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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Jane Corscadden

From X Factor to Elvis: Strabane man 'Jelvis' busking in Belfast every day

A Co Tyrone man who has been busking in Belfast as Elvis every day has spoken of the great support he's had from audiences.

Jordan Devine from Strabane has been living in the city so he can work towards his dream of being a musician while performing on the street.

First making a name for himself on The X Factor in 2016 when he was just 19-years-old, Jordan is known in his hometown for performing as Elvis and dressing similarly to The King.

Read more: Belfast singer on the glitz of Strictly and backing Phil Collins

Although he didn't get past the audition stage on the TV talent competition, the singer was invited to perform on the Wembley stage for the show's final that year.

Since then, he has been working on his songwriting and doing a lot of performances in Co Tyrone before making the move to the big city.

Jordan Devine performing as Jelvis Pelvis in Ann Street, Belfast. (Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)

"I've been singing since I was a kid, and I was always a big Elvis fan growing up, I know a lot of his songs," Jordan told Belfast Live.

"People are loving what I'm doing. I've got a lot of TikTok followers and fans, I've gained about 2,500 followers in a few weeks, people are adding me on Facebook and Snapchat and have been stopping for pictures.

"A lot of people are now starting to recognise me around the town too.

"I got a great reaction the first day I was out busking, someone took a TikTok video of me and it got 200,000 hits and had the caption 'Elvis spotted in Belfast.'

"I was doing it every Saturday and Sunday originally. But I left my job at home so I could come up here and busk every day, and I'm now staying in a tourist hostel so I can busk every day and achieve my goals here in Belfast."

Jordan typically performs in the Cornmarket area of Belfast under the name "Jelvis Pelvis" every day – every afternoon during the week and from late morning onwards on the weekends.

Jordan Devine performing as Jelvis Pelvis in Ann Street, Belfast. (Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)

He's dedicated to putting his all into each of his busking performances, dressing as Elvis and doing his famous dance moves while singing too.

"I thought if I did something a bit different on the street it would set me apart," Jordan said.

"I'm known for doing Elvis back in Strabane, people would always call me Elvis due to the way I dress and my hair. I even dyed my hair black to be more like Elvis - I'm actually ginger naturally.

"I find it easy enough to get into the dance moves, I've been watching Elvis since I was a kid so it comes naturally to me now. I like to entertain people, I don't like to just stand there and sing - I want to give people a show.

"I'm hoping to keep doing this regularly to get my name out there and hopefully somebody will spot me and get me somewhere where I want to be, to get me on the stage and to help me get a bigger profile."

Jordan Devine performing as Jelvis Pelvis in Ann Street, Belfast. (Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)

As well as busking, Jordan has also been performing in bars and at private functions, and is available for future bookings in this capacity.

The young singer has said he's "overwhelmed" with the response his busking has received in Belfast, with crowds often gathering around on weekends to watch his performances.

He added: "I'd like to say a big thank you very much to anyone who has stopped and taken their time to chat or watch me perform, and given me some money, and taking videos of me and following me on social media."

You can follow Jordan on Facebook here or keep up to date with his TikTok videos here.

Read more: DJ Hix on how 6am starts in lockdown helped him achieve his music dream

Read more: Stereophonics return to Belfast with headline gig this summer

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