When Mike Yung signed to RCA aged 14, he counted the likes of Luther Vandross as label mates and it looked like he had a bright future ahead of him thanks to his velvety soul voice. Then the shit hit the fan, literally. He was transferred to the label T. Electric, which went bust soon after, and, for various financial and contractual issues, Yung was unable to get his tapes released, meaning his debut album remained under lock and key for the guts of 40 years.

With the soul era in its death throws Yung found himself busking on the New York underground; the general public still appreciative of his voice even if the record industry no longer was. Over the coming years, Yung would be attacked by gangs and stabbed around 9 times.

Then, one day, a talent scout for America’s Got Talent heard him sing on the underground and invited him to audition for the competition. Yung made it to the semi-finals in 2016 impressing international superstar DJ Martin Garrix in the process.

The pair hooked up for the track Dreamer, which has racked up over 15.5million streams on Spotify since its release in November, plus over 5 million more on various remixes. Yung’s story led fans to set up a GoFundMe page so he could realise his dream of releasing his debut album.

Two years on, Mike Yung is embarking on his debut European tour, with the release of his debut album on the horizon and a hit single 40 years in the making.

Mike Yung’s European Tour comes to Dublin at the start of February when he makes his Irish live debut in Whelan’s on February 4th. Tickets €18.74.