The Boy Band Returns — Here's What Drag Kings Can Learn from Netflix's The Next Act

Netflix dropped a new docuseries on December 10 called Simon Cowell: The Next Act, and honestly? It's worth your time - not because we need another talent show, but because there's something here for us as performers.

Over six episodes, Cowell does what he does best: he finds raw talent across the UK and Ireland, throws them into intense workshops, and moulds them into a boy band called December 10. It's formulaic. It's nostalgic. And it's also weirdly relevant to what we do as Drag Kings.

What Boy Bands and Drag Kings Have in Common

Boy bands are constructed identities. They're about uniformity, chemistry, choreography, and presence - all curated to make you feel something. Sound familiar?

Whether you're building a solo King persona or working with a crew, you're doing the same thing: shaping identity through movement, costume, narrative, and collective energy. The only difference? We're doing it queerer, bolder, and with more subversion.

What makes The Next Act compelling isn't just watching people sing. It's watching identity get built in real time - and that's exactly what we do every time we step into Drag Kinging.

Three Things Drag Kings Can Learn from This Series

1. Identity Is Intentional

Boy bands don't happen by accident. Every voice, look, and personality is chosen with purpose. As Drag Kings, we know this intimately - your King isn't just a costume, it's a crafted persona. Watching December 10 take shape is a reminder that good performance isn't spontaneous; it's deliberate, thoughtful, and honed.

2. Talent Alone Isn't Enough

The series makes it clear: vocal ability doesn't matter if you can't connect with an audience. Chemistry, presence, story - these are what sell a performance. And that's Drag Kinging in a nutshell. You can hit every beat perfectly, but if you're not claiming space and making people feel, you're not doing the work.

3. You Grow Through Community

By the time a boy band is formed, those performers have to function as one organism. We know this too. Whether it's messy rehearsals, costume emergencies, or late-night pep talks, Drag Kinging grows in community. You learn through each other — your timing sharpens, your confidence builds, and your performance evolves because you're not doing it alone.

Shows like The Next Act remind us how performance cultures are shaped, marketed, and remembered. Boy bands, like Drag Kinging, are about identity negotiation: Who do I want to be? How do I perform myself? How do I invite others into my story?

For Drag Kings - especially those exploring solo work, group routines, or theatrical concepts - this is rich territory. There's something powerful about watching people step into constructed identities with full commitment. It mirrors what we do every time we perform.

The Next Act might look like just another talent search, but underneath it's about crafting identity, building narrative, and selling a feeling. That's Drag Kinging. That's performance. That's what we do.

Whether you end up watching or not, the bigger question stands: what can we learn from other performance traditions — even mainstream ones — about how identity gets built, sold, and celebrated? And how do we take that and make it our own?

Xx

Danica Lani

The King Coach

About Danica Lani, The King Coach

Hey you 👋 I’m Danica Lani—also known as The King Coach. I’ve mentored 150 first-time Drag Kings since 2020, and I’m here to say: if you’re feeling the pull to explore gender through performance, you’re not alone—and you’re not too late.

Whether you’re new to this world or quietly dreaming of stepping into your masculine side on stage, there’s space for you here.

✨ Ready to name your King? Download Step Into Your King—a free guide to choosing your Drag King name.

💫 Want to see what’s possible? Explore Kings of Joy and discover the queer community bringing masculine expression to life with joy, power, and heart.

📸 Sarah Malone.