Mikey Graham
Encyclopedia
Michael Graham - also known as Mikey Graham
- is an Irish
singer-songwriter
, actor
and music
producer
, best known as a member of pop
group Boyzone
, and in 2010 he was a contestant on Dancing on Ice
.
Sheila and carpenter
William, and raised on the Northside of Dublin with five older sisters and one older brother.
He attended Billie Barry Stage School in Dublin and started his life in the public eye at an early age, appearing in television adverts for Mikado biscuits and the Irish Electricity Board, T-Mobile. Like his bandmate Shane Lynch
, Graham had worked as a mechanic before finding fame as a singer; Lynch has stated in an interview that during the early days of Boyzone, he and Graham had a heated argument over exhaust pipes and did not speak to each other for fifteen years.
's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
". Although he was not chosen as part of the final line-up, manager Louis Walsh
changed his mind after firing two members for their lack of commitment.
Graham gained a reputation as 'the quiet one' in the band. However, despite their success, he felt that Boyzone's pop-styles did not give him a chance to expand his own musical taste which included rock
and folk
. ("Creatively and musically, what I wanted to do personally wasn't what was required for the band's product, so that suppression of what I wanted led to low self-esteem.") Following Boyzone's split in 2000, he sank into depression, but gradually recovered. During his break from Boyzone, he trained as an actor in America, and studied Music Technology and Sound Production after his solo career as a singer failed.
In 2007, Boyzone reunited, completed a 29-date reunion tour, and released their comeback single on 29 September 2008, Love You Anyway, which was followed by a Greatest Hits album entitiled Back Again... No Matter What released on 13 October 2008
, a low-budget cult film produced and set in Trim, Meath
.
Graham appeared in the 2008 low budget Irish feature film Situations Vacant written by Steve Murray and directed by Lisa Mulcahy who is best known for directing Irish Television drama The Clinic, and was also among the ten Irish actors who appeared on the RTÉ
reality show Hollywood Trials
On the BBC
TV programme Something For The Weekend
, Graham's bandmate Ronan Keating
let slip that Graham would be taking part in the fifth series of Dancing on Ice
, starting in January 2010. On the show he was paired with professional skater Melanie Lambert, but were voted off on March 7 in a skate-off with Daniella Westbrook and her partner Matt Gonzalez. On participating, Graham has described his training as therapy which has helped him come to terms with the death of his bandmate Stephen Gately
, who had participated in the show two years earlier.
In February 2010 it was announced that Graham would be participating in Eurosong 2010, Ireland's final to select their Eurovision Song Contest
entry. He performed the self-penned song "Baby,There's Nothing Wrong" on March 4 on RTÉ One, attempting to achieve an eighth victory for Ireland in the competition, but placed second, losing out to Eurovision 1993 winner Niamh Kavanagh
.
He'll play the role of Abanazar in Aladdin, which will run in the Gaiety Theatre over December 2010 - January 2011.
on 16 August 2004, and the couple have a daughter
together: Sienna Nicole (born 17 March 2006). Graham has another daughter, Hannah (born 30 April 1996) by his ex-girlfriend, Sharon Keane.
- is an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known as a member of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
, and in 2010 he was a contestant on Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
.
Early life
The youngest of seven children, Graham was born to housewifeHousewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
Sheila and carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
William, and raised on the Northside of Dublin with five older sisters and one older brother.
He attended Billie Barry Stage School in Dublin and started his life in the public eye at an early age, appearing in television adverts for Mikado biscuits and the Irish Electricity Board, T-Mobile. Like his bandmate Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and professional drift driver, best known for his distinctive body art, outlandish sense of style, and as a member of Boyzone...
, Graham had worked as a mechanic before finding fame as a singer; Lynch has stated in an interview that during the early days of Boyzone, he and Graham had a heated argument over exhaust pipes and did not speak to each other for fifteen years.
Boyzone
In 1993, Graham - who had previously been a member of the band Ivory - auditioned to be a member of a new boyband which would later be known as Boyzone, where he sang Meat LoafMeat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
Two out of Three Ain't Bad
"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a love song by the American musician Meat Loaf in his solo career, preceded by "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" and followed by "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". It is a track off his 1977 album Bat out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman. It reached #11 on...
". Although he was not chosen as part of the final line-up, manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
changed his mind after firing two members for their lack of commitment.
Graham gained a reputation as 'the quiet one' in the band. However, despite their success, he felt that Boyzone's pop-styles did not give him a chance to expand his own musical taste which included rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. ("Creatively and musically, what I wanted to do personally wasn't what was required for the band's product, so that suppression of what I wanted led to low self-esteem.") Following Boyzone's split in 2000, he sank into depression, but gradually recovered. During his break from Boyzone, he trained as an actor in America, and studied Music Technology and Sound Production after his solo career as a singer failed.
In 2007, Boyzone reunited, completed a 29-date reunion tour, and released their comeback single on 29 September 2008, Love You Anyway, which was followed by a Greatest Hits album entitiled Back Again... No Matter What released on 13 October 2008
Film, Panto and Television appearances
In 1998 Graham broke into acting when he played Mikey Oprano the leader of a drugs gang in the full length Irish martial arts film Fatal DeviationFatal Deviation
Fatal Deviation is a low-budget cult film produced and set in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. Produced in 1998, it enjoys the distinction of being Ireland's first full-length martial arts film. The film stars real-life martial arts enthusiast James Bennett. The movie went straight to video without a...
, a low-budget cult film produced and set in Trim, Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
Graham appeared in the 2008 low budget Irish feature film Situations Vacant written by Steve Murray and directed by Lisa Mulcahy who is best known for directing Irish Television drama The Clinic, and was also among the ten Irish actors who appeared on the RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
reality show Hollywood Trials
Hollywood Trials
Hollywood Trials was an observational documentary series which ran on RTÉ Two Ireland, in 2008.The series followed ten Irish actors trying to break into Hollywood...
On the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV programme Something For The Weekend
Something for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)
Something for the Weekend is a British television series, broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday mornings. It features cookery, drinks, interviews with celebrity guests and clips from the week's television, as well as classic clips in the 'Deja View' section...
, Graham's bandmate Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
let slip that Graham would be taking part in the fifth series of Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (UK)
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
, starting in January 2010. On the show he was paired with professional skater Melanie Lambert, but were voted off on March 7 in a skate-off with Daniella Westbrook and her partner Matt Gonzalez. On participating, Graham has described his training as therapy which has helped him come to terms with the death of his bandmate Stephen Gately
Stephen Gately
Stephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish pop singer–songwriter, actor, dancer, musician and author, who, with Ronan Keating, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom, their third being their most successful...
, who had participated in the show two years earlier.
In February 2010 it was announced that Graham would be participating in Eurosong 2010, Ireland's final to select their Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
entry. He performed the self-penned song "Baby,There's Nothing Wrong" on March 4 on RTÉ One, attempting to achieve an eighth victory for Ireland in the competition, but placed second, losing out to Eurovision 1993 winner Niamh Kavanagh
Niamh Kavanagh
Niamh Kavanagh is an Irish singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1993.Kavanagh is perhaps best known for winning Eurovision Song Contest 1993, held in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to clinch a second consecutive win for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest;...
.
He'll play the role of Abanazar in Aladdin, which will run in the Gaiety Theatre over December 2010 - January 2011.
Personal life
Graham and Karen Corradi marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
on 16 August 2004, and the couple have a daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
together: Sienna Nicole (born 17 March 2006). Graham has another daughter, Hannah (born 30 April 1996) by his ex-girlfriend, Sharon Keane.
Discography
- For Mikey Graham's releases with Boyzone, see Boyzone's discographyBoyzone discographyThe discography of Boyzone, an Irish boy band, contains four studio albums, five compilation albums, one singles box set, nineteen singles and ten video albums....
Albums
| Year | Information | UK Album Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 2001 in music See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band.... |
Meet Me Halfway
|
|
Singles
| Year | Single | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... Position |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "You're My Angel" | #13 | Meet Me Halfway |
| "If You'd Only... (Make Up Your Mind)" | — | ||
| 2001 | "You Could Be My Everything" | #62 | |