Jun 03 2016.
views 1081Meet Kenny Wizz - The Great Entertainer!
The day after his tribute to the legend Michael Jackson, at the BMICH, I met up with Kenny Wizz, who is often referred to as the World’s No. 1 Michael Jackson impersonator. Critics declare that what set him apart from the hundreds of MJ impersonators worldwide are his abilities to sing, talk and dance live just like the real MJ did. The rest could dance but can't sing or do not have MJ's shy, soft-spoken voice.
At first I didn’t recognise him as he looked totally different to the Kenny we had all seen the previous night vigorously running around the auditorium. It was by his T-shirt that read ‘King of Pop’ and the picture of Michael Jackson on it that I thought this must be him. Talking to him for quite a while, what struck me was that through all these years of international fame and glamour, this entertainer born and raised in Los Angeles, California had remained simple, unassuming and humble. Here’s what he had to say.
Your show here in Sri Lanka was absolutely awesome. What do you have to say about it?
The audience was very receptive. I won’t say I was surprised because when I get on stage, I don’t have expectations. I always perform the same way with good energy and professionalism. This is the first time I’m in Sri Lanka and I’m always excited when it’s a new place.
Tell me about your family.
I have one elder brother and two elder sisters. I am the youngest. I was influenced by a lot of the music they played.
Was music always a part of your growing up?
Music was always my first love. When I was a teenager I wanted to be a radio DJ or a party DJ. I used to listen to the radio all the time, and used to love the way the radio DJs voices and the way they speak. I used to practice mixing music also.
How did you get into dancing?
In the 80s when ‘Thriller’ came out it was more danceable music. There were videos around and it gave a whole new outlook to the music industry. That’s where I transitioned from loving music to, dancing to music. Then I started getting into Street dancing and break dancing and it all came very naturally to me. With that kind of music you couldn’t just listen you wanted to move around and dance. It was a joy.
Did you go for dance lessons?
I never went for lessons to learn dance but I’ve been a street performer. The reason I’m so good today is because of YouTube. I have the opportunity to watch others and create my own style. It’s all about being creative. That’s what’s great about Michael Jackson, he incorporated different kinds of dance in his performances. Jazz, Ballet, Street, Tap. He reinvented dance. He would take a style of Jazz and make it his own creation.
Why did you think of impersonating MJ?
When I was younger I had curly hair and people used to tell me that I looked like Michael Jackson in the ‘Thriller’ album. As I could sing dance well, people used to tell me all the time, that I should imitate MJ’s act. So finally I decided to give it a try, and ever since then, I never looked back.
With so many MJ impersonators out there, what is it that made you No 1?
Yes there are so many doing this act. Vegas is the type of place for my line of work. I went there early in my career and for many years I did a MJ performance six nights a week and worked very hard to perfect my performance. That’s where I learnt, grew and got recognition. Then there were articles written about me and how good my act was. That’s how it started. I was in the right place at the right time.
How do you prepare for the show?
I do my own make up. I wear the skull cap and I use a lot of pins. You can pull my hair and it won’t come off. I do my own costumes and wigs as well. I’ve studied all this so that I can do it myself and I also choreograph my shows. I love my work so I enjoy doing every bit of it myself. It takes two hours just to do the makeup. Fifteen minutes to get ready, thirty minutes to warm up my vocal chords which I sometimes do while putting on my make up, and twenty minutes to stretch. In between I just look in the mirror and do some touching up.
What do you feel on stage when performing?
It’s all just go… go… go… Honestly I can’t explain it. You are on another planet. When I’m up there I don’t feel like I’m Michael Jackson. I feel like I’m an entertainer entertaining the people. The positive energies are derived from the band behind me and the audience in front of me… and I’m right in the middle.
What happens after the show?
To pack up the costumes it takes so much time. They are all drenched in sweat. I have fans that dry them off while I do the meet and greet with the audience who want to take pics with me. After I do that, I pack up all my makeup and costumes carefully. It’s very time consuming. I can get an assistant to do all that, but I don’t, because when I started my career I decided that I would always do my own work so that I remain humble.
What about a family life?
In my line of work, it’s difficult to have a family as I’m moving from place to place all the time. But someday, when I stop travelling so much, that’s what I want to do.
How would you want to be remembered?
I don’t want to be remembered as the best tribute artiste. I’d prefer to be remembered as having put hundred percent passion and integrity into what I did. I want people to be inspired by me.
Interviewed by Niro Waidyaratne
Photographs by Nisal Baduge
1 Comments
Henry says:
Oct 04, 2016 at 01:09 amHey keenywizz I'm a big fan and I'm also a MJ impersonator how long do you practice a day to get it all right???