“Silent Night” is an especially lovely traditional Christmas carol. The lyrics were written way back in 1816 by Joseph Mohr, a priest in Oberndorf, a town near Salzburg, Austria. Two years later, he asked the local schoolmaster and organist Franz Xaver Gruber to compose the music. The carol was first performed at a mass on December 24, 1818. The most commonly sung English-language version was written by an Episcopal priest in New York City in 1859. We can only wonder what they would have thought of the Michelle Visage version of their carol!
Michelle Lynn Shupack, better known by her stage name Michelle Visage, grew up in New Jersey and launched her career in entertainment after graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She got her start in 1990 after a successful audition for the rhythm and blues group Seduction. After that group broke up, she did some miscellaneous work as a vocalist before landing at The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., another R&B dance group. A few years later, she burst on to the television scene as co-host of “The RuPaul Show.” Later, in 2011, she became a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and its spin-off “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars.” Michelle Visage’s next big project is serving as one of the celebrity judges on “Ireland’s Got Talent.”
Various contestants and fan favorites from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” have just released “Christmas Queens 3,” their third annual holiday album. Like the first two, it’s a mix of classic Christmas songs as well as original numbers. This year, they’re going on tour, led by none other than Michelle Visage. And speaking of Michelle Visage, she recorded a sparkling rendition of “Silent Night” on this year’s album. We’ve posted the music video for you below.
How did you like this “Silent Night”? Let’s hear from you in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share: a great way to spread the holiday cheer!