in our culture. So I like to take that and combine it with my very femme presentation. It creates this tension between what the audience sees, and what the audience "knows" (or thinks they know) about the performer. This kind of contradiction is a lot of fun to play with.
I Am Woman (Dance Mix) - Trick Soundtrack
Ahhhh, this is from my early days of drag! Do I need to bring this back? I think I need to bring it back!
This track takes a classic feminist anthem (by the incomparable Helen Reddy!) and gives it a decidedly queer twist. This movie was only so-so, but the soundtrack has a bunch of bangers! I've also done their version of Dreamweaver, as well as the upbeat song Unspeakable Joy. What I love about all three of these songs is that they are fun, they have a queer club vibe, and they are an excuse to get out some of my showier costumes: sequins, big jewels, and even bigger hair!
I'll Stand By You - Rachel Platten
I love a good empowerment action, and this one has been a staple of the last few years. I like the general empowerment message of the song, but more specifically I like the idea of people standing together to support one another.
There is an ugly break in the LGBTQ+ community where there are some (mostly privileged white cis gay men and lesbians) who think that we don't need to stand behind the trans and non-binary members of community. Which is, of course, bullshit. Sorry, I know I'm trying to keep these posts more "all ages friendly," but I need to call it what it is. Every movement for queer liberation has had trans and binary people, many of them people of color, standing at the forefront even though they are often the most marginalized and have the most to lose.
Do we want Justice, or Just Us? (Don't think I'm clever, I borrowed that from activist Mandy Carter!)
Ugly Heart - GRL
A fun take on the empowerment anthem is the breakup song - and this is a good one! In terms of doing songs by groups, it's really up to you. I think all of their voices sound similar enough that no one is really going to notice anyway. And if they do...so what? "Oh my gosh can you believe that queen did a song with 5 people in it?" Well, if you're looking for truth, you're in the wrong place. I'm not really singing, and I'm also not really a woman, Becky! Do you even know where you are?!
Having said that, girl group numbers are a fun excuse to get together with other performers and create an ensemble number!
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Maybe I'm old school (obviously I am!), but I think everyone should have a little Dolly in their repertoire! She's a legend, she's an icon, and she's been pro-LGBTQ+ for decades. She's an ally, and by all accounts she's actually a really kind and generous human being.
This one has a fun, bouncy air to it, and you're guaranteed that pretty much everyone in the crowd will know it. This kind of song is great for new performers who might be a little nervous. It's great to do avant garde, creative numbers that need a little time to come to grips with (I get it - I've done a Bjork song!), but sometimes it's nice to do something where the crowd is on your side from the first note (or typewriter key!).
Fuel - Ani DiFranco
On the flip side of doing something that everyone knows, sometimes I also like to do something that is just for me! I did this number at a show, and instead of doing the typical running around and grabbing tips, I stood right on that stage, and I hit every word of that song. There were a few fellow Gen X-ers in the crowd and I saw them smiling and nodding along, but most of the crowd had no idea what the hell I was doing!
I didn't make a single dollar on that song (it was at a show where the audience isn't brave enough - or allowed to? - actually approach the stage to tip and so you need to be on the move if you want to get paid), but I loved it and even if the crowd seemed a bit confused it also seemed to resonate with a lot of people.
The top 40 hits that everyone knows bring in the dollars, and that's important, but drag is also supposed to be weird, and challenging, and confronting at times. Don't be afraid to be weird.
So, those are just 10 of the many songs I've performed over the years, but most of them are songs that I liked enough to do multiple times in multiple venues, and quite a few of them are still in my rotation now. Music is so important when creating your characters, so be sure to think about why you're performing the songs you're performing. Let the choices influence costuming and makeup choices. It will help you grow as a performer, and it will make your performances that much more entertaining to watch!
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