CITY65 Music’s founder, Michael Spinks has lived in Singapore since 2005. In the beginning, himself a musician, frequenting regular open mic sessions, Mike started to recognize the quality of musicianship and an incredible opportunity for the musicians he was getting to know, to meet one another and create. He created a Facebook group called “Mike’s Musician Friends” to keep track of all of this burgeoning talent, to facilitate collaborations, and provide a platform for providing performance opportunities for this ever-growing community. From these humble beginnings, the Facebook group he created in 2013 now has over 800 members. Mike is a mentor and a champion of talented artists who are creating original music in Singapore. It seemed a logical next step to create a series of music events and an annual music festival dedicated to music created and performed by Singapore artists. The inaugural CITY65 Music Festival, in April 2017 featured 13 bands alternating between an intimate, acoustic, living-room setting and a full-on electric stage. All hosted within the fluorescent urban jungle of a spacious, off-the-beaten-track venue. This first endeavour was a success by all accounts and inspired the team behind it to roll out a series of events; intimate living-room sessions, pop-up gigs, wrapping things up with an annual all-out music festival.