At the age of five, when Ximo Fillol began imitating Michael Jackson, little did he imagine that this hobby would end up becoming his profession. Born in Valencia in 1985, he assures that “the Fallas environment is very artistic, and there are usually playback contests,” which he took advantage of to imitate his idol. When he came of age he won a few impersonator contests of the most famous of the Jackson brothers and, starting in 2005, he began to make a living from it, as Ximo MJ.
Since 2017 he has been the absolute protagonist of the show Michael’s legacy, which is being presented these days at the Poliorama theater in Barcelona. The show follows “a broad journey of the musical career of which he is, in my opinion, the best artist of all time,” declares Ximo MJ.
In these seven years, what the Barcelona public can now see “is the same show and it is not,” he assures. “During all these years, we have been improving it, we have added live music, live voices, more artists, more songs, more choreography, more effects… It has evolved a lot, but it is the same show. We have toured many cities and many stages in Spain. We do between 70 and 80 concerts every year. And we knock on wood to make it last much longer.”
Michael Jackson fans won’t miss any of the most iconic songs. The climax is occupied by Thriller and the finale is reserved for Billie Jean. On stage, in addition to the reincarnation performed by Ximo MJ, there are two singers, six dancers and four musicians, who perform the music live.
About his work, the artist declares: “It is a way of living since I was little, and it is a way of dedicating a life to this artist, to my idol.” And he details the transformation he undergoes before each show: “There are a few phases. The first thing I do is makeup, to characterize myself, with shadows on my face. Then I put on the wig, because I don’t look anything like Michael Jackson. And then comes the props, especially the costumes: I wear exact replicas of the clothes and jackets he wore.”
On the day of the Barcelona premiere, two children of similar ages to Ximo Fillol’s childhood followed the choreographies and wore some of the most popular jackets and hats of the American singer, who died fifteen years ago.
At the head of the Jackson Dance Company, this Valencian artist, who is considered one of the best imitators of the king of pop, an impersonator, sees in each show how his childhood dream comes true. The show comes to the Poliorama theater after an uninterrupted tour of seven years, with more than half a million spectators.