The sudden death of the King of Pop might have brought newfound opportunities and wealth to Carlo Riley, but the 27-year-old Michael Jackson impersonator said that was not what he wanted the most.
'I would rather trade all of what I get now to get him here,' said Riley, one of the most popular Jackson impersonators from the US. 'I'm really not interested in making tonnes of money. I don't care ... it's good money, but it doesn't really matter to me.'
Since Jackson's death on June 25, Riley has received a lot more show bookings, including the ones celebrating Jackson's 51st birthday at Whampoa Garden's Fashion World tomorrow and Sunday. He said the shows had opened doors to a brand new world to him.
'The only Asian country I've performed in is Japan, for the 25th anniversary of [the release of] Thriller,' Riley said after earning rounds of applause at a press conference yesterday for his almost perfect Moonwalk.
He said the money he made out of impersonating Jackson would be spent on more costumes to improve his performance, or be donated to Jackson's Heal The World Foundation charity. 'If I make money out of his image I have to do it,' Riley said. 'It's required.'
Riley, from Denver, Colorado, said his mother began playing Jackson's music before he was born, and he first began emulating Jackson when he was only five. He said that he put in a lot of time to practise the late star's singing and dancing, and had spent a lot of money putting together a wardrobe. In a one hour show at yesterday's press conference, he changed seven times to match the looks from Billie Jean to Thriller.
Out of the outfits, the only clothing that remained unchanged was a pair of worn-out black leather loafers. 'They are my lucky shoes,' Riley said, because he had worn them when he met Jackson in person in 2007.