The King Of Pop Lives On In Kenny Wizz

CEBU, Philippines - It was easy to initially dismiss him and his show as another one of those capitalizing on Michael Jackson's 2009 death, but hearing tribute artist Kenny Wizz speak up close, one can sense he sincerely resumed his act for the benefit of the late superstar's fans. 

He had, in fact, hung the satin gloves as MJ's tribute artist before the King of Pop's demise and only came back after wide clamor from music fans.

"When he died, I actually went on vacation for two weeks. I shut off all my phones and I had emails, text messages from people and other countries and I didn't want to deal with all that at that time. People wanted me to get back onstage but at that point, I had retired my act. I had to think for a long time if I wanted to go back onstage," Wizz says in a press interview at SM City Cebu's Old Spaghetti House. "My decision to return onstage was more about giving back to fans as opposed to making money."

Bringing that Michael Jackson experience to Cebuanos through his almost-perfect impersonation finally happened when Steve O'Neal Productions (same group that brought him to Manila last year for a four-night tour dubbed "The Amazing Kenny Wizz: The Michael Jackson Experience") held "The Michael Jackson World Tour Tribute Concert" recently at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Acknowledged as the number one MJ impersonator in the US and overseas, Wizz shared that he started out as a street dancer at 14 years old in Los Angeles, California where he grew up.

"Back then, it was the style to wear that curly hair like Michael had at the beginning of Thriller. Everyone wore that style. I wore that style as well," says Wizz. "People started to notice and comment from time to time that I look a lot like Michael. I didn't think much of it. Then someone got me to perform a Michael Jackson tribute show and one thing led to another."

"I just did it for fun in the beginning. Then I got more and more offers as I went along, and it grew into where I am today." 

He has done the gig for close to 20 years and has been the top draw of the “Legends” show in Las Vegas for the past 11 years. With his close resemblance to the pop icon in voice, moves and looks, he even played a part in "This Is It", a concert film documenting Jackson’s rehearsals of the concert series of the same title. Currently, he is on leave from his regular Las Vegas gig to fulfill bookings in South America, Europe, Asia, and other cities in the US.

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.

Many perceive that a lot of glamour is involved in his line of work. But Wizz, in his all-serious demeanor, spoke of a very rigorous schedule, that he bets anyone in his place would be urged to throw in the towel.

"As great as this job is though, I also need downtime for myself because I have a very hectic schedule. Besides the scheduling, there's the make-up, taking photos with everyone — which I don't mind, because it's part of the field that I'm in," says Wizz, who is also very hands-on with his costume and choreography.

"If others probably had the opportunity to do what I do, they probably wouldn't last very long because of the scheduling, everything that's involved when the cameras are not on. Obviously, they don't see what goes on into that, which is a lot of hard work."

Even if he was such an MJ deadringer, he reveals make-up alone takes over two hours to finish.

"As you know, Michael has changed over the years. He maybe had a simpler look before and wasn't so eccentric yet. And then for someone who wanted to reinvent himself all the time and make things bigger and better, he started building his look."

"I still experiment with the make-up and everything. I used to wear my own hair like that but now, I don't anymore. So now it takes more time because I have to do my own wig."

He denies getting any surgical enhancements, saying "It's all makeup, paste, tape and glue."

Wizz guarantees we wouldn't recognize him out of make-up. And he prefers it that way because he wants to maintain a private life.

"I'm African-American but probably 90% of people who see me think I'm Caucasian," he says. "You see, I will never be seen in a magazine without make-up because I have a private life as well. I'm not saying that in the sense that I am that famous, I just would like to keep it separate. Beyond anything else, I'm an actor first. It just so happens that I can sing and dance. But there's a lot of acting involved. Just like any actor who studies a role for six or seven months before they portray it on film. They may go out on field and study how to be a homeless person and live out on the street."

"But after that film is done, you won't see them take that character any further than that. And that's the same with me. It's my character, it's my job. No one wants to take home their job with them," he lengthily explains when we expressed curiosity on how he really looks like bare-faced.

When asked if he feels greater pressure in his performances after MJ passed away, he answers: "Absolutely! When people come see me perform before, they can enjoy the show but at the same time, they can still make the statement that they can still go and see the real Michael Jackson. Now with that no longer the case, people are expecting more out of my show and what I can do."

"They're expecting me to be as close as possible. They really want that experience more so than ever. Before, they would enjoy the experience but they would say, 'You know, I can still go see the real Michael Jackson."

Surprisingly, Wizz had never met MJ in person, although he has met the rest of the Jackson family who went to see him perform. He doesn't think it's a big deal to have never met the man he has been closely following since "I feel like because of the studying that I've done over the years and everything that I had to learn about him, I feel like I've already met him."

"I have been in the same building, same vicinity. He's probably seen my show in disguise..."

This recent second Philippine tour of Wizz also included performances in key cities like Manila, Davao, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro. How did he find the reception of the Filipino audience?

"Absolutely overwhelming!" Wizz exclaims. "For me, it's been more than I can imagine and that's why I wanted to get back here so fast. You know, I've been in Las Vegas and it's the point of entertainment for a lot of places. When you can go somewhere, and still the energy that people are giving you is the same as in Las Vegas, that's a special feeling. I really can't explain it. It's something that's captured on stage." 

"I absolutely adore the Filipino people and I've learned so much culturally in the two visits that I've had here. I'm starting to pick up a bit of language, even. The food, I enjoy."

"That's the other thing I like about doing shows in another country and the reason I don't mind traveling so much. It's meeting new people and making friends. When I go somewhere, I don't wanna just show up and do a show. I wanna learn about the culture, eat the food, learn a couple of words, talk to normal people and make friends. It's not about going somewhere trying to sell my show and then leave. I want to embrace every aspect of me being there in every way I can because it does a lot for me. It has an influence on my show and my self," Wizz ends.