Joshua Jayaweera more famously known as Jay-Jay, is a celebrated illusionist, known for captivating audiences with his charisma, but don’t try to peg him down as just that, as he will tell you himself, he’s more than just a magician, he’s an entertainer.
A Sri Lankan Australian by birth, Jay-Jay first found interest in magic when he was 15 years old. After purchasing magic trick supplies online, he taught himself the ‘tricks of the trade’, so to speak. At 23, he took part in several musicals and live shows, before taking to the streets of his home town, Brisbane, to hone his skills and confidence as an illusionist.
According to Jay Jay, once he felt he had reached his full potential and couldn’t grow anymore, he decided to get out of Brisbane for a while and started performing overseas in places like Thailand, Fiji, US and Japan. As any parent would be skeptical of the idea of their child running off to make a living as an illusionist, Jay Jay’s family did not initially approve of his choice of career, especially his father but they have now come to respect it more since he started earning a living and receiving recognition from it.
An accomplished illusionist Jay Jay also likes to incorporate comedy into his routines, “When I was 18 years old, I took part in a stand up comedy course and came in the top 3. I saw a comedian on TV and I thought I could do that so I ended up incorporating jokes into my routines. I like mixing it all together, I’ve always been fun and this is what I feel I do best, entertaining people.” He has also created an online "How To" YouTube channel teaching people how to do magic tricks, “Well the idea behind my tutorial videos came about when my friends suggested I make them and upload them on Youtube. Everyone loves magic and everyone wants to know how magic tricks are done. I wanted to show them just how easy it can be. It’s slowed down after a while because there’s only a certain amount I can show them without getting into trouble myself and obviously I can’t show them the harder tricks.”
Even though Jay Jay has travelled to Sri Lanka several times before with his father; this is his first visit here purely as a performer. He said he hopes to perform a publicity stunt on the street for everyone to see, possibly a levitation act that would really showcase what he does for a living. While other people would count popular activities as reading or sports as their hobbies, Jay Jay says his hobby is studying people, “I love studying people a lot, that’s something I really enjoy. I would engage with up to 500 people a week with my work, so I got to understand the way people behave. When I do tricks, a lot of them are always amazed and ask me how I know what they're thinking. It’s down to the way they behave.”
“When I was younger, I use to love playing soccer. I played it for around 15 years but then I had to choose between that or magic, and I chose magic. I believe everything happens for a reason,” he added.
An interesting hidden talent of Jay Jay’s that not many people know of, is that he used to coach men how to behave around women, much like Will Smith’s character in the movie Hitch, “I took on 5 guys and taught them how to behave for over a year. It’s all about confidence really.”
Jay Jay has also added hosting to his growing repertoire of talents, he currently presents and is a host for many television shows and events around Australia, “It all came about after I was asked to present at events and parties, and that’s basically just interacting with people. I like helping people to escape reality, pulling them out of their comfort zone for 2 minutes; it makes them smile and makes their day. I think everyone has a shield and I like to break it straight away. Entertaining people is my drug.”
Ultimately, this young entertainer’s dream is to have his own variety show someday, much like the Ellen DeGeneres show, “I know I’m not going to be the next David Copperfield, I have too many talents for that and I don’t want to be stuck as a magician. People don’t see me as just a magician; they know I have other talents. I want to talk to people and teach them how to have a positive lifestyle and especially young people. I believe knowledge is power.”
Text by Lake Argent
Pics by Kithsiri De Mel
0 Comments
Demindhi Wethalawa says:
Mar 08, 2012 at 02:33 pmJay Jay is good.. but the best is Hashan fernando.. JJ cant beat him ever.. JJ try to make his market on Srilanka,but i dont think he cant do that.. what ever, congratulation for you career Jay Jay..
Thilak says:
Mar 10, 2012 at 07:38 amGood on you JJ... I've seen you perform and I think you'll do awesome in Sri Lanka! You'll rock this place!
danii says:
Jun 03, 2012 at 05:13 amHes cute !!!!Can look at him all day long...
no wonder he can escape with his tricks being unnoticed lol...:P...hahha
hoping to see his magic somday lol...;)