Singing impersonator hire in Australia: the complete guide

Two skills in one performer, and they are genuinely separate skills. The impersonation gets the look, the walk, the speaking voice and the mannerisms. The singing has to survive a microphone in a live room without the costume doing the work. Plenty of people can do one well. Fewer can do both at once, which is why this is a smaller category than either of its neighbours.

Prices and performers below come live from the listings. Before you compare them, be clear about what you want to happen at your event, because a singing impersonator can be a mingling character who breaks into song or a full stage performance, and those are booked quite differently.

A tribute singer performs an artist's songs, usually without pretending to be that person off the microphone. A singing impersonator stays in character between numbers as well: the accent, the patter, the jokes, the way they hold themselves. The music is the centrepiece but the performance does not stop when the song does.

That changes what the act suits. If you want an hour of great songs, a tribute singer is the more direct buy. If you want a character who arrives, works the room, does a set and then keeps going through supper, this category is what you are after. Say which of those you want in your first message and you will save two rounds of email.

The range on the table below sits in the same neighbourhood as non-singing impersonators, a little above at the top end. You are booking one performer, which keeps it well under band territory, but the price carries wardrobe, preparation and often a sound system as well as the performance itself.

The variables that move a quote are the length of the appearance, how much of it is in costume and character, whether the act supplies its own PA, and the travel. Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have the most performers to choose from, and outside those the travel line becomes the biggest single item on the quote.

This is where to spend your attention. A convincing costume and a decent speaking impression will carry the first two minutes. After that it is just singing, in a room, and the audience will judge it as singing. So find live footage where the camera is in the crowd and the sound is unflattering, and listen to a whole song rather than a chorus.

The honest version of this act does not claim to be a soundalike in every note, and does not need to be. What makes it work is commitment and timing, the same as any character performance. A performer who is a fair vocal match and a superb entertainer will beat a precise mimic with no stage presence in every room I have seen.

The usual shape is an arrival in character, some mingling, then a set, then either a departure or more mingling. Each of those needs a decision from you. When does the character appear, is there a proper introduction, where do they sing from, and what happens afterwards. Left vague, these acts tend to hover awkwardly at the edge of the room.

It also matters whether your guests know what is coming. A surprise entrance is a genuinely great moment when the venue is prepared for it. It falls flat when the DJ keeps playing and half the room does not notice anyone has arrived. Give the act a cue and someone to cue them.

Do you sing live throughout, or is any of it mimed to a recording? What backing do you use and do you supply the sound system? How long is the singing portion versus the in-character mingling? What keys are the songs in, and does that change the arrangements? And do you stay in character for the whole booking or come out of it between segments?

Ask directly about miming. Some acts do it as a deliberate part of a visual show and say so, which is a legitimate format. The problem is only ever the version that is not declared. A straight answer here tells you what kind of operation you are dealing with.