A video of a Mississippi woman doing an impression of Tina Turner at a Walmart in Byram has gone viral, with the clip receiving millions of views on social media.
The video, which currently has over three million views on TikTok alone, shows Janice Coleman lip-synching to the late queen of rock ‘n’ roll’s song “What’s Love Got to Do with It” in front of a Walmart.
Coleman is then joined by a random stranger, who begins dancing while walking toward the grocery store’s entrance.
@lightofent Wow! Tina Turner impersonation at Walmart in Byram, MS! He just walked up and started dancing ❤️🙌🏽🔥😩😘 #tinaturner #whatslovegottodowithit #riptinaturner #loe #love #lipsync ♬ What’s Love Got to Do with It
“It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t rehearsed,” Coleman explained during an interview on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. “We were actually doing a promo that morning and decided to just go to Walmart and see what happened.”
LaTonya Morton, Coleman’s daughter, said that she saw an immediate connection between the stranger and her mother while she was recording the video.
“It could have been anyone that walked up to her,” Morton stated. “To see him walk up to her and her take to him, I just knew it was a sign of love between two human beings and it was bigger than Tina Turner, bigger than the song.”
According to Coleman, her love for the 12-time Grammy Award-winning artist began after she learned more about the hardships Turner faced throughout her life.
“I was so humbled by her ability to overcome domestic violence, verbal abuse, physical abuse because I am also a survivor of domestic violence,” Coleman said. “I’ve admired her because she just went through so much and she didn’t let that destroy her.”
Coleman explained that her admiration for Turner also grew after hearing about the musician’s battle with intestinal cancer for years before passing away at her home in Switzerland on May 24, 2023.
“I’m also a cancer survivor, so when she was going through her cancer, I kind of watched her, and she was always a lady,” Coleman said. “Even though I went through similar things, I’m not the only woman. There are millions and millions of women that are going through domestic violence and cancer and other diseases, so I just want to inspire others through music.”
Since then, Coleman has continued to be impacted by Turner’s story and musical legacy, inspiring the over 60-year-old to spread her love for the artist through lip-synching at an array of events and venues.
“It takes over because I can relate to her history. When you can relate to an artist, it’s very easy to portray that artist because I felt her struggles because I went through similar struggles,” Coleman explained.
To watch the full interview, continue watching below.
