Woman’s ‘Work It’ karaoke goes viral

WEST WARWICK (AP) — A Rhode Island woman’s karaoke version of Missy Elliott’s hit song “Work It” has become an internet sensation, even drawing praise from Elliott.

Mary Halsey, of West Warwick, recently performed a version of the 2002 hit at an outdoor party at a park and posted the performance on her Facebook page.

Elliott reposted Halsey’s video on Twitter and Instagram and wrote: “I just found out I have a FUNKY WHITE SISTER.”

She added that Halsey “straight killed” the song. Halsey’s video had been shared more than 140,000 times and had 7.1 million views as of Thursday.

Halsey, a recreation assistant at a nursing and rehabilitation facility, says she knew the video would be big “but I had no idea it would be this big.”