Mikey Graham was part of the 90s boyband Boyzone – one of the most successful Irish groups of all time.
Mikey, alongside the late Stephen Gately, Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch released five number one albums and sold 25 million records embedding themselves firmly in music history with hits such as No Matter What, Love Me For a Reason, and Picture of You.
The group will reunite for a two stadium shows next year, in what will be the band’s first performance together since a five-night run at the London Palladium in 2019.
Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch will take to the stage at Emirates Stadium on June 6 2026 for One For The Road: Live At Emirates Stadium London.
However, for the most part since Boyzone last parted ways, Mikey has taken a big step back from his public life for a more private existence.
Childhood
Mikey was born on 15 August 1972, and grew up in Raheny in County Dublin and is the youngest of seven children.
He was named Michael Christopher Charles Graham by his parents, housewife Sheila and carpenter William.
He got his start by attending the Billie Barry Stage School and working on television adverts for Mikado biscuits, the Irish Electricity Board and T-Mobile.
Boyzone career
Before debuting in Boyzone, Mikey had previously appeared in the line-up of another boyband called Ivory.
But it was with Boyzone that he enjoyed his big break. He auditioned with the song ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’ by Meat Loaf and wasn’t initially chosen as a member, until Louis Walsh later changed his mind.
The band was a major success with seven studio albums and nine compilation albums. They also had six UK No.1 singles and nine No.1 singles in Ireland.
Mikey admitted that it wasn’t the easiest experience for him, especially after he was replaced as the lead singer.
He had fronted the vocals of their first single ‘Working My Way Back To You’ but lead vocals were later given to Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately for their next release ‘Love Me For A Reason’, which became their first major hit.
“I was upset about it at the time, I tried to convey that but it fell upon deaf ears,” he shared in their Sky documentary series, Boyzone: No Matter What.
Mikey recalled looking out into the crowd and seeing just a handful of posters with his name on them, and not having his voice featured on one album. The whole experience affected his confidence and he began to retreat. He didn’t speak to manager Louis Walsh for seven years.
“It was a hard struggle for me through the years. My confidence that I had beforehand about music fell through the floor. It was a bit heartbreaking, I’ll be honest with you, when you see an audience full of posters for Stephen and Ronan and Shane and Keith.. and then you might see the odd one with Mikey.
“Remember, I was 21. As a kid that was tough, and Louis [Walsh] went from one day speaking with me to never speaking with me for seven years and I never knew why, I had absolutely no idea why. I just thought he didn’t like me.”
Alcohol became something he used to ‘get him through the years’ after feeling ‘hurt’.
He struggled with depression and anxiety, later telling the Irish Independent: “I just remember one day I cried and cried like I never had before and I just couldn’t stop.” He also suffered panic attacks, which he hadn’t experienced since childhood.
He opened up about feeling depressed and turning to alcohol during a point in his time with Boyzone.
He said: “I didn’t drink until I turned about 24 when I was introduced to Jack Daniels and Coca Cola and that became the thing that kind of got me through the next few years…the sadness, the disenchantment. I was very frustrated, angry, depressed and because of all of that I would withdraw from the band.”
It was being a father that stopped Mikey from leaving the band. He revealed: “I had a young daughter, so I had that responsibility, financially, to make sure that she and her mother were taken care of.”
Life After Boyzone
Today Mikey lives in a peaceful part of rural Ireland and leads a life far away from the world of showbiz.
Before stepping back from the spotlight he did make some solo appearances. He competed on Dancing On Ice in 2010 with professional skater Melanie Lambert and entered a competition to represent Ireland at Eurovision in 2010, but he just missed out to Eurovision 1993 winner Niamh Kavanagh. He also appeared on Ireland’s Celebrity Apprentice in 2013.
After the band’s first split in 2000, Mikey trained as an actor in America, and studied Music Technology and Sound Production, he is still involved in the music business and now works as a songwriter.
Although he has social media accounts, updates are few and far between. However, he recently took to social media to thank fans for their support and share how he was preparing for the upcoming Boyzone reunion, writing: “Hi guys. Hope you’re all well. Really looking forward to our shows in June at the emirates stadium. I can’t wait to perform hit after hit for you guys for 2 hours with all original vocals as you originally heard them on the records you bought .”
He also thanked fans for their support, admitting he had experienced a difficult few years, and was now on a weight loss journey, having already lost three stone in a bid to look and feel well ahead of the reunion.
“Thank you for all your kind comments. It’s been a very difficult last few years but that’s life and we all have our problems but I’m climbing back up the ladder of life”, he revealed.
“As you know I put on a lot of weight but I’ve lost 3 stone with the help of Mounjaro. To look my best for you on stage. I got caught out in that comfort eating situation. But that’s how things go. I’m only human after all. lol.”
Marriage
Mikey first met his ex-wife Karen in 1998 when she was a dancer on a Boyzone tour. The couple dated for several years before tying the knot in August 2004.
They kept their relationship away from the public for the most part, but they did make several red carpet appearances together over the years.
The Boyzone star and his wife privately divorced in April last year. Mikey confirmed the news on social media, writing: “Yes; In answer to some of the DM’s I have received, I divorced last April.”
Responding to a fan, he added: “Thank you. I’m very badly wounded at this point, but I won’t give up on love.”
Children
Mikey and Karen welcomed their first child together, daughter Sienna Nicole, in 2006. The singer also has a daughter, Hannah, from a previous relationship with former girlfriend Sharon Keane.
He became a grandfather for the first time in 2022 when Hannah, who was 25 years old at the time, welcomed her first child.
At the time, Mikey said: “Well guys hope your all doing well. Thankfully life has been nothing but wonderful to me the last three weeks since the birth of my absolutely stunningly beautiful granddaughter BONNIE. My eldest daughter Hannah brought her into the world on February 2nd & all is well.”
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