Missy Elliott gives thumbs-up to woman's viral 'Work It' karaoke performance: 'I have a funky white sister'
A nursing home employee from Warwick, R.I., proves it’s worth it to post her karaoke videos online, because her cover of Missy Elliott‘s “Work It” captured the attention of the singer herself — and all of a sudden she’s an up-and-coming Internet star.
Mary Halsey — who according to her Facebook profile is a recreation assistant at a nursing and rehabilitation center — posted a video of herself doing karaoke at Goddard Memorial State Park on July 29. And she wasn’t singing just any song. She covered Elliott’s 2002 sex anthem (“I’d like to get to know ya so I could show ya / Put the p**** on ya like I told ya”) while holding a shofar, a musical instrument made from a ram’s horn, and used by Jews since Biblical times during certain holidays.
A post shared by Missy Elliott (@missymisdemeanorelliott) on Aug 7, 2018 at 10:31pm PDT
Several celebrities, including Jada Pinkett Smith saw and shared it, but most importantly it caught the eye of Missy herself, who loved it. “Wait I just found out I have a FUNKY WHITE SISTER,” the Grammy winner wrote along with the video. “Yo sis done made the elephant sound too. I wasn’t ready for her to say put the [p***] on ya like I told ya in a low deep voice. She straight up killed ‘Work it’ with the yea yea yea at the beginning & the sound effects & all. My funky white sis ft Miss Tippy Toe in the back.”
Missy also enjoyed the another woman walking around snacking in the background. She wrote that Halsey “brought her homegirl to da cookout too. She the one tiptoeing in the background with a cup of oodles & noodles in her hand.” (FYI: That’s “Lynn” and she was eating “fermented fruit.“)
We reached out to Halsey to talk about her viral fame and received no word back just yet, but she’s celebrating the moment on Facebook. She shared Missy’s message and celebrated the fact that her video, the original can be seen here, has been viewed more than 6 million times. “Buckle up!” she added. “The viral train has taken off!!”
Over 6 million views!Choo choo!!
Posted by Mary Halsey on Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Halsey has always dreamed of going viral, and now she’s done it in a big way. News outlets from all over, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, are reaching out to her.
Halsey has shared more music with her fandom. Check out her rendition of “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas that she performed without a shofar.
The shofar is her thing, though, as evidenced by some of her older videos. And let’s be honest, it’s a big part of what’s getting her some attention. Well, in addition seeing her crush those racy lyrics.
We know that these types of viral sensations blow up quickly only to fade just as fast, but we hope Halsey’s rendition of “Get Ur Freak On” gets the attention it deserves. The world needs that biggie-biggie-bounce!
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