“Drag Race México” officially launches on June 22 on Paramount+. One thing that every iteration of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is known for is the Lip Sync For Your Life. With the next spin-off taking place in Mexico, there are many iconic songs in the country’s rich music history to choose from.
Last month, it was revealed that “Drag Race” favorite Valentina and “Drag Race France” contestant Lolita Banana will be hosting the first season of “Drag Race México.” In an interview with Remezcla, Valentina promised that the Lip Syncs would be legendary. “The music is going to be incredible!” she said.
One song that will probably not appear in a Lip Sync is Rocío Dúrcal’s “La Gata Bajo La Lluvia.” Carmen Farala was crowned Spain’s Next Drag Superstar after performing that classic in the first season of “Drag Race España.” Though Dúrcal was Spanish, her career grew in Mexico after she started working closely with Juan Gabriel.
“When they did the finale of ‘La Gata Bajo La Lluvia’ in España, I was a little jealous because I was like, ‘Oh hell no! ‘La Gata Bajo La Lluvia’ is our song!” Valentina added. “We Mexicans made Rocío Dúrcal what she is.”
Eleven drag queens will be competing for the title of Mexico’s Next Drag Superstar. It will be exciting to see which songs by Mexican pop icons and superstars they will lip sync to as the competition progresses. With the series starting soon, we chose nine songs that we hope will make the cut for the lip syncs.
Gloria Trevi - “Todos Me Miran”
One song that deserves a Ru-demption is “Todos Me Miran” by Gloria Trevi. The Mexican pop icon appeared as a guest judge on season two of “Drag Race España.” During the premiere episode, Marisa Prisa and Samantha Ballentines lip synced to the classic that’s become an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. However, it’s gone down as one of the messiest lip syncs of the series, with wigs flying, shoes coming off, and pure desperation. None of those drag queens served the song well, like the drag queen in the original 2004 music video. This is one anthem that deserves another chance to be done fiercely by Mexican drag queens.
Thalia - “Arrasando”
Another classic by a Mexican icon that we saw on “Drag Race España” was “Arrasando.” Unlike the “Todos Me Miran” fiasco, the club banger by Thalia was performed well by Dominican drag queen Diamante Merybrown. She ended up sending Spanish drag queen Onyx home. “Arrasando” is known for Thalia’s playful and quick rap that could show which queen really has a handle on the song and which doesn’t. Think of Coco Montrese pointing to her lips during the lip sync of Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted” because she knew every word. Merybrown did the song justice, and it would be amazing to see a Mexican drag queen do the same or, why not, better.
Paulina Rubio - “Y Yo Sigo Aquí”
Surprisingly, one Mexican pop icon who hasn’t had one of her songs used on any iteration of Drag Race yet is Paulina Rubio. However, on season three of “Drag Race España,” Mexican drag queen Visa played her on Snatch Game. One song that Rubio never fails to sing for her LGBTQ+ Pride performances is “Y Yo Sigo Aquí.” The electronica club banger would be a dream pick for a Lip Sync for Your Life on “Drag Race México.” It’s a very colorful and fierce song that a Mexican drag queen could have a lot of fun performing.
Belinda - “Bella Traición”
Like Rocío Dúrcal, Belinda is another Spanish singer who relocated to Mexico and found success. She was raised in Mexico, where she grew her career as an actress and singer. In 2005, Belinda became a global superstar with her second album Utopía. She channeled her teenage angst into anthems like “Alguien Más” and “Ni Freud Ni Tu Mamá.” The most iconic song on the LP is the explosive pop-rock track “Bella Traición.” The song earned her a Song of the Year nomination at the 2007 Latin Grammy Awards. A Mexican drag queen could really rock out this one and bring us back to emo days of the 2000s.
Danna Paola - “Agüita”
Another one of Mexico’s pop princesses who deserves to have their music used in Lip Sync for Your Life is Danna Paola. Though the guest judges have not yet been announced for the Mexican iteration, she is heavily rumored to be appearing as one. During her appearance at Mexico City LGBTQ+ Pride last year, Danna performed “Agüita.” The electro-pop banger has become one of her anthems for the queer community since it was released in 2013, written by queer Chilean singer Javiera Mena. “That song was like a freedom for me,” Danna told Remezcla back in 2020. “I met Javiera, and she was amazing. We made that song what it is today, and I’m really proud of it. That song is my anthem.”
RBD - "Sálvame"
It will honestly be a crime if we don’t get a song by RBD on the Lip Sync for Your Life, especially with the pop group reuniting for a world tour this year. But more importantly, there’s hope this could happen as Christian Chávez was confirmed as a guest judge in the “Drag Race México” trailer and it’s common practice to lip sync to the judge’s song. There are a lot of songs by RBD that could be fun to use, like the funky “Ser o Parecer” or “Empezar Desde Cero,” where Maite Perroni sang lead. To show that lip syncs don’t always have to be upbeat dance numbers, the soaring ballad “Sálvame” would be the best choice. A Mexican drag queen could tap into her inner Anahí and Mia Colucci to deliver an emotional performance of the beloved classic.
Selena - “Amor Prohibido”
A perfect way to introduce Selena Quintanilla’s music into the “Drag Race” universe could be through the Mexican spin-off. Valentina will proudly be representing Mexican-Americans as one of the hosts, so she bridges that gap between viewers in Mexico and the U.S. Quintanilla was a singer who conquered both markets during her lifetime. It will be exciting to see if Tex-Mex music gets added into the mix on “Drag Race México” with one of her classics. “Amor Prohibido” has become Quintanilla’s anthem for the LGBTQ+ community, where she sang about a forbidden romance thriving against all the odds. The Tejano banger could hopefully be the first of many of her songs to come.
Alejandra Guzmán - “Hacer El Amor Con Otro”
Like Trevi, another Mexican legend is Alejandra Guzmán. La Reina del Rock also has many decades of hits to her name to choose from. Some fun ones to perform could be the sassy “Eternamente Bella” or the electrifying “Mala Hierba.” But “Hacer El Amor Con Otro,” one of her biggest hits, is the perfect choice for a Lip Sync for Your Life song. The track is always a part of her repertoire on tour. The melodramatic song could go one of two ways during a performance. A Mexican drag queen could perform it with plenty of emotion or take a campy approach to the show-stopping ballad.
Juan Gabriel - “El Noa Noa”
It’s not usual for music by men to be featured on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The U.S. version has featured music by Prince, while the U.K. version featured a hit by Wham! A Mexican male artist that could be perfect for a lip sync on “Drag Race México” is flamboyant icon Juan Gabriel. The late singer has decades of hits that he wrote for himself and other artists. One of the queerest songs in his catalog is “El Noa Noa.” A Mexican drag queen could serve a fun and campy performance with his club classic. Another song by Juanga that could be a great lip sync is “No Tengo Dinero.” Hopefully, at least one of his songs makes it on this first season.