Tom Holland’s Lip Sync To Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ Is The Best Thing On The Internet Today
The new Spiderman looks wild.
Thank you for clicking on this link. If you weren’t totally convinced, I get it. The only clip from Lip Sync Battle I have ever cared about is the one where Jenna Dewan-Tatum roasts her husband, Channing Tatum, by Magic Mike-grinding every object in her immediate vicinity. But now, just when everyone seemed way done with the show’s shameless gimmicks and same-y performances, it has delivered us art.
This Rihanna lip sync from the new 20-year-old Spiderman Tom Holland has soothed me in ways I didn’t know I needed to be soothed. I have watched it four times in a row and I refuse to stop. Please take two minutes out of your busy day to experience this joy:
Now let’s all embrace the warm glow of happiness this clip has provoked all over the internet.
I think it's cool that Tom Holland made a whole SPIDER-MAN movie just to promote his appearance on LIP SYNC BATTLE
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 8, 2017
Me: I think #LipSyncBattle's moment has passed
Also me: Shut up Jarett, Tom Holland just killed this "Umbrella" perf https://t.co/pmRbcLU7TT pic.twitter.com/rQePTKeHSj— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) May 8, 2017
They shoulda cast Tom Holland in La La Land.
— Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) May 8, 2017
didn't know i'd end lunch feeling like tom holland is one of hollywood's great hopes but every day brings a new surprise
— #rachelsyme (@rachsyme) May 8, 2017
gender is over and tom holland & zendaya ended it
— emi (@plantblogger) May 8, 2017
On a slightly less gush-y note, it’s worth discussing the broader context of a clip like this — particularly in its relation to drag. Lip Sync Battle has a bit of a chequered history on this topic. When the show premiered, it was accused of being a “watered-down version of drag culture” and frequently drew comparisons to RuPaul’s Drag Race (which has a long-standing lip sync segment).
Though it’s not a bad thing that this kind of performance has entered the mainstream, there’s an ongoing concern about an erasure of queer voices and artistry in the process. RuPaul famously spoke about this, outright claiming Lip Sync was an example of “regular, straight pop culture liberally lifting things from gay culture”.
“There’s a certain ‘gay shame’,” he said. “Gay people will accept a straight pop star over a gay pop star, or they will accept a straight version of a gay thing, because there’s still so much self-loathing, you know?”
Lip Sync Battle often showcases hetero cis dudes performing in drag as a total exercise in comedy. That’s arguably not the case with Holland’s performance — he genuinely rocks it, holy shit — but it’s worth considering all the same.
TL;DR let’s watch the hell out of Holland’s performance. It’s very, very good. But, if you like it, you might have a whole lot of other good stuff to discover too!