A Nova Scotia woman has gained more than half a million followers on TikTok after posting videos of herself rapping while rocking Christmas sweaters.
Michelle Haire, a 56-year-old registered nurse and nursing instructor, started using the video-sharing app just over a year ago, after asking her students to show her the ropes.
“I said, 'I’m going to teach you everything I know about nursing, you’re going to teach me everything you know about TikTok,'” said Haire.
Then, she got the idea to incorporate some of her favourite songs.
“I think the reason it went viral is it’s such a contradiction. I’m an older woman who wouldn’t really know this stuff.”
But the mother of two loves R&B, pop, and especially rap music — a passion that started on her morning commute.
“When my kids were small, you know the mom in the minivan, I was blasting Eminem … the cool mom.”
And not all of the songs she raps are clean. Haire says when her rendition of “WAP” by Cardi B went viral, she got a little nervous.
“I was like, ‘Hmm, what are my co-workers going to think?’”
She even did her own version of “California Love,” by Tupac Shakur.
Haire quickly grew a following with fans from around the world, but her biggest supporter was her late sister Doris — who died of liver cancer in August.
“She really enjoyed my TikToks, and I would make them and make them a little outrageous specifically to try and make her laugh,” said Haire.
“As a nurse, I’m a fixer. But it got to the point where I couldn’t fix this for her, but I could make her laugh.”
Since her passing, Haire uses #LaughsForDoris on every post.
“It’s like it's keeping her memory alive.”
She says the TikTok community has been incredibly supportive.
“I’m helping to make people laugh, but they’re helping me as well.”
