Elvis sensation Emilio Santoro returning to Torquay with 'some great songs'

By Dawn Gillingwater

Riding high after performing on the final of hit TV show America’s Got Talent and winning the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival, top Elvis tribute Emilio Santoro comes to Torbay next month.

He will appear at Babbacombe Theatre in his show ‘Emilio Santoro as Elvis’ on June 29.

“This will be my second time performing there,” he said.

“Me and my band The Memphis Moon Boys enjoyed it so much last time and it's exciting to be coming back. I’ll be performing a lot of his early songs and greatest hits up to 1968, as well as some of his movie songs too.

“There are some great songs in there such as Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dog.”

Emilio, may only be 20, but he has been honing his craft since a really young age. “It all started when I was four years old,” he said.

“My Mum is a massive Elvis fan and she was playing one of his concerts on the TV and I grabbed the nearest TV remote as a mic and started mimicking his moves and his mannerisms and trying to sing like him. I wasn’t like other four year olds.

“I entered a school talent contest as Elvis later that year and I’ve never looked back. At 13, I started doing some local gigs and from there it’s got a bit crazy.”

His mum is one of his biggest fans and champions him every step of the way.

“Mum is, of course, really proud and is living her childhood dreams now going to all these Elvis festivals that I perform at with me,” he said.

“It’s a blessing to have such a supportive family and to have Mum who is such a big Elvis fan and can enjoy the journey with me. Although she is also my harshest critic, she’ll say ‘that was a really good show, but you could have done such and such’.”

Talking of critics, Emilio is aware that he has ‘big shoes to fill’ performing as the music legend and he’s well aware fans will know every move and nuance.

“Elvis fans are protective of him over his image and rightly so. I always make sure I pay my most respectful tribute to him and put my own spin on it,” he said.

“I tend to do songs before his famous big jumpsuits and there isn’t a massive amount of footage from that time live on stage.

“I grab as much footage as I can and I watch my own videos of my performances and see how I can improve and put more entertainment emphasis on the show.”

Emilio has won all the top accolades, starting with the Porthcawl Elvis Festival in 2018, where he became the youngest ever person to win the competition.

“It has a special place in my heart and reminds me of a smaller Weston-super-Mare where I’m from,” he said.

A year later, at just 17 years old, he won the amateur Elvis World Championship in Memphis, home of the music icon.

On his return to the UK, he turned professional and became the UK Grand Champion.

Following the pandemic, he’s been winning more contests and last year was victorious in the European Elvis Championship.  In April, he also won the People’s Choice Award in the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival.

Then in August last year he was crowned Professional World Champion on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis.

“I don’t enjoy the competitions because of the pressure, but they are great to recognise the hard work,” said the humble performer.

“Because of winning the award at the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival, I get to go forward to the Ultimate Elvis contest in August and if I was every lucky enough to win that I’d get officially recognised by Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises. Right now I’m just enjoying the journey and I’m grateful for what I’ve achieved.

“I’m just proud to go up on stage and be representing Elvis and fans to the best of my ability. If I can spread some happiness and perform his songs to fans I’m happy.

“I love seeing fans enjoying themselves and I bounce off their interaction, Elvis fans are the best fans in the world, in my opinion.”

Another highlight of his career has been performing on the final of America’s Got Talent - to an audience of 100million around the globe - with special effects making it look like it was Elvis on stage. Emilio’s voice and body were used for the performance.

When he was contacted to be on the show, he thought it was a joke!

“I really thought I’d been hacked or it was spam when I got the email, so I left it a few days, and then got another email to say phone, so I called them,” he said enthusiastically.

“Being on the show I was the most nervous I’ve been. It was the best decision I ever made going on it. They flew me out to LA to do artificial intelligence and choreography and flew me out for the live final in September and I got to meet Simon Cowell and the cast.

“It was nice for him to hear a British accent in LA and he was so lovely. He came up and introduced himself even though of course I knew who he was. It was a time I won’t forget."

See Emilio Santoro as Elvis at Torquay's Babbacombe Theatre on Thursday, June 29. For tickets, call the box office on 01803 328385 or visit www.babbacombe-theatre.com