Essential, Vol. 3

Essential, Vol. 3 is a compilation album by RuPaul, released on January 5, 2024. The album collects singles from RuPaul's recent discography alongside remixes of older tracks and previously unreleased songs from RuPaul's time as lead vocalist of the band Wee Wee Pole.

Background and release
Of the inspiration behind the compilation album, RuPaul told People: "Full disclosure, I'm a fan of my own music... Essential, Vol. 3 is a collection of my favorite collaborations from the past 10 years. I've also included the first 3 songs I ever recorded with my band Wee Wee Pole in 1983 - streaming for the first time ever." He also noted that the inclusion of songs recorded 40 years prior to the album's release alongside his more recent music "makes for an interesting contrast".

Released to coincide with the premiere of the sixteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Essential, Vol. 3 includes the runway song featured in the season, "Hustle That Cat". RuPaul performed the Giddy Up remix of "Lady Cowboy", also featured on the album, on the season's fourth episode as the musical guest on a parody of Saturday Night Live.

The album is the fourth in RuPaul's Essential series of compilation albums, following 2017's Remember Me: Essential, Vol. 1 and Essential, Vol. 2, and 2023's Essential Christmas.