“The Real Housewives of New York City” premiered on Bravo more than 15 years ago. Luann de Lesseps — better known by her rabid fans as Countess Luann — not only has stood the test of time as a first-season cast favorite but has steadily blossomed into an internet sensation and pop cultural icon in her own right, releasing original pop music and accompanying music videos. Last year, de Lesseps teamed up with Broadway director Richard Jay-Alexander and musical director Brian Nash to form a colorful cabaret show that fuses music and comedy with her signature mischief and high fashion. The holiday version of the show, “A Very Countess Christmas,” visits the Agora Theatre on Dec. 21. In a recent phone interview, de Lesseps explains how she achieved her level of success and what to expect from her performance in Cleveland. Q What can you tell me about the music in this holiday show? A You know, we take the classics and turn them on their head a bit, so it becomes mine. That’s what cabaret’s all about. It’s my story, the way I interpret the music. For example, I told my director that I wanted to do “Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton. He goes, “What? For the holidays?” Yeah, but it’s now “Lay Down Santa” (laughs). Q Your fan base is very loving and very loyal. Did you ever anticipate this kind of legacy and response back in 2008, when everything started? A No, no (laughs). I met Richard Jay-Alexander, who is the iconic director who came to my very first show, and it was not only filmed for TV (but) it was my first cabaret show, right? So, no pressure. Anyway, he comes to me after the show, and he goes, “Countess, I was not expecting very much from you, but you blew my mind. First of all, you can sing, you are funny, and you wear a dress like no one I have ever seen. You’re going to be a big cabaret star.” And this is how it kind of started. I didn’t believe it, but he did. He saw what I had to offer and helped me build the cabaret career that I have today. Rick Subur, my (representative from The Gersh Agency), really catapulted me into Live Nation touring. Now, I’m playing overseas in England and Dublin, Scotland, and all over the world. So it’s pretty amazing … . I was in London, and I had 40,000 people at a festival come over to see me. I’m just always so humbled by the fact that the fans are loving it so much and really show up for me in a big way. Q Your upcoming performance in Cleveland is the Christmas version of your show. Might you throw in your single “Marry F. Kill,” but perhaps with a holiday spin? A Of course! Are you kidding? Of course. I love that song. You know, I wrote it, and Bruce Roberts produced it, who’s produced for Whitney (Houston) and Barbra Streisand, to name a few. He made it into, like, this amazing song, and Tracy Young remixed it — who just won a Grammy with Madonna. So yeah, and I’ve got to do my classics. Q You just mentioned Madonna, and of course, I can’t talk to you without mentioning “Keep on Serving (explicit)” — the vocal mix created by fan T.Kyle that became a viral trend on TikTok. A Yeah, Madonna did it! Q Fans watched and waited for you to discover it and were so excited when you did and eventually performed it. A Well, it is amazing. And, you know, and from that, I put together a (visual) package of everyone doing “Keep on Serving,” which is just, I mean, hysterical. There are a lot of visual aspects to my show because I show clips, and then I get into a story and a song. So, you know, I love that because it’s so many different things mixed together. That’s what I think is (responsible for) my success — I do love variety. So, I bop in between different varies of music and varieties of moments. It just kind of keeps the show really moving. Q You’ve accomplished a lot so far. But is there some area of your career that you haven’t tackled yet that you’d like to pursue in the future? A Well, listen, I’ve got a new show called “Love Hotel” coming out in the spring. It’s the first dating show for Bravo. So, I’ve got a lot of exciting projects. My love affair with life is the cabaret and, there might be a special (coming out) on my show; I’m looking into that. I’m also looking to add a chapter to my book, “Class With the Countess,” and doing an audiobook, updating it with a new chapter on dating because I’m inspired by my experience on “Love Hotel.” Women are always asking me about dating. “I’m just always so humbled by the fact that the fans are loving it so much and really show up for me in a big way,” says Luann de Lesseps, aka Countess Luann, who became known from “The Real Housewives of New York City.” (Mike Ruiz) Q Do you have one solid piece of advice that you give them most of the time? A Yeah: If you don’t think you’re great, nobody else will. Q What’s your favorite aspect of your career and life right now? You seem like a person who just has the most fun. A I do have so much fun. And, you know, it’s because I’m free. I’m single; I’m living my best life in my 50s. So I hope I inspire women to live their best life in their 50s and 60s because it’s the new 40s and 50s, right? I’m inspired by my fans. Listen, who doesn’t love when somebody comes up and says, “I love you, Countess.” I enjoy performing. I enjoy my television career, and I enjoy my freedom to decide now what I want to do instead of doing another season of “The Housewives” (laughs). Countess Luann What: ‘A Very Countess Christmas’ When: 8 p.m. Dec. 21. Where: Agora Theatre, 5001 Prospect Ave., Cleveland. Tickets: $39.50 to $150. Info: AgoraCleveland.com.