When talking to Trinidad-born, England-raised Navi on the phone, it’s hard to believe he’s one of the most popular Michael Jackson impersonators around. The 42 year old is affable and chatty, speaking in a crisp British accent that’s far from the gentle American twang we’ve come to know from Jackson himself.
Navi, having done more than 300 international shows in 26 years, says the estimated two hour transformation — facial expressions, smile and timbre included — comes full circle right before show time.
“I’m a dark-skinned Caribbean boy and I’ve now got to become a light-skinned, high-pitched artist that’s renowned for song and dance. You have to lock yourself away. I can’t even put on the voice until I’m in character,” he tells tabloid! ahead of his December 26 performance at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. It’s not the make-up that finally triggers the switch, he adds, but the signature jacket.
His Abu Dhabi performance will include three to four band members, three dancers, and an appearance from Josh Levi, a former X Factor America contestant. Over the phone from the UK, Navi tells us why Jackson’s death changed everything about his profession.
Why did you decide to pursue impersonation decades ago?
With me, when I came from the Caribbean to Britain — we came in 1979, and in the 80s, I was in school, and Michael dominated the 80s. He was like this real-life superhero that I think a lot of people connected with. For me, with Jackson, it was that, whether you liked him or not, you would watch. You would watch what happened when he danced, when he sang — you’d listen whether you liked his character or not.
You’d met him, hadn’t you?
I met him several times. You’ve got the official times and you’ve got the unofficial times. Because you’ve got the ones that you met him when you performed at his parties, you’ve been invited to Neverland [Ranch], you’ve spoken to him on the phone, you’ve met him backstage at music awards, you’ve met him at concerts. And you have the unofficial times that you work for him as a decoy, and you come out of hotels, or you’ve been used for security issues.
What’s a memory you have of him?
When I met Michael many years ago, backstage, he said to me, “You’re an amazing dancer, do you practise every day?” And I was like, ‘You’re amazing.’ And he went, like, ‘Really?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Is he winding me up here? Is it a joke? It’s a joke, right?’ He was so humble. I thought he was acting.
The concert you’re bringing, King of Pop – The Legend Continues, launched in Dubai in 2009.
It launched in Media City in Dubai for the first show, and we learnt a lot from it. When [Jackson] passed away in June, my work went from being 250 plus shows a year, but being up and down the country, to being 250 plus shows a year, but it could be Simon Cowell’s party, it could be a Formula 1 event, it could be an award ceremony — it was a much bigger profile. I became like a dummy substitute for Michael Jackson fans around the world. You know, when a baby has a dummy for when it wants its mum, but the mum can’t breastfeed. So it’s not the real thing, but it’s a comforter — it’s a substitute.
*Tickets start at Dh80 for adults and are available through platinumlist.net.
