MANILA, Philippines — For Filipino drummer Mikee Colet, building a career in the US music industry did not happen through one major leap. It unfolded through a series of opportunities that began while she was still a student in Manila.
Colet first traveled to Boston in 2016 for a summer program at Berklee College of Music while pursuing her undergraduate degree at Ateneo de Manila University.
She graduated from Ateneo with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, majoring in Psychology and Communications with a minor in English Literature. She later returned to Boston in 2018 after auditioning for Berklee and pursuing another undergraduate degree.
“I wasn’t completely sure where I would end up going after my program,” Colet told The Philippine STAR. “But I did end up getting asked to play drums on a few different tours as I was graduating, which was kind of a dream scenario at the time.”
At Berklee, Colet earned a magna cum laude degree as a dual major and scholarship recipient in Music Production and Engineering and Film Scoring.
She said the school exposed her to musicians, professors and mentors who helped shape her approach to music and gave her a broader view of what she could pursue professionally.
“I will always look back on my time at Berklee as one of the most formative periods in my life,” she said.
During her final year at Berklee, Colet gained her first professional experience as an intern and assistant engineer for producer and composer Will Wells. She worked on projects involving Cynthia Erivo, Jasmine Cephas Jones and ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Awards.
The experience gave Colet an inside look at the preparation and technical work required for major music and entertainment productions.
Wells had also attended Berklee and pursued the same dual major as Colet.
“It was so cool to see the big things he was creating in his career after having that foundation,” she said.
Colet began her professional touring career in 2022 with singer-songwriter Genevieve Stokes. Brian Kierulf, Stokes’ producer and manager, discovered Colet while she was preparing to move to Los Angeles.
“At the time, I really wanted to try touring as a drummer, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to give it a chance,” Colet said. “It happened at the perfect moment and turned out to be a beautiful experience with great people.”
That first tour opened opportunities for more live performances and eventually helped establish Colet in Los Angeles, where she now works as a drummer, audio engineer and production manager.
Since 2022, she has toured and recorded internationally with artists including Grace Ives, Dev Lemons, Sophie Truax, Devon Again and Stokes.
Her credits include performances at venues such as Hammerstein Ballroom, House of Blues, Music Hall of Williamsburg and Village Underground, as well as major festivals including Primavera Sound in Barcelona.
Colet also played drums during Lindsey Lomis’ 25-show US run supporting Joshua Bassett’s “The Complicated” tour in 2023.
More recently, she joined Grace Ives for the “Girlfriend Tour,” a 32-show international run across the United States, Canada and Europe from April through June 2026.
The tour included stops in cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and London.
Colet said her work as an audio engineer has complemented her career as a drummer because it allows her to understand the technical and musical sides of a production.
She now serves as the in-house audio engineer and production manager for Handmade Live, a monthly showcase organized by Handmade Recordings in West Hollywood.
Her path into music was not always obvious.
At Ateneo, Colet initially wanted a liberal arts education and focused on psychology, communications, literature and other academic subjects.
She also took music courses at the University of the Philippines when her schedule allowed.
“I split my time between doing the work for my Ateneo classes and practicing for recitals at UP,” she recalled.
As graduation approached, however, Colet realized she wanted to pursue music more seriously.
“It was a long process, but I then auditioned for Berklee College of Music and chose to start another undergraduate degree after graduating from Ateneo,” she said.
Colet now divides her time among touring, recording, audio engineering and production work.
She returned to Manila for more than a month from December 2025 to January 2026, spending time with family and friends and reconnecting with the city.
“I’m really lucky to have the community that I do at home, and I think it’s really special,” she said. “I also find it so cool that Manila is so alive.”
Her schedule remains busy for the rest of 2026. Colet is set to perform with Ives at festivals and shows across North America, including Outside Lands in San Francisco, Shadow of the City in New Jersey, All Things Go in Maryland, Forest Hills Stadium in New York and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
In November, she is scheduled to perform at Corona Capital at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
“For the rest of the year, I’ll be playing some really special festivals and shows across North America with Grace Ives,” Colet said. “I’m not sure how much I can say about what’s happening next year, but there’s more coming in 2027 that I’m so excited to share once it’s happening.”