Rodrigo performing ‘Heal the World’ with young fans.
KOTA KINABALU (Sept 16): Brazilian artiste Rodrigo Teaser said that the late Michael Jackson changed his life and he is thankful to the late performer.
“(If I could say something to him) I will say thank you. I like to say on stage that Michael Jackson changed my life … over the years we have a lot of singers who broke records, or sold out concerts or won Grammys. But not every artist has that power to change lives. I know so many people that got their lives changed by Michael. This is the highest point that an artist can achieve,” the King of Pop impersonator said after he performed the “Michael Lives Forever” concert at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Thursday night to a packed crowd.
He added that his favourite Micheal Jackon’s song was “Man in the Mirror”, which he also performed during the show.
“I love Man in the Mirror. That is my favorite,” he said.
He added that he loved the song since he was a child and even though he did not know English, he struggled to learn it on his own in order to understand the lyrics.
Rodrigo being interviewed after the concert.
Rodrigo also shared that if not for Michael, he probably would never discover Malaysia, and said that he tried to enjoy every part of his experience being on tour for performance.
He does share however that the most challenging part of travelling for him is when he doesn’t have enough rest and when he is not eating well.
“For me, this is the hardest thing. You are concerned about your voice. You don’t sleep well; you don’t eat well, and so I hope I have a voice tomorrow. This is the hardest thing. Because it is not easy to do the whole thing (performance),” he said.
Rodrigo also opines that all Michael Jackson’s fans are the same.
To support his statement, he said: “Brazil is big. We have a lot of culture in Brazil. (But) when you go out of Brazil, it is even more different.”
“Michael’s fans are all the same. I think this is so beautiful and the easiest part. We speak differently, we feel different, we believe differently, but once the music plays, we feel like ‘okay’, we are the same. I think that this is the power of music. When Michael said that we are one, and that we are a unit, I think he truly understood that. It was not just beautiful words,” he said.
On Thursday night, # fans, both young and old, came to watch and listen to Rodrigo, who is acclaimed as the only impersonator mentioned on Michael Jackson’s official website. And they weren’t disappointed.
The show dubbed “Michael Lives Forever” was a tribute to Michael Jackson.
Clad in a black jacket embellished by golden chains that resembled those worn by the late singer, Rodrigo started his performance with the 1991 song “Jam”.
His song repertoire were “Wanna Be Starting Something”, “Human Nature”, Smooth Criminal”, “The Way You Make Me Free”, “Rock with You”, “Shake your Body”, “Beat It”, “Heal the World”, “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough:, “Billie Jean”, “Thriller”, “Black or White” and “This is It” as well as “Man in the Mirror”.
Rodrigo also performed three Jackson medley which are “I want you back”, “The love you save” and “I’ll be there”.
During the course of the concert, Rodrigo changed his outfit several times. He also wore what resembled the famous Michael Jackson’s gold leotard shirt, the red jacket that looked like what was worn in “Thriller”, as well as a plain white t-shirt paired with long black pants.
Not only did Rodrigo look like Michael Jackson when he performed on stage, he also sounded and danced like the late singer. His audience loved him and showered him with cheers, whistles and claps at every end of the song he sang.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo exclaimed that he loved his audience at SICC on Thursday.
“Oh my gosh, I love them.
“At the beginning I thought that they were a little shy. I was thinking they are shy? Or they didn’t like the show? Then I feel like we start to connect, I feel so blessed to be here, and I am very happy with all the experience and hope the audience enjoyed the show because for me it was very amazing.
He also said that they arrived in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday.
“We had a show last Sunday and it was a long way to come here because we were in Brazil. We performed in July in the United States, and then we came to South America and performed in Brazil on Sunday and then we came here. It was a long trip, but as I said I try to enjoy it because you never know what you will find. You have to hope to find good things. And once you receive the things, you say thank you,” said Rodrigo.
At the same time, he also spoke about Sabah’s hospitality.
“What I like most is — we always hear that the Latin people are very warm, (that) the Latin people are loveable and sometimes, people say that people in Asia are a little bit more reserved but since we got here, everyone is kind to us, (and) so caring about the details.
“Sometimes, people care about some stuff and not about others — like, let’s take care about the stage and not other things.
“But not here. Since the moment we got out of the airplane, everything is so perfect and in the right place. People are so polite and so lovable (kind). This is the thing that I will have with me. It is an awesome experience here,” he said.
Rodrigo is set to perform at the Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting on September 18.