Musician Mitch James talks with Kerre McIvor about his rise into the music scene in New Zealand.

The singer songwriter has risen from rock bottom, to this week release his self-titled debut album.

Escaping to the UK with a dream to make it as a musician, Mitch slept on the streets for seven weeks, played 230 gigs, he busked to get by, was beaten up and robbed.

He’s now one of New Zealand’s most popular artists, boasting over 30 million Spotify streams and was last year nominated for Best Pop Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards.

LISTEN TO MITCH JAMES TALK WITH KERRE MCIVOR ABOVE