Mo Gilligan is a rising star in the United Kingdom, a younger British Nick Cannon minus the kids. He has hosted multiple shows including “The Big Narstie Show” and “The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan.” He is a current judge on “The Masked Singer UK” and host of the BBC version of “That’s My Jam.”
The 36-year-old has also built a stand-up following with two Netflix comedy specials under his belt and is working his first worldwide tour. He is now in North America with stops in Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and his first appearance ever in Atlanta, where he will be at Atlanta Comedy Theater Underground on March 14 at 7 p.m. with tickets available for $25.
“I started doing stand-up when I was 19,” Gilligan said in a recent Zoom interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Then people want you to do TV. Stand-up is my original love. You can take stand-up all over the world and the payoff is people just want to laugh. Sometimes people will understand you. Sometimes they won’t. That creativity I find amusing.”
Indeed, while not all of his British terminology translates immediately, he said he gets to explain things and learn from the audience about cultural differences. “We speak the same language but say it in a different way,” he said.
To learn his craft, Gilligan as a younger man watched DVDs of “Def Comedy Jam” and soaked in legends like Earthquake, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. He began gaining steam doing characters on social media on Instagram, where he has 1 million followers, before TikTok blew up.
“It helped my creativity,” Gilligan said. “Some people find this character or accent quite funny. I could connect to the world from my bedroom.”
He knows he’s a relative unknown in the United States and is okay with that. “It’s humbling,” he said. “This takes me back to where I started. People get to discover me in a way. Whether it’s 50 people or 5,000 people, I want to give them a good evening.”
Gilligan has never been to Atlanta but knows the city for trap music like Migos, Gucci Mane and British native 21 Savage. “I’ve always heard positive things and look forward to performing there,” he said. “And I have to get real soul food.”
IF YOU GO
Mo Gilligan, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14. $25. Atlanta Comedy Theater Underground, 50 Lower Alabama St. #4, Atlanta. showclix.com
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On “The Voice” Monday, 28-year-old Atlanta singer Ronnie Wilson confidently auditioned with a cover of Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” and convinced two coaches, John Legend and Reba McEntire, to turn their chairs.
Legend said Wilson “created moments by being creative with the melody. You made the song your own and made it a competition song by the way you did it.”
He bought Legend’s pitch and joined his team.
Wilson is the second Georgian to make it past the blind auditions this 25th season. Corey Curtis from Summerville is on Chance the Rapper’s team.
After Wilson’s performance, he told the coaches that he’s an full-time accountant. “People never expect it,” he said.
Legend told him, “I was a management consultant crunching numbers, making PowerPoint presentations. I know what it’s like to be in that 9 to 5.”
Wilson’s influences, he told Chance the Rapper, are gospel and country.
In an effort to woo him, McEntire said: “You have a quality in your voice that makes a person feel good. I’ve been in the business for 50 years. I can help you embellish and not change.”
It didn’t work. Wilson chose Legend.
The blind auditions are over. Next week, “The Voice” moves to the battle rounds to trim down the teams.
IF YOU WATCH
“The Voice,” 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC and streaming on Peacock
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