They spend thousands on Elvis costumes and jewellery. But don’t call them impersonators

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There are two things Maria Phillips won’t disclose: her age, and how much money she’s spent on her Elvis Presley wardrobe.

The only hint I get is that she’s been trading in her designer items to fund a fashion collection that is growing to rival Graceland’s.

A jumpsuit from Canada. Authentic replica sunglasses from Florida. Suits and shirts shipped in from Britain, as well as crystals from Hong Kong and fabric from Marrickville for the custom replica suit her mother hand-made in a months-long “military operation”.

We haven’t touched on Phillips’ rings (she estimates she has 100), her boots (50, 70, maybe 100 pairs) or her belts (her most recent is from the United States).

“This isn’t like doing Led Zeppelin songs in a T-shirt at a pub,” she says from her home in Sydney’s northern beaches, the wall behind her lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with vinyl. “It’s seriously full-on. It requires a lot of commitment.”

By day, Phillips is the chief financial and operating officer for a technology firm. But at night and on weekends, she performs as an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA) under the name Platinum Elvis.

A health scare and the Parkes Elvis Festival prompted Maria Phillips, who has been a fan of the King of Rock’n’Roll since she was three years old, to finally pursue her passion.

Dive into the world of Presley-aligned entertainers, and you’ll find yourself navigating the clash of the tribute artist and impersonator ideologies.

Any ETA worth their salt turns their nose up at being called an impersonator; the look-alike, sound-alike Las Vegas wedding officiants are considered a shallow caricature by some hardcore fans.

ETAs might not look like the King of Rock’n’Roll, but by focusing on the essence of Presley’s music and spirit, they aim to deliver more faithful performances.

Appearance, after all, weighs only 20 per cent in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest’s 2026 judging criteria. Run by Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc, the annual competition names the world’s “best representation of the legacy of Elvis Presley” in Memphis, Tennessee, during Elvis Week each August.

Stage presence and overall performance also weigh 20 per cent each. Vocals account for 40 per cent of the total score.

In theory, that’s good news for ETAs like Phillips, who was introduced to Presley’s catalogue by her grandmother when she was three and can sing in his key, but is neither a man nor a drag king.

Phillips is “beside [herself]” to be competing in the official international heat at Parkes Elvis Festival in January, the winner of which earns a place in the August semi-final in Memphis. But since the inaugural event in 2007, no woman has taken home the $US20,000 first place cash prize, nor has any been named a top 10 finalist.

The Australian woman who has come closest to doing so is 55-year-old Perth-born Jacqueline Feilich, who has been performing under the name She Is The King for more than 20 years.

In 2007, Feilich was invited by Elvis Presley Enterprises to compete in a UETA Contest qualifier in Tupelo, where Presley was born. She says she had to go to “prove that women can actually do this”.

“When I started, there was no one,” Feilich says. “People laughed at me when I came up with the idea ... I couldn’t get a gig like, I knocked on every door ... They laughed at me because they thought, ‘how can a female do that?’. But that was without even listening to me or watching me, you know?”

Feilich, who lives in Sydney’s east and performs full-time, says her husband and his family didn’t want her to pursue She Is The King at first.

She started it because she wanted to sing, and, as an avid Presley fan since age three with a particular fondness for his cover of Glen Campbell’s Gentle On My Mind, she didn’t want to sing just anyone’s songs. She persevered, and she has noticed the tide is turning.

It’s not known how many woman Elvis Tribute Acts there are, but Australia’s Jacqueline Feilich considers herself the world’s leading woman ETA as she has been doing it the longest.

“Something has changed,” says Feilich. “I think the fact that women can be in men’s sports and things like that have helped us to show the world that it’s not just a male game. I mean, women love him just as much as men do. And we should be able to pay him tribute.”

While Feilich says this is a change for the better, it does mean the stakes are higher for her when she heads to Blackpool, England, in May for The Queen of The Castle Contest.

It’s the first world championship for women ETAs – and Feilich is competing to “defend [her] title” as the world’s leading and, she believes, longest-serving female ETA.

Jacqueline Feilich performing her She Is The King tribute act in 2011 on a King Tribute cruise.

For Phillips, who finally pursued her passion in 2024 after leaving her role as Nine’s* chief financial officer following a health crisis, The Queen of The Castle Contest will be a chance to introduce Platinum Elvis to the world.

Western Sydney nurse Sheryl Scharkie is also heading to Blackpool, making three of the 10 finalists Australian.

The 67-year-old, who started performing her ShElvis tribute act in 2013, is competing to be “part of history”.

“First inaugural all-female ETA competition ever,” says Scharkie. “I want to be a part of it. Win, lose or draw. It doesn’t matter.”

Although Scharkie was a successful entrant to a UETA Contest preliminary round in 2017, and was inducted to The King’s Court International ETA Hall of Fame in 2022, she can’t secure enough gigs to pursue ShElvis full-time.

“It doesn’t matter what competitions you win,” she says. “It still doesn’t hold any sway with agents. And all the agents know I’m there ... [women] will always be out in the wilderness regardless.”

Sheryl Scharkie has performed her ShElvis tribute act since 2013, and says it’s hard for women ETAs to break into the scene full-time without corporate connections, even if you win competitions like she has.

Without connections to corporate gig bookers, Scharkie says, for “anybody breaking into the business, it’s a very hard nut to crack”. Male ETAs are often “supportive” to her face, but they won’t include her in their shows.

But Scharkie is still excited to be performing on the NSW TrainLink Elvis Express from Sydney’s Central Station to Parkes in January.

Scharkie, pictured here in 2017, loves taking audiences by surprise with her voice.

While she puts her own spin on Presley’s songs, sometimes she is accused of lip-syncing. (Her favourite song to perform is An American Trilogy, but she doesn’t sing it in competitions because she can’t afford an Aloha costume. She estimates she’s spent $20,000 on her costumes over the years).

“Being a female Elvis, people crinkle their nose up thinking you’re going to sound dreadful,” she says. “My best feeling is when I first start singing and their jaws drop.”

*Nine is the owner of this masthead.

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