Every entertainer, be it king, queen, whatever, has their signature numbers. These are the numbers that made an impression on the audience, that people have said, “Wow! I loved that! That’s your best number yet!” Usually, it’s a whole package: a specific costume, concept, look. But even so, you do not own that song. Chances are, if you liked the song, someone else will too. In my years of doing drag there are a couple of songs that have come to be associated with me; Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good,” and “Mr. Brightside” come to mind right off the bat. Anyone who has known me, or who has followed my drag career over the years know the numbers I’m talking about.
That being said, don’t be an asshat. Don’t just do a song that you saw someone do because you think you can do it better. And don’t take someone’s concepts. Even if it’s just something you heard them talking about, it was still their idea, their creativity. You didn’t come up with it. You heard it, you saw it, but it’s not yours. To take someone else’s ideas is just bad form. We, as artists, should be able to discuss ideas and possibilities without worrying about someone taking them out from under us.
Be courteous to your fellow performer and be professional. If it’s not yours, don’t take it. They say imitation is the finest form of flattery… I say if you’re not creative enough to come up with your own stuff then maybe you should rethink why you’re in this business.
And just a side note in regards to creativity: One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing pageant competitors doing identical talents. It's like in the first "Bring It On" when they hired that choreographer who gave them the same routine as another cheer squad. It's unoriginal. And just because it may have won talent before doesn't mean it's going to win you anything this time around. Just sayin'.