You've probably seen him as a driver for our daily morning shuttle buses to Ngee Ann Poly. The question though: who exactly is this Michael Jackson look-alike?
When I first got an invite to his Facebook fanpage (set up by our lovely students), I was intrigued by his striking similarity to the real King of Pop.
The Facebook Fanpage
Shanjey Nair, 41, a part time Service Representative for SMRT Buses, is a true MJ fanatic. I met up with him recently to and trust me, it was all worth it as the man we met truly emulated MJ down to a tee.
He came along with his daughter, carrying outfits he had wanted to share with us. If you think the resemblance to MJ is uncanny in the photos, you'll have to meet him in real life. He donned a black outfit that bore "CTE" in yellow on red shoulder pads, and a red armband with a yellow star.
CTE= Children of The Earth
Star symbol, symbolising MJ's message of saving children around the world
Shanjey grew up listening to MJ's music since he was 10 and knows the lyrics to every single MJ song. Though in the process, this MJ fanatic's dress sense has faced with opposition from his family, religious restrictions, and subjected to the public's ruthless scrutiny.
Passersby would stop and ask for a photo of him, but Shanjey has had his fair share of naysayers who would make fun of him. He once recalled somebody doing a feminine parody of MJ which made him upset.
Shanjey, explaining which MJ look he has adapted.
To maintain his Motown MJ hairdo, he keeps his own hair trimming devices at home, to save costs.
Check out the two outfits that he's brought along:
This outfit replicated the one MJ made famous during the "This Is It" tour.
The crystals on it? Austria-imported Swarovski crystals!
My friend who tagged along, was the first person Shanjey's ever allowed to wear his outfits! Feeling honoured, she went on to strike a MJ pose!
"This is how you do it"
This outfit, is a blue version of the CTE outfit he wore.
And of course, an MJ look isn't complete without the famous sequined socks.
MJ's outfit with a buckle sans belt - a detail Shanjey took into account when creating this outfit!
A statuette of MJ that Shanjey has at home.
Shanjey's daughter, KMJ Kasturi, has also caught on to the MJ fever. She recently bagged the champion title at Okto's One Minute of Fame with her awesome MJ impersonation. It all started a few days after MJ's passing when KMJ asked to learn MJ's dance moves because she could not bear to see her father feeling so down.
Shanjey was really glad that he did his part to ensure a part of MJ's legacy continued with his daughter.
Shanjey did everything he could to perfect KMJ's performance. In order to staying true to MJ's performances, he even bought sound editing software and edited songs to the way it was performed during MJ's live concerts. They were perfected with apt explosions and special effects. And doing all of it with no prior knowledge of sound editing!
And as KMJ's manager, he made sure designs of costumes she wore were exact. "These designs were Michael Jackson's and we have no right to change it". He ended up spending $600 on the outfit that she wore for the competition that he sometimes had doubts of winning beause they were up against contestants who're performing solid and current dance routines or songs.
Check out the 45 degree gravity lean. WOW!
With the support of 20 - 28 of her friends and family among the audience, her performance of Smooth Criminal clinched her the first prize! Since then, they've been invited to perform at shows and have become quite famous in the local media. They were once invited to perform with Aznil Nawawi, a Malaysian celebrity well known for his quirky and entertaining talkshow, Macam Macam Aznil.
Aznil and KMJ, the mini MJ extraordinaire.
Picking out a pair of shoes for an MJ outfit
Shanjey decided to make our last few moments together memorable by showing us some of his dance moves:
Check out the silver Tornado Stripe at the sides of his pants.
Dance, dance, dance.
Just like a real superstar, Shanjey has his own fanbase as well.
In the true spirit of MJ, Shanjey does his part to make the world a better place too. Every year, MJ fans in Singapore would gather to perform as part of fund raising initiatives for the Singapore Children's Society and cancer patients in Singapore. He would bring his daughter with him to town sometimes for his performances.
Shanjey gave both Ika and me a surprise with souvenirs! We're frankly humbled by his generosity. :')
MJ may have been dancing with the angels in heaven for a few years now but his spirit still lives back on Earth. I'd like to express my sincerest gratitude to Shanjey, who took time to share his passion with us!
ADIOS!
