Mikaela Dewar
Mikaela Dewar's voice has been described as "crystal clear, like a running river", and is delivered with a great sense of time and soul. Her original music fuses country and jazz, with a good measure of blues thrown in.
Mikaela was born and raised in Christchurch, on the east coast of New Zealand. She started playing the guitar at 7 years old and was playing gigs by 9. Mikaela was influenced early on by Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash & Emmylou Harris, and fell in love with James Taylor when she was 15. With these influences, plus her Dad's record collection consisting of The Beatles, Ray Charles, Simon & Garfunkel and Tony Joe White, and add to that her later influences unearthed in Texas: Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Gillian Welch and Nick Cave, it's little wonder the result is eclectic.
Mikaela was a Star Maker (Tamworth, Australia) Grand Finalist and New Zealand Gold Guitar Winner. She moved to Tamworth in 1999 and toured New South Wales with country bands Electric Barnyard and Heartland, with the former supporting Keith Urban. She moved to Levelland, Texas, to attend South Plains College in 2001, where she was the 2002 & 2003 South Plains College Female Songwriter of the Year. Mikaela then spent the next 5 years honing her craft in West Texas, regularly performing at The Mean Woman Grill, Hub City Brewery, The County Line and at the historic Cactus Theater, amongst others. While in Texas Mikaela supported Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines, Ian Moore and Fred Eaglesmith. She has played the Buddy Holly Music Festival, the Lubbock Arts Festival, 4th on Broadway, the Tamworth Country Music Festival (Australia) and the Christchurch Festival of Romance (New Zealand).
Mikaela's all-original debut album "Overdressed" showcases the great collaborative relationship she has with some incredibly talented young West Texas musicians.
Mikaela is currently based in London, where she is performing and writing for her next album.