Navi is a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

-born Michael Jackson tribute artist and actor based in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Navi starred as Jackson in '' Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland'', a 2017 American television biopic.

Early life

Navi was born on February 4, 1976, in

Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several smaller islets. The capital city is Port of Spai ...

. He moved with his family to London where he took a liking to pop music, including

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

etc.

Career

In 1992, after seeing him perform, Jackson began hiring the young impersonator on several occasions as a decoy, and for the promotion of world tours and albums such as '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'', ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 theatrical film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy/martial arts TV movie starring Billy Za ...

'' and ''

Thriller 25 ''Thriller 25'' is the 25th-anniversary edition reissue of '' Thriller'' (1982), the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. The original album has sold 70 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling a ...

''.

2003

In 2003, Michael Jackson invited Navi to perform at his 45th birthday concert at the Orpheum Theatre in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, to which Navi agreed. He performed at the venue in front of an audience of 2,000 fans, with Jackson in attendance, performing

Jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...

and

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

. At the end of his impersonation of

Smooth Criminal "Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988 as the seventh single from his seventh studio album, ''Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyric ...

, delighted by his rendition, Jackson went on to give him a standing ovation and thumbs up.

2009

In 2009, following the death of Michael Jackson, Navi was invited to attend the UK premiere of ''

Michael Jackson's This Is It ''Michael Jackson's This Is It'' is a 2009 American documentary film about Michael Jackson's preparation for This Is It, a planned concert residency that was cancelled due to his death in 2009. It includes behind-the-scenes footage such as d ...

'' in London's Leicester Square. Navi created his own Michael Jackson tribute concert, ''King of Pop – The Legend Continues'', starring himself, backed by a 4-piece live band and 4 dancers.

2016

In 2016, for his The Legend Continues tour, Navi was joined on stage by

Jennifer Batten Jennifer Batten (born November 29, 1957) is an American guitarist who has worked as a session musician and solo artist. From 1987 to 1997, she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours, and from 1999 to 2001, she toured and recorded w ...

. Batten was lead guitarist for Michael Jackson on three world tours, including the Bad Tour, the

Dangerous World Tour The ''Dangerous'' World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson and was staged to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various chari ...

and the

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...

, as well as the

Super Bowl XXVII halftime show The Super Bowl XXVII halftime show took place on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, as part of Super Bowl XXVII. The show was televised nationally in the U.S. by NFL on NBC, NBC. In an effort to incre ...

Acting debut

In late 2016, Navi was cast in the starring role of Michael Jackson in the Lifetime/Silver Screen Pictures film, '' Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland'', his acting debut. The biopic was executive produced by

Suzanne de Passe Suzanna Celeste de Passe (born July 19, 1946, 1947 or 1948) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group. Biography Early life and education De Pas ...

, former President of Motown Productions. Shooting began in January 2017 on location in

References

External links

* *
Navi's UK tour website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navi Living people Michael Jackson impersonators Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom Year of birth missing (living people)