A drag queen singing is nothing new. While many queens prefer to lip sync, there’s no shortage of queens who actually put their vocal cords to good use and carry a tune.
In a post-Drag Race drag world, it feels like any queen worth her weight in eyelash glue is required to put out at least one single, and thanks to autotune, anyone who can make sounds can do just that.
There are queens who (predictably) write songs on the funnier or absurd side (like Alaska), and there are other queens who take it pretty seriously (like Adore Delano). And then there are queens like Willam who do a little bit of both.
The latest addition to the drag-queen-turned-musician pantheon is Blair St. Clair, best known for her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10. Since St. Clair didn’t make it very far in the competition, placing 9th overall, many of her talents have gone unknown to the public, including the fact that this queen can sing.
“What Do I Gotta Do?” is more than a pleasant surprise. Though it’s a pretty generic radio-friendly pop piece, St. Clair is known first as a drag queen to most of the world, who probably isn’t expecting much in the way of her musical prowess.
But “What Do I Gotta Do?” is good. It’s definitely catchy, and more than that, could be mistaken for any of the nameless sad boy singers in the current music scene. In fact, if St. Clair went by her alter-ego Andrew Bryson, she’d easily be categorized as a teen idol — and she’d be competitive.
Even lyrically, “What Do I Gotta Do?” hits all the hallmarks of a stereotypical sad boy song that we’re used to hearing from the likes of Shawn Mendes. Whoever St. Clair is singing to, we hate them for breaking her heart.
Ultimately, while “What Do I Gotta Do?” is not the most memorable drag queen song, by all accounts, it’s not meant to be one. Much like Delano, St. Clair is obviously trying to genuinely write music, and is just performing it in drag. Who knows? Maybe Blair St. Clair didn’t win drag race, but she might just be the first real pop star drag queen. Maybe being a drag queen is a bit of a gimmick in this realm, but really, who cares? It’s a decent song, and she’s an entertainer. And we are thoroughly entertained.
Featured Image: Instagram (@blairst.clair)
