By Janine Moodley
Kenny Wizz popularly known to be one of the best Michael Jackson Impersonators in the world, comes to Durban all the way from the US till 6 January to pay tribute to king of pop, Michael Jackson. Whizz describes himself as an entertainer who has dedicated 28 years of his life as a "tribute artist" through the career of the greatest entertainer this world has ever witnessed. I caught up with the talented performer to get to know him better:
JM: What sparked your interest in the infamous Micheal Jackson and when did you realize you wanted to pursue a career as a performer such as this?
KW: I grew up in Los Angeles, California where the Jackson 5 had a big influence musically after their move from Gary, Indiana so I have enjoyed their music as a young kid influenced. As far as realizing when I wanted to pursue it as a career is something that I did not realize simply because of the fact that I was a street performer at the time the Thriller album was released and people would see me performing and thought that I resembled the photo on the front cover of the thriller album in which they thought that I should try to dance like Michael Jackson as a street performer. So, as the Thriller album became more and more popular over those next few months, more and more people were saying this so I finally gave it a try and 28 years later here I am still performing, so it was the public`s influence for me to pursue this career and not my own.
JM: Think back to when you was a child, what was your favorite MJ song at the time?
KW: My favorite MJ song as a child would be "Dancing Machine"
JM: Have you ever had a bad experience on stage where people did not take well to you?
KW: No I have not, as Michael Jackson has always been respected as a great entertainer on stage despite any outside negativity.
JM: What can people expect to see at your live performance?
KW: They can expect a high powered energetic production with video production, LED lighting production, a live band and dancers that cover 22 songs with extravagant costume changes that cover a 2 hour time frame set in a concert-like atmosphere. And as far as my favorite Mj moves that turns crowds heads, of course that would be the signature "moonwalk".
JM: What do you love about Durban audiences thus far and how has been performing here different from anywhere else in the world?
KW: Durban audiences can be very enthusiastic and the performances here have been well received and no different from any other audiences as I have performed all over the world and people will always enjoy the music of Michael Jackson.
JM: What do you feel distinguishes you from other artists who try to impersonate MJ?
KW: I think what distinguishes me from other artists is that our show is all live in vocals and music and we do not lip sync to Michael Jackson`s voice.
JM: What has been your biggest challenge in your career thus far?
KW: My biggest challenge is staying fit for all the performances and travel that I incur.
JM: What's the future plans for Kenny Wizz?
KW: My future plans is to retire my tribute act in 2014 and concentrate on becoming an actor.
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