Born and raised in San Diego, California, RuPaul later studied performing arts in Atlanta, Georgia. He settled in New York City, where he became a popular fixture on the LGBTQ+ nightclub scene. He achieved international fame as a drag queen with the release of his debut single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", which was included on his debut studio album Supermodel of the World (1993). He became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics in 1994, raising money for the Mac AIDS Fund and becoming the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign. He later received his own talk show on VH1 called The RuPaul Show, which he hosted for over 100 episodes while co-hosting the morning radio show on WKTU with Michelle Visage.
RuPaul's Drag Race was created in 2009 and has gone on to produce fourteen seasons in the United States. The show has also seen success internationally, with several international variants of the show being made, such as RuPaul's Drag Race UK and Canada's Drag Race. This has also inspired several spin-offs of the main show, including RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He is also featured as a host on other reality television series such as Skin Wars, Good Work, and Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul.
RuPaul has made appearances in films such as Crooklyn (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), television shows such as Girlboss (2017), Broad City (2017), and Grace and Frankie (2019). He later created and starred in his own Netflix original television series AJ and the Queen (2020). In addition, he has also published three books: Lettin' It All Hang Out (1995), Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style (2010), and GuRu (2018).
RuPaul is considered the most commercially successful drag queen in the United States. For his work on RuPaul's Drag Race, he has received 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the most-awarded person of color in the history of the Primetime Emmys. Outside of film and television, he also continues to write and record music; he has released fourteen studio albums as of 2022, and received a Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.
Spotlight
RuPaul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hour after hour
I just wanna light you up
You got the spotlight
Hot, that icy fire
Burning with desire
I just wanna light you up
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
That icy fire
That icy fire
(Start the music, start the music, start the music...)
Just wanna, oh oh
Just wanna light you
Just wanna, oh oh
Just wanna light you up
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
(Miss thing!)
That icy fire
That icy fire
You got the power
Hour after hour
I just wanna light you up
You got the spotlight
Hot, that icy fire
Burning with desire
I just wanna light you up
You got the spotlight
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
I just wanna light you up
The lyrics to RuPaul's song Spotlight speak to a desire to be in the limelight and to be the center of attention. The first verse talks about the power that the person has and how they can keep going for hours on end. The singer just wants to be the one to light them up and make them shine even brighter, hence the repeated phrase, "I just wanna light you up." The chorus emphasizes the spotlight that this person has and encourages them to come forward and show the world what they can do.
The second verse speaks to the person's fire and their desire, which are both burning hot. The singer continues to express their own desire to "light them up" and help them shine even brighter. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the message of the song and encourages the listener to step into their own spotlight.
Overall, this song celebrates the desire to be seen and recognized for one's talents and abilities. It is a call to action for the listener to step forward and embrace their power and their spotlight.
Line by Line Meaning
You got the power
You possess the ability to control the situation.
Hour after hour
Continuously and consistently without pause.
I just wanna light you up
I want to make you feel good and bring you happiness.
You got the spotlight
You are the center of attention and focus.
Hot, that icy fire
Intense and passionate emotions that are simultaneously cold and distant.
Burning with desire
Feeling intense longing and craving for something or someone.
Spotlight, spotlight (baby come on)
Bringing the focus back to you and urging you to take action.
Spotlight, spotlight (ow, ow)
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm for the situation.
(Miss thing!)
An affectionate term for a person who is the center of attention.
That icy fire
Referring to the intense and passionate emotions previously mentioned.
Just wanna, oh oh
Expressing a desire or longing for something.
I just wanna light you
I want to bring joy and happiness to your life.
Writer(s): Rupaul Andre Charles
Contributed by Blake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chey Thorn
Whenever I hear this I feel like I need to start describing what I'm wearing to the judges
Atomic Peretz506
I'm serving you loose tank top, blue and gray sweatshirt,black shorts, gray socks with green stripes and blue flip flops realness for the gods honey!!
Yashvardhan Gupta
Guess what? This song was used in the first runway of the ball challenge of season 12 episode 4 😊
sonatine
Today, I’m giving you oversized realness girl! I’m wearing this glamorous oversized t-shirt that is very couture and I am serving every bit of it. I’m totally feeling confident in this look and I can tell the judges are living for it
NURSEBOT
@espisene Lol, quarantine realness...
MylifeasErin
Living to this song! Rupaul slays us every time she releases a new album ❤️
alice
One of her best songs. Periyat 💅
Hors Ligne
It's a beautiful song i wish if it was a finale performance song with queens writing lyrics to it and singing and dancing
Wonyoung’s Back Bones Fan Club 💅
All Stars 5 ^^
Miguel Rodriguez
Please let this be the runway song for Season 12 🤞🏻♥️ Anyone else agree?