Hey everybody... I just wanted to start a thread about songs that people perform. I am starting to get booked fairly often, and I need some ideas. In my opinion, it is much easier to find songs for drag queens than for male leads... Thoughts?

I liked finding male coversd of female songs.... Music, Frozen, Hit Me Baby One More Time and tons of others have male singers doing them out there.....

Greetings!

I have to say that I am tired of seeing male entertainers getting up on stage and merely doing a song by Ne-yo, David Archuleta or the like. I feel the same way about female impersonators but it seems like Top 10 picks are more likely w/males. I can hear any of these songs on the radio (sometime painfully often) and they are played out within a week.

Be creative. Look to Broadway or Hollywood and perform songs that are entertaining and require a modicum of creativity to present and are not heard on a consistent basis daily. THAT'S what an audience is usually looking for.

Regards!

I know this is going to show my age A LOT, but look into songs from QUEEN! Freddie Mercury's voice will LITERALLY give you chills! (getting goose bumps right now thinking of "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "I Want To Break Free")

I know it's "old school" but in that it really hasn't been done by many, it would have a new feel to it if done correctly and with passion!

Well I personally think that it doesn't matter what song you are performing, but how you present it. Look at Christopher Iman and Monte St. James. Those two are my all time favorites!

They dont just perform a song, they make a production out of it; even if it's just them performing solo! It's got a lot to do with your costume and stage presence! I don't thint it's the song persay. I just hate seeing male entertainers just get out there in jeans and a t shirt. That's kinda killing to me. Put it in DRAG even though you dont have to be! :-D

I agree with the male covers of female songs. Hit me baby one more time is amazing! Good Job Gregory! Also you could do the Umbrella Cover and Rockstar...there are tons of songs out there!

Thank you for all of your feedback... It's always nice to hear what other people are doing. I rarely get to see other male leads perform. I have to agree with Summer in that I LIVE for Monte St. James. He has inspired me to go beyond traditional male clothing and make it a costume. I think a great, creative costume and presentation can make all the difference.

In regards to Tyler... I thank you for your comments. I must say that I somewhat agree with you on the performance of top 10 music. I do not think it should be eliminated completely from a show, however. Depending on the audience, a lot of people want to hear their new favorite song, but I do think mixing it up is important.

Thank you to all of you that have responded so far.

YAY Constantine! I hope to meet you soon! I'm from New Orleans and I'm thinking about coming home for Christmas....

We definitely need to meet sometime... I don't know if I'll be here for Christmas. I'll probably be in Philadelphia.

"I can't make you love me" (Kenny Rogers) is a nice kiss off farewell song...tee hee

i love the remixes of songs by females that introduce male leads...those are always hot to add to a mix including that artist...

and another thing i love to do is look at the artist that is sampled by some of the hot songs out (9 times out of ten the new stuff ain't original enough NOT to sample something)....take the primarily sampled song and people will feel an automatic connection with it...

I saw American Idol winner on SNL and his cd has at least 2 great singles on it, lol. Coldplay, Dougherty, Wayne Brady, Eric Benet are just a few of the male singers that are not overdone when it comes to Male entertainers. There's a great resource of material in some of their cds, IMO.

If you're looking for a laugh go for Richard Cheese, who covers other artist's music lounge-style. As Tyler has said, I am over seeing male performers (and queens) doing top-forty stuff. It gets old real quick. Dip into the past or take a poke at non-mainstream music...Kirk

I also have found comedy works well with a male lead..... maybe not your first performance of the night but somewhere in the middle comedy goes over very well.. I use to do Closer by NIN as a farmer with an inflatable cow and let me tell you they LOVED it and tipped it huge!! Maybe take a top 40 and give it a funny twist,,,,,

To those of you that replied...

I am actually performing a cover of Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" at one of my bookings this week.

I think I may also look into doing some Queen, as I have never seen that done (which is funny because Queen is FLAWLESS).

I am also looking into Richard Cheese. I found some of his stuff on YouTube; I think that it would definitely be something different to bring to a show.

Just wanted to give you all an update to let you know that I have actually looked into most of these recommendations. I am always trying to improve myself and strive for excellence. I try to do stuff that other people do not do down in New Orleans. And creative twists are always appreciated at a show. Some people do not appreciate their time on stage as much as others. I try to make every show a special experience with fabulous costumes, wigs or hair pieces, accessories and makeup. Thank you so much for all of your advice and I appreciate being able to share ideas so much!

Love and Respect,

Constantine,

I heard an amazing cover of the Cranberries "Zombie" today done by a male, (Not quite sure who it was) but another option for you. Trust me I'm trying to find it myself...LOL

The cover of the Cranberries "Zombie" is by a band named Miser... My band I was a part of in St. Louis performed it... It's great fun and quite a bit longer than the original.

Thanks Chadeaux....It's now mine via iTunes...WOO HOO....

Just to add I found a lot of Punk versions of Pop songs like "I Want it That Way" and "Heaven is A Place on Earth" on the album Punk Goes Pop by the Dynamite Boys. It's available on iTunes and there are quite a few good versions:)

Hello,
I also reccomend artist such as Ne-yo, Anthony Hamilton, Musiq Soulchild, Maxwell, Will Downing, Robin Thicke, John Legend, and Eric Benet. They all havee somee outstanding ballads, as well as Dance songs. Male performers feel that they are limited on material but that isn't true. There are some new, and old school music that is out there. Keep in mind you don't always have to do a current song. As long as you pick a nice song, and perform it well people will enjoy themselves.
Dartanyan
Mr. Gay Tarheel Classique USA 2009!

I like doing all types, but I do try to think out of the box, I've done Manson's BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE to Timberland's RELEASE, but all in all, I think the main thing is how entertaining you can make the show....

Oh I love the Punk Goes... series. They're fabulous. I've used a number of those songs... Last night I did a fabulous mix done by Fallon Scott.