Mikey McCleary
Michael McCleary is a New Zealand songwriter, composer and producer based in Mumbai. He is known for Khoya Khoya Chand and Hawa Hawai from Shaitan, Neend Na Mujhko Aaye and Eena Meena Deeka from Shaandaar, Fifi from Bombay Velvet, O Lal Meri / Mast Kalandar from David and Dhak Dhak from Nautanki Saala. He has also released an album of full-length versions of some of his most popular advertisement jingles called TV Dinners.
Also recorded as Michael McCleary
Mikey McCleary

BartenderMusic · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Mikey McCleary
- Born
- 8 January 1969
- Birthplace
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Occupation
- Songwriter, composer, performer, producer, director
- Birth Name
- Michael McCleary
- Nationality
- New Zealand
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Mikey McCleary. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
museum · ddf71a40-5148-4b8d-83d5-4f2fda23f431 · wikidata · Q16206106 · wikipedia · Mikey McCleary
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mikey McCleary • Born — 8 January 1969 • Birthplace — Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India • Origin — Auckland, New Zealand • Occupation — Songwriter, composer, performer, producer, director • Years Active — 1993–present • Website — mikeymccleary.com • Birth Name — Michael McCleary
Personal life
Personal life
Michael McCleary is a New Zealander who was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is married to writer and actress Diksha Basu.
Career
Career
McCleary began his career in the Indian industry with a collaboration with Lucky Ali. He was responsible for the music arrangement for the album Sunoh and several subsequent Lucky Ali albums and he has also worked regularly with A. R. Rahman. He composed & produced all the tracks and background music for the film Waiting. In 2015 he won the Best Composer Award for the film Margarita with a Straw at the Asian Film Awards. He also created the background score for Dibakar Banerjee's 2012 political thriller Shanghai as well as contributing music for several other films including Shaitan, Kahaani, Love Sex aur Dhokha, Shaandaar, Bombay Velvet and Chennai Express. He composed the background score and a few tracks for Bejoy Nambiar's second film, David and then turned into a full-fledged Bollywood music director for Rohan Sippy's 2013 film, Nautanki Saala. He also created the background score and one track for the 2014 film, Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Going by the stage name of The Bartender, McCleary has three albums released, Classic Bollywood: Shaken not Stirred (2011), B Seventy (2013) and Classic Bollywood with a Twist (2014). TV Dinners was McCleary's debut album of English songs. Featuring his own vocals on half the album, it also features the singers Anushka Manchanda, Shalmali Kholgade, Monica Dogra and Mauli Dave. Five music videos directed by him have been released for tracks from this album. In 2024, McCleary launched an all-girl Indian pop group, named W.i.S.H. The group consisted of Ri, Suchi, Zo and Sim. The group released its first song Lazeez on 1 March.
Music albums
Music albums
• Artist — Position — Album • Lucky Ali — Music Arrangement — * Sunoh * Sifar * Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai * Aks * Xsuie * Raasta Man • A. R. Rahman — Co-Producer — * Pray for Me Brother • The Bartender — Music Composer and producer — * Classic Bollywood: Shaken not Stirred • The Bartender — Music Composer and producer — * B Seventy • The Bartender — Music Composer and producer — * Classic Bollywood with a Twist • Mikey McCleary — Music Composer and producer — *TV Dinners
Films
• Year — Film — Position — Track • 2010 — It's a Wonderful Afterlife — Song composer — * Hai Mar Jawaan • Love Sex aur Dhokha — Arranger — * LSD Remix * Can't Hold it any Longer * Tu Gandi • 2011 — Shaitan — Music Revamped and Produced — * Khoya Khoya Chand * Hawa Hawai • 2012 — Shanghai — Background score composer • Kahaani — Arranger — * Piya tu Kaahe Rootha re • 2013 — David — * Music Composer * Music Revamped and Produced * Background score composer – Hindi and Tamil versions — * Out of Control * Mast Kalandar • Nautanki Saala — * Songs revamped and Produced * Song Composer * Background score composer — * Dhak Dhak * Mera mann Kehne Laga * Tu Hi Tu * Draamebaaz * Dil Ki... Toh Lag Gayi * So Gaya yeh Jahan * Saadi Galli Aaja (unplugged) • Chennai Express — * Song Composer — * Titli – Drum & Bass Remix • 2014 — Shaadi Ke Side Effects — * Song composer * Background score composer — * Ahista Ahista • Angry Young Man — * Song Composer — * Ek Wajah Do • Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi — * Song composer — * Chop Chop • Pizza — * Song composer — * Gimme Pizza! • 2015 — Bombay Velvet — *Songs revamped and Produced — * Mohobbat Buri Bimari * Fifi • Margarita with a Straw — * Song composer * Background score composer — * Foreign Balamwa * Choone Chali Aasman * I Need a Man • Shaandaar — *Music revamped and Produced — * Neend Na Mujhko aaye * Eena Meena Deeka • Waiting — * Song composer * Background score composer — * Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon * Zara Zara * Got My Eyes on You * Waiting For you • 2016 — Befikre — * Song producer with Vishal–Shekhar * Background score composer — * "Nashe Si Chadh Gayi" * "Ude Dil Befikre" * "Je T'aime" * "You & Me" * "Labon Ka Karobaar" * "Khulke Dulke" * "Love Is a Dare" (Instrumental) * "Nashe Si Chadh Gayi" (Remix) • 2018 — Blackmail — Background score composer along with Parth Parekh. • 2019 — Gully Boy — Song Composer — "Jeene Mein Aaye Maza" • The Sky Is Pink — Background score along with Pritam • 2022 — Phone Bhoot — Song Composer — "Phone Bhoot Theme" • Monica, O My Darling — Song Composer along with Achint Thakkar — "Yeh Ek Zindagi"
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Mikey McCleary
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q16206106: Mikey McCleary
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Mikey McCleary”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mikey McCleary, revision 1372543905 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.hidustantimes.com. Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt groove to Eena Meena Deeka in Shaandaar. 20 October 2015.
- 2.Indian Music Talks.
- 3.Meet music maverick Mikey McCleary. The Times of India. 22 February 2013.
- 4.Sonam Savlani. Now Playing: Mikey McCleary's The Bartender. Elle. 10 June 2014.
- 5.Ferreira, Verus. "Everyone can relate to the song sitting in front of the TV while eating a meal" Mikey McCleary. Musicunplugged.in. 27 June 2014.
- 6.Surekha Kadapa-Bose. Hearing it anew. Deccan Herald. 10 May 2015.
- 7.I'm not trying to be a popstar: Mikey McCleary. The Times of India. 25 July 2011.
- 8.radioandmusic.com. Mikey McCleary gets Best Composer award for 'Margarita, With a Straw' at Asian Film Awards.
- 9.Realbollywood.com. 'Shanghai' music rooted in Indian street music: Composer. 10 June 2012.
- 10.bollywodhungama.com. Mikey Mccleary: The man behind music of Nautanki Saala, 'Khoya Khoya Chand' remix. 8 May 2013.
- 11.Farhan has a unique voice: Mikey McCleary. Deccan Chronicle. 23 March 2014.
- 12.Sonali Shenoy. Mikey and the Jingle Factory. The New Indian Express. 25 June 2014.
- 13.Musicunplugged.in. Mikey McCleary debuts his new album 'TV Dinners'. 15 June 2014.
- 14.Mikey McCleary's project W.I.S.H set to bring new pop star energy to India. The Times of India. 2024-02-29. 0971-8257.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Mikey McClearyMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q16206106: Mikey McClearyWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
44,023 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Mike ZwerinPerson
- Mikel ErentxunPerson
- Mikel KoliqiPerson
- Mikel LaboaPerson
- Mikey WelshPerson
- Mikhail AlperinPerson
- Mikhail AzanchevskyPerson
- Mikhail BukinikPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Mikey McCleary?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.