Step to the Mike: How Mike Minelli Uses His Passion To Give Others a Moment
January 6, 2026
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Mike Minelli, the star and visionary behind the viral social media series Step to the Mike, has carved out a unique space where undiscovered artists can shine. The man-on-the-street-style series features Minelli and a guest collaborating on an original song live on the streets of New York City. The Fallen Media-produced series has become wildly popular, with fans often coming up to Minelli singing those social-exclusive tracks.
Growing up with parents who were ballroom dancers, music called to Minelli at an early age. His first taste of performing came in fourth grade at a choir performance. His solo during a performance of the Jackson 5’s “ABC” was a moment that sparked a lifelong passion for music.
“I’ll never forget that rush,” Minelli recalled. “It was a feeling I’ve never been able to lose.”
First Steps
The concept for Step to the Mike happened almost by accident. While filming in Arizona, Minelli sang to strangers on a college campus, a nerve-wracking idea that turned into a revelation.
“I realized I could sing in public and not care what people thought,” he said. “I’m not nervous to sing in front of people and to feel like everyone’s looking. I remember in that moment being like, how do we make this happen on a grander scale?”
That moment sparked a series that now attracts artists from all over, eager to showcase their talent.
The New Yorker recounts the early “really guerrilla-style” days of Step to the Mike.
“[We would] post on Instagram and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be here at this time’ or ‘Who’s in this city, who wants to show up?’” he said.
While this style of filming brought genuineness, it soon grew into something that needed more structure.
“We didn’t love people waiting outside for hours,” he said. “We didn’t love the anxiety that it gave us.”
Unlike many polished, prerecorded shows, Step to the Mike prides itself on authenticity. Every performance is live, sometimes in harsh weather.
“There are very few artists today who can step into 12-degree weather in New York City and sing live,” Minelli said. “I know the artists that come in, and you could tell that they’ve put the time in to work on their craft and learn their voice and learn how to write and be professional.”
For Minelli, it starts with raw talent and dedication.
“I appreciate artists who put the time in to learn their voice and craft,” he said.
The unique spins on his music often leave him in awe, as he goes in blind to each performance to preserve the genuine emotion.
“That’s what I love the most, and to see their spin on my music,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, as a creative, when I sit down to write something, I write it a certain way, and then I see 10 other artists come in and write different variations. And a lot of times when I’m like, ‘Man, why didn’t I think of that?’”
One of those standout moments came via an artist named Kocky Ka, who stunned Minelli with a one-take performance.
“His voice was so unique, his cadences and melodies unlike anything I’ve heard,” he said.
Step to the Mike has become a viral tastemaker at the forefront of music discovery, which the chief social officer of Fallen Media, Rowan Winch, describes as a “very surreal experience.”
“Michael brought him out as a surprise guest for a performance he did in New York, and basically everyone in the audience knew Kocky Ka’s verse from the Step to the Mike video, and we never released that song on DSPs,” he said. “They literally just went on TikTok or Instagram and listened to it as if they were listening to another song.”
Minelli credits Winch and Fallen Media for their efforts in polishing the series and orchestrating the Herculean feat of connecting and booking the artists, saying of Winch: “We work very closely on how we want the show to be presented, how we want people to view me, and how we want the artists to be viewed when they come on there. At the end of the day, we want everyone to feel like they’re appreciated.”
“A lot of times we get these comments where it’s like, ‘Oh, this is staged. I can’t respect it.’ And it’s like staging has nothing to do with the amount of talent these artists have,” he said.
The Vision Ahead
Even with his success as a host and curator, Minelli remains an artist first. He dreams of creating that “career-defining” record that resonates globally.
“I know that record is in front of me,” he said.
When it comes, he envisions something groundbreaking: multiple versions of the song by undiscovered artists, potentially leading to chart-topping remixes.
“I think, to me, that’s my destiny,” he said. “That’s what I strive to do with this platform.”
Step to the Mike draws a wealth of talented artists, but for Minelli, his wish-list guests include Teddy Swims, Justin Bieber and one of his “top inspirations,” Bruno Mars. His shows begin with Mars’ music and end with Michael Jackson, a nod to his musical roots.
“Teddy Swims, he’s such a great dude, and I followed his career closely. I’m actually friends with him,” he said. “To get him to come and be on the platform, that would be like a full circle moment for me.”
More Than Music
Minelli is still growing to accept his role as a purveyor of culture and beacon of music discovery.
“At the end of the day, it’s an honor to be able to help people,” he said. “I’m somebody who has been working at this for so long and I so badly, at times, wanted a spotlight or a moment to shine or showcase my talent and my ability.
“The fact that I can give others their small piece of moment and hopefully that jumps into more, bigger moments, and to where they can look back and say, ‘Hey, Step to the Mike was the foundation of me getting the attention that I deserve.’ If people say that I’ve done my job, I’ve accomplished what I’ve set out to do.”
In Minelli’s eyes, success isn’t measured in dollars but in impact.
“If my music helps someone through a tough time, that’s success,” he said.
His journey hasn’t been easy, but his passion for music kept him going.
“No amount of money can fulfill that feeling,” he said.
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