King of Pop MJ lives on with special Sheffield tribute show

King of Pop, starring Navi, is currently on tour in the UK and arrives at Sheffield City Hall on Sunday, July 15.

Organisers say the show is now bigger and better than ever before – with Navi joined on stage by Jennifer Batten, Michael’s original guitarist, who comes direct from the USA .

She was initially hand-picked to play on the Bad Tour, but Michael was so impressed she joined him on the road for the next 10 years, playing on his Dangerous and History tours to more than 4.5 million fans worldwide, as well as the iconic Superbowl half-time show, with Michael referring to her as his “right-hand woman”.

Talking about the King of Pop tour, she says: “I’m really looking forward to playing Michael Jackson’s music again with a top notch tribute in the UK.

“I remember the crowds in UK were mad crazy for Michael.

“Not too many acts could fill Wembley stadium day after day, and year after year.”

Navi is regarded as one of the world’s leading MJ tribute artists, having performed in 61 countries over six continents in a career spanning three decades, as well as appearing at MJ in Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland, an American television biopic of 2017.

The 45-year-old, from Trinidad, real name Adrian Parasram, is also the only one ever to be chosen by Michael Jackson himself who described his performance as “incredible”.

Having performed for Michael at one of his birthday parties in Los Angeles, Michael not only applauded Navi for his renditions of Smooth Criminal and Billie Jean, but went onto giving him a standing ovation – an incredible moment which was captured on film.

From there, they remained friends and Navi was regularly hired as a body double and decoy to distract fans and press when Michael was on tour.

Navi says: “To meet Michael was one thing, but to perform in front of the greatest entertainer of all time and to perform his songs was no easy feat and extremely nerve-wracking.”

A tour spokesman said: “Don’t miss this special concert featuring all the greatest hits performed by Navi and a live band led by the legendary Jennifer Batten.

“This is an absolute must see for MJ fans worldwide, featuring hits such as Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean, Black or White, Man In The Mirror and Jackson Five classics in a show suitable for the whole family.”

Tickets are now on sale from sheffieldcityhall.co.uk