By ALESHA CAPONE
WITH her vibrant red hair, Deer Park’s Mimi Velevska stands out as a born entertainer.
“To become the performer I aspired to be, I envisioned a glamourous, red-haired diva,” she said.
“I envisaged if Tina Turner was the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I envisaged that and wanted to be that.”
At just 24 years old, Ms Velevska is already a singer, DJ, radio and television host, song-writer and music journalist.
At age 17, she was accepted into the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts to study jazz vocals.
“I heard it was hard to get into, but I thought I would just give it a go anyway,” Ms Velevska said.
Her Bonafide Electric EP was released last year.
She also hosts The Hoist on SYN 90.7 FM every week and is a presenter on Channel 31’s music show, 1700.
She has just wrapped up a residency at the Veludo in St Kilda and will DJ at a pre-concert party before Bon Jovi performs at Etihad Stadium in December.
The high-achiever even has her own small business, Bonafide Entertainment, singing with a band at corporate events, weddings and parties.
One Christmas event where Ms Velevska performed included Hollywood star Hugh Jackm and his actress wife Deborra-Lee Furness in the audience.
“He came up to me, kissed me on the check and said, ’I loved your music’,” Ms Velevska said.
The young all-rounder said she enjoyed her career as an “all-around entertainer”
“Performing is obviously my favourite, but I love pop culture and I love music and the local scene, going to shows, meeting people and different genres,” she said.
“At the end of the day, I said I would just love to be myself and get paid to do that.
“There’s no easy ticket to it and everything I’ve achieved nobody can take away from me”
See www.mimivelevska.com or www.bonafideentertainment.com.au for details.
