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.
