Mikey Dam is a firm believer in fated flukes. The Hawera, New Zealand born singer/songwriter grew up with rapper aspirations, before accidentally finding his singing voice during a chance studio session three years ago. Now, Mikey crafts rich R&B music while still carrying a hip hop cadence in his magnetic delivery. He’s spent years carefully carving out his niche, and now he’s ready to share it with the world.

Mikey grew up in small-town Hawera with his grandmother, his childhood soundtracked with the old school classic she would play around the house. Later Mikey settled down in Palmerston North with his auntie, who’s partner introduced him to the rabbit hole of hip hop - instantly becoming drawn to early 2000’s rap pioneers including Twista, Ludacris and Lil Wayne. The music community in Palmerston North was limited, but Mikey surrounded himself with a group of artists who had their sights similarly set on breaking out of the small town. He spent a lot of time collaborating with fellow Palmerston North export and close friend Rory Noble in his early teens, before Noble would go on to produce for artists including Kings and Kanye West. Feeling a duty of loyalty to his hometown, Mikey says: “I always told myself I can’t leave Palmy until we’ve accomplished a certain point for our hometown. I feel like I’ve gotten to that point now.”

But getting to that point didn’t come without trials and tribulations. Mikey initially embarked on a move to the big city in 2017, but the transition to his new chapter in Auckland caused him to experience crippling anxiety. Fortunately, he was able to recognise an unhealthy environment early on and remove himself from the situation before it became too detrimental to his own wellbeing; moving back home to Palmerston North where he was diagnosed with clinical depression. Using songwriting as holistic self-medication, Mikey returned to Auckland the next year with a renewed perspective and refreshed determination to conquer a new city.

His track ‘Time’ was the #1 most viral song on the week of release and peaked #15 in NZ’s Hot #40 and was the #1 song from a NZ based artist. He co-wrote  ‘Not My Neighbour’ with Niko Walters, which was added to NZ radio and has steadily climbed the charts since. It was the #1 most shazamed song and is now certified Platinum in NZ. Mikey has cuts and co-writes with Niko Walters, LA Women, Lazy J, Adam Snow, Indyah, SWIDT, B Wise, Kaia Kingsley, Eleven7four, Rory Noble, CHAII, Stand Walker, Mitch James, Matthew Young, Melodownz, Will Singe and more. His single ‘Would You’ debuted at #20 on the HOT 40 singles chart, followed by his single “Life Feels Good” picking up A-rotation and a #1 on the NZ HOT 40 singles chart.

Mikey’s innate artistry is rooted in songwriting as a form of healing. Using music as a cathartic emotional cleanse, Mikey’s songwriting is transparent and vulnerable at its core, but just as quickly he can shift into the slick, smooth-talking wit and wordplay of his rap upbringing.  Already having amassed millions of streams on just a handful of releases including ‘Sonder’, ’Time’, and ‘Would You’, Mikey Dam’s contemporary R&B magic is not to be missed.