FROM dancing along to the legendary pop videos as a child, to playing to a crowd of weeping fans, the day after Michael Jackson died, Ben Bowman has certainly dedicated to his life to being a celebrated Michael Jackson tribute artist.

Ben, 33, who grew up on the Isle of Sheppey, off Kent, quit college to pursue his dream and now travels the world paying homage to the King Of Pop in live show Michael Starring Ben.

And the good news is, his show is coming to Malvern’s Forum Theatre on Friday, February 22

But how did it all begin?

Ben said: “Me and my brother grew up with my mother’s vinyl collection and Michael Jackson was part of that. We especially caught on to him, and even started dressing up as him for fancy dress parties. I became one of those kids who learned all the dances from the videos.

“When it comes to the singing, I was around 16 or 17 and my friend asked ‘How does Michael Jackson’s new song go?’. It was You Rock My World, I sang a couple of lines and she said I really sounded like him.”

But how long has Ben performed as Michael Jackson?

He said: “Fourteen years, I literally started straight out of school. I was at college, studying drama, and they told me I could earn £77 a night in the West End. So, I quit the course and said ‘I can earn more than that as a Michael Jackson impersonator’ and it went from there, I started booking venues.

“Even when I started, I thought it was just something fun that I could do on the side of working. I never imagined I would be a full-time Michael Jackson impersonator – it’s not like it’s something that comes up at the job centre!”

So what are the special memories?

Ben said: “There have been millions! So many amazing, funny things have happened on the road. The first time we played to 20,000 people at a festival, I stepped out on stage and thought to myself this has got to be close to what Michael experienced. It was the most people I had seen in one place in my life, at that time.

“Over the years, it’s become so rewarding, especially since Michael passed away. It’s rewarding to see what people take away from what we do. They don’t just come and see a show, they come up after and say: ‘I saw Michael live and that was fantastic, he would be happy at what you’re doing.’ It’s wonderful people feel that about it, as that’s what we feel about it. It’s a continuation of the legacy. What I love most is that it introduces kids to Michael Jackson too; young people who weren’t even alive when he was alive. Kids who are not even four or five years old are huge fans, from their parents’ influence. We get kids there in full costume, dancing and singing along to the Jackson 5 tracks. I’m like ‘How is that, it’s from 1972?’. It’s insane. His legacy will never disappear and hopefully we help keep that alive.”

Ben added: “I love Michael Jackson as much now as when I was five. I listen to his music every week still, away from performing. I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Tickets and further details: https://www.livenation.co.uk/venue/287991/malvern-forum-theatre-tickets