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If you’ve traversed the city’s underground anytime over the past four decades, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered one subway stalwart: Mike Yung. The soulful singer says he’s been busking since the 1980s, making enough money to support himself and his family. Though he claims he signed a record deal with RCA at 14, and later with T-Electric before that label went bankrupt, he's never released an album. Now, the 58-year-old performer has launched a Kickstarter with the hope of raising enough funds to finally release a studio album.
The singer recorded his first solo track earlier this year, a ballad titled “Alright” that’s cut from the same cloth as hokey, quasi-inspiring numbers like “Stand by Me” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (It directly takes lyrics from the latter.) He’s currently looking to secure $75,000 in donations for his full-length album, and at the time this article was published he was well on his way with more than $22,000 already committed.
It’s unclear exactly how those funds will be put to use, but considering that Yung has spent the bulk of his life attempting to brighten the days of grizzled straphangers, a five-figure collection seems just.
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