Mike Yung has been a viral sensation for years, catapulted to global fame for his extraordinary singing on the New York City subway.
He made the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent and this month reached even greater heights on stage at the Academy Awards, accepting an Oscar for The Singers.
Yet, for all his success, Yung is still chasing financial stability. The 66-year-old is living with one of his children in Brooklyn, though he remains sanguine.
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“I’ve been through ups and downs,” he said. “But, you know, I’m living. I’ve got family. I’ve got my kids, my brother. As far as the finance, it ain’t there yet.”
Yung may be the only one of this year’s winners who is unable to afford his own home.
He was born in Ocala, Florida, and moved to New York as a child. His great-aunt ran a church where singing was a requirement. “My brother’s a drummer and sings. My sister too. The whole family,” Yung said.
His talent was spotted early, but his path to fame would not run smoothly. By the age of 18, Yung had a record deal with the same label that released an Etta James album. However, it went bankrupt and Yung never got to release a record.
Even during the hardest times, he never lets events overwhelm him. “I’ve always been successful,” Yung said. “I just didn’t have the money.”
As a busker for more than 40 years he became part of the fabric of New York. His soulful baritone flowed through subway stations, giving commuters and tourists a daily lift. He enjoyed it as much as they did.
“Basically, what it is for a singer, you must have somewhere to sing, you know?” he said. “You bring smiles to people’s faces. People have a bad day and they come and hear me. It makes their day better.
“People come and they see for ten, 15, 20 years. You’re not a singer no more, you’re like family to them. It’s not panhandling. It’s bringing joy to people and they respect you.”
Yung performed all over Manhattan. He would usually spend a week in the same station to give commuters the chance to get to know him and his dulcet tones. By Friday, they would be ready to give him a generous tip. During the depths of winter, he would choose stations deep underground to shelter from the cold. “I was able to pay bills,” he said, when asked how lucrative it was.
In 2016 came Yung’s big break. Standing on a train platform in a polo shirt, jeans and a Brooklyn Nets cap, he was filmed belting out Unchained Melody, the American standard covered by the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
The video was viewed millions of times around the world. After decades on the fringes of the music industry, Yung seemed at last to be on the brink of success. He performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden and did well on America’s Got Talent.
Fame had little effect on Yung. “You have to just go with the flow, man,” he said.
Despite the promise of success, the momentum stalled. Yung lost his house after appearing on television and a record deal never materialised. He returned to the subway, then Sam A Davis, the director of The Singers, got in touch.
The short musical film, based loosely on a 19th-century Russian tale, features singers discovered through viral videos or street castings. Producers trawled bars around Los Angeles for amateurs who could bring authenticity to the project.
“We weren’t looking for traditional actors to fit predefined roles,” said David Breschel, a producer. “We were looking for people with lived-in stories, distinct voices and an emotional truth we could build the film around.
“We wanted the film to feel human and handmade, and it’s very much about finding diamonds in the rough. Bringing in first-time actors allowed us to fill the film with people who had something real to draw from, rather than something constructed.”
In the film down-on-their-luck drinkers perform an impromptu sing-off in a bar. Yung, playing the barman, delivers a show-stopping performance during the heartwarming finale.
The artist in him shone through, Breschel said. “During production, he shared that he had recently lost his wife and Sam asked if he would feel comfortable dedicating the song to her,” he said.
“Mike then opened up in a way that shaped the ending of the film. He gave us a photo of her and our art department created the drawing he sings to at the end based on that image. The emotion in that scene is coming from a real place. The love, heartbreak and vulnerability in that performance are true and entirely his own.”
After debuting at the South by Southwest film festival 12 months ago, The Singers was picked up by Netflix. So, Yung had another brush with viral fame, which carried him all the way to the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles.
The Singers won the award for best live action short film, which — in a rare moment in Oscars history — tied with Two People Exchanging Saliva. Yung joined the film’s producers on stage and held the award aloft.
He met many famous people on the night, though he is not sure who they were. “I’m not good with faces,” he said. However, Yung is sure about one of the celebrities — his fellow Brooklynite Spike Lee, the film-maker.
He has new music on the horizon and hopes for enduring success that will lead to financial stability. Whatever comes next, Yung will not allow himself to get too high or too low. His faith serves him well. “You never know what God has in store for you,” he said.
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