Peppermint Offers Janet Jackson a Birthday Present With ‘If’ Dance Cover: Watch
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Believe it or not, pop icon Janet Jackson is turning 56 years old Monday (May 16)! To pay tribute to her monumental achievements in those 56 years and to simply wish her a happy birthday, Drag Race star Peppermint is delivering the goods in a new video.
On Monday, Peppermint shared a lip sync/dance cover of Janet Jackson’s 1993 hit single “If,” wherein she recreates the icon’s legendary video almost shot for shot. Dressed in Janet’s memorable vest-and-collar ensemble with a set of billowing red drapes flowing behind her, Peppermint goes beat by beat through the hot-and-heavy video accompanied by a crew of talented backup dancers, reframing the video as a modern classic.
More from Billboard
In a statement released alongside the video, Peppermint said that she has always “idolized” Jackson, and has taken inspiration throughout her career from the singer. “I have always modeled my live performances after Janet’s, but up until this moment, most of those are just memories with nothing to show and no way to look back on,” she said. “Now that I have the ability, I wanted to do those performances justice. I gathered a bunch of friends who are also big fans of Janet to put together a dance tribute video of ‘If’ from her 1993 album Janet. Happy birthday, Miss Jackson!!”
On the evening before her birthday, Jackson appeared at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards to present her friend Mary J. Blige with the Icon Award. “Mary J. Blige represents truth,” Jackson said in her speech introducing Blige.”Her work has always given us comfort because she sings me, she sings you.”
Check out Peppermint’s full recreation of Janet Jackson’s “If” video below:
