Filipino drummer making it to the US indie music scene
Leah C. Salterio
Phisltar Global
11 August 2026
MANILA, Philippines — Uprooting to the US may be a dream for many Filipinos. More so, penetrating the US music scene is also a daunting thing to do. For drummer Mikee Colet, being in the American music scene happened slowly, more in little steps rather than one big decision.
She already finished college and graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she took up a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Psychology and Communications and a minor in English Literature.
“It started with going to Boston for a few weeks in 2016 for a summer program at Berklee College of Music,” Mikee told The Philippine STAR. “I was halfway through my Ateneo undergraduate at that time. I eventually auditioned for Berklee and returned to Boston to start another degree in 2018.”
“I wasn’t completely sure where I would end up going after my program, but I did end up getting asked to play drums on a few different tours as I was graduating, which was kind of a dream scenario at the time.”
Berklee opened Mikee’s world in a really big way. “I feel really inspired by so many people in my immediate community and the amazing things they’re able to do,” she said. “I will always look back on my time at Berklee as one of the most formative periods in my life.”
“I met so many musicians, professors and mentors who really helped affirm the direction I wanted to go in before I moved out to LA and helped me see how the things I loved in music mattered in a bigger way,” added she.
In her last year at Berklee, Mikee fortunately snatched her first professional experience as an intern with producer and composer Will Wells. “He had me as an assistant engineer on his projects with Cynthia Erivo (live performances from her debut album, ‘Ch. 1 Vs. 1’), Jasmine Cephas Jones (her album, ‘Phoenix,’ came out in 2024) and ESPN, where he composed and recorded music for the Sports Humanitarian Awards.”
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| Mikee on drums (behind) with Grace Ives in a New York tour |
“That whole experience gave me insight into the immense professionalism and skill that goes into these really big and polished projects. He went to Berklee before I did, and we had both chosen the exact same dual major in Music Production and Engineering and Film Scoring. It was so cool to see the big things he was creating in his career after having that foundation,” she shared.
What happened subsequently appeared to work positively for Mikee. She graduated magna cum laude from the prestigious Berklee College of Music as a dual major and scholarship recipient in Music Production and Engineering and Film Scoring.
Her first tour was with “amazing” artist Genevieve Stokes in 2022. “As for door-opening experience in a different direction, Genevieve’s producer and manager, Brian (Kierulf), found me as I was in the process of moving to LA, right after graduating from school,” Mikee granted. “At the time, I really wanted to try touring as a drummer, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to give it a chance.”
“It happened at the perfect moment and turned out to be a beautiful experience with great people. It has since led to being able to play more tours, so that first experience will forever be so memorable and special to me.”
After finishing graduate school, Mikee opted to spend her first year out of school focusing on touring and playing live shows. “It’s such a physical and in-person job to have,” Mikee said. “So, I found it best to stay in LA (Los Angeles), where so many shows and recording sessions happen. There’s a great community of some of the most skilled and driven people I’ve met.”
“I find that tours often tend to start and rehearse in LA, as well. I’ve since started working as an audio engineer, too, combining that with playing drums. So, the more people I meet and work with, the more it makes sense to continue to be based here at this point in my life.”
Her decision was surprising since playing drums was far from the major she took up in college. “While I was in Ateneo, I wanted to focus on getting a solid liberal arts education,” disclosed Mikee. “I loved the core philosophy and literature classes, and I found it exciting to go all the way into the academics without needing that to be related to music. But sometimes, I’d get to sign up for extension classes at the University of the Philippines (UP).”
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| Mikee at the ‘Primavera Sound’ in Barcelona, Spain that features Grace Ives |
“In those semesters when it did work out, I would go to UP between my Ateneo classes and take music courses at UP,” she recalled. “I split my time between doing the work for my Ateneo classes and practicing for recitals at UP. As I was nearing the end of my Ateneo life, I was realizing I still had so much I wanted to learn in music. It was a long process, but I then auditioned for Berklee College of Music and chose to start another undergraduate degree after graduating from Ateneo.”
Today, Mikee spends her time touring and recording as a drummer. Since 2022, she has played and toured internationally with artists in the indie pop scene such as Grace Ives, Dev Lemons, Sophie Truax, Devon Again and Genevieve Stokes, performing in prestigious rooms such as Hammerstein Ballroom, House of Blues, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Village Underground and major music festivals like “Primavera Sound” in Barcelona (Spain).
The last time Mikee was in Manila was from last December 2025 to early January this year. “I stayed as long as I could — over a month,” she shared. “I really missed my family and my friends. I also missed the food all the time.”
“I’m really lucky to have the community that I do at home, and I think it’s really special. I also find it so cool that Manila is so alive. It changes a bit every time I come back, and there’s always something new to see and try while I hang out with people I haven’t seen in a long time.”
Mikee has worked with more artists such as Elysia Biro, Sophia James, Wallice, Sophia Valdes, Yeemz, Joshua Bassett, Charlie Burg, Spill Tag, Dylan Mulvaney, G Luné, Dior Goodjohn, Presence, Charlie T, Petie, Jill Ryan, Beane, Saburnia, Menea, Maiden China, Jenna Doe, Henry Patterson, Matilda Marigolds, Ingrid Saga, Zoe Sparks, Younger Hunger, Ella Atkinson, Avan Aiida and Chloe Southern.
Back in 2023, Mikee played the drums in a 25-show US run with Lindsey Lomis, supporting Joshua Bassett “The Complicated” tour.
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| Mikee Colet performs for Devon Again |
As a musician with the perspective of an audio engineer and producer, Mikee has found a unique harmony with a wide range of artists and songwriters, always playing to serve the songs as a whole. She is valued for her feel and ability to support the vocalist/performer as the main priority while being able to cover a wide, dynamic range in any given set.
When not playing drums or on tour, Mikee, who’s now based in Los Angeles, is the in-house audio engineer and production manager for “Handmade Live,” a monthly showcase by the label Handmade Recordings in West Hollywood and a staple for the local music community in California.
Last February, Mikee played the drums in the eight-show “Surface Tension,” with singer-songwriter producer Dev Lemons. Back in January 2025, she was among those who headlined the seven-show “Strung Along” tour of singer-songwriter Sophie Truax. In October-November 2022, Mikee played for Genevieve Stokes as the opening act for Charlie Burg’s 17-performance “Infinitely Tall” tour.
From last April to June 2026, Mikee joined the “Girlfriend Tour” of Grace Ives that took the artist performing in a 32-show international tour across the US (Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sta. Ana, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Lawrence, Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland, Atlanta, Washington, Cambridge and Brooklyn), as well as in Canada (Vancouver, Alberta, Montreal, Toronto) and even in Europe (Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam and London).
This month and in September, Mikee will join upcoming festivals like “Outside Lands” with Grace Ives at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the eighth annual “Shadow of the City,” with Jack Antonoff and Bleachers at the Ashbury Park in New Jersey, “All Things Go” Music Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, Forest Hills Stadium in New York and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
In November, Mikee will be at Corona Capital with Grace Ives, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico.
“For the rest of the year, I’ll be playing some really special festivals and shows across North America with Grace Ives,” said Mikee. “I’m not sure how much I can say about what’s happening next year, but there’s more coming in 2027 that I’m so excited to share once it’s happening.”
