‘I have been photographing John Paul ever since I saw him at a festival in Porthcawl at the age of eight, dressed in a beautiful white Elvis suit’
I have come to know the boy and his mum in this picture quite well. I was studying documentary photography at the University of South Wales in 2013 when I came across the annual Elvis festival in the small seaside town of Porthcawl. I went back the next five years running, inspired and intrigued by how much Elvis resonated in people’s lives.
On my second visit, I ended up in this room behind the bar at one of the venues, where artists were getting changed. I saw this little boy who was performing there at only eight years old, wearing this beautiful white Elvis suit. He was concentrating, taking his job very seriously, and I asked if I could take his portrait. His mother, grandmother and grandfather were there as well. His name was John Paul and, at that time, his stage name was Johnny B. Goode. I’ve been documenting his Elvis work ever since.
