YouTube star KSI will be immortalised in wax at Madame Tussauds Blackpool

Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji, better known as KSI, is one of YouTube’s biggest stars with a combined social media following of over 40 million. The news follows the 2021 release of his number one album All Over The Place of which two songs were nominated for Song of the Year at the 2022 BRIT Awards.

Announcing that he is to be honoured with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds on Blackpool’s famous promenade, KSI said: “I'm buzzing to announce that ya boy KSI has his very own wax work at Madame Tussauds. To be among legends like Freddie Mercury and The Beatles is dope. Go check me out in the Festival Fields area in Blackpool this summer!”

The new KSI figure will soon take up residence at Madame Tussauds Blackpool in the attraction’s Festival Fields area. KSI has had a string of hits including “Really Love” (featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals), Don’t Play (with Anne-Marie and Digital Farm Animals) and Patience (featuring Yungblud and Polo G).

To announce the musician’s new figure, Madame Tussauds Blackpool released images and footage from KSI’s sittings with artists, where thousands of measurements were taken by a talented team of sculptors and hairstylists to ensure the final figure, once unveiled, is an accurate likeness.

Kyle Woodcock, Senior Attractions Manager at Madame Tussauds Blackpool, said: “KSI has had a very successful music career, with multiple top 10 singles, collaborations with Anne-Marie and Craig David, as well as creating one of the most followed music channels in the UK, so it was only right that he should be honoured with his very own wax figure at Madame Tussauds Blackpool.

“The new figure will be situated alongside other musical icons including Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga and The Beatles, in the popular Festival Fields area. And following KSI’s meteoric rise to fame, I have no doubt he is going to be a very popular attraction to guests.”

Featuring more than 80 famous faces, Madame Tussauds Blackpool gives visitors the chance to get up close with their heroes, from sporting stars to TV favourites, movie icons, singing sensations and everything in between.

It takes a team of 25 artists to work on one wax figure, spending a total of 800 hours collectively. This includes: 350 hours to sculpt the figure, 187 hours to insert a head of hair and 30 hours to make a set of teeth.

KSI will join 2,000 wax figures on display around the world, with roughly 150kg of clay used to sculpt each figure equating to 23 stone, the average weight of a tiger.

Madame Tussauds Blackpool recently unveiled its first ever UK drag queen figure, Ru Paul, as well as a new figure of Boris Johnson, complete with the Prime Minister’s trademark untameable hair, and ahead of her Platinum Jubilee this year, the Queen.

Kyle added: “A team of the most skilled, artistic, and passionate people around the world are involved in making the perfect wax figure and attention to detail is key. The eyes are hand painted and every tiny detail is duplicated including using fine red silk threads as the veins in the eyes.”