Mikki Claver

Biography

Michael Claver Jr. (Chinese: 施英賢; born 13 February 2002), known professionally as Mikki Claver, is a Filipino-Chinese rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a member of the Filipino boy band BGYO. Alongside his work as a performer, Claver has contributed to BGYO's music as a songwriter and a composer, including "The Light", "Andito Lang", "Headlines", and "Fresh". In 2026, he wrote and co-produced the group's single "Fresh" with Darren Cashwell. Outside music, he has appeared in acting and fashion projects, including Cesca's 2023 music video for "What If" and .ARCHIVES' ARC 02: Digital Oasis runway show.

== Early life == Michael Claver Jr. was born on 13 February 2002 in Manila, Philippines. Before joining BGYO, Claver attended a Chinese school and was inspired by his brother's work as a disc jockey and his interest in music, which led him to compose songs and make rap beats despite having no performance experience. Claver completed senior high school under the Humanities and Social Sciences strand in 2024. During the graduation programme, he received a special citation award for Arts, Media and Entertainment.

== Career ==

=== 2018–2021: Star Hunt Academy and debut with BGYO ===

Claver was the last member introduced as a trainee under the Star Hunt Academy (SHA) programme. He was recruited as a rapper in 2018 and became part of the trainee group known as SHA Boys. He and the four other eventual BGYO members trained for two years under Filipino and South Korean mentors from MU Doctor Academy, vocal coach Kitchy Molina, and dance coach Mickey Perz. The trainees were publicly introduced during the pre-show of the Pinoy Big Brother: Otso Big Night on 3 August 2019. Claver debuted as a member of BGYO on 29 January 2021.

=== 2021–present: Songwriting, record production, and acting === In 2021, Claver began receiving songwriting credits with BGYO's debut single, "The Light". He also received a composition credit for "Runnin'", the group's collaboration with Keiko Necesario, and was credited as the lyricist and a co-composer of "Sabay". In 2022, he wrote "Laro" for BGYO's second studio album, Be Us. In 2023, Claver appeared opposite singer-songwriter Cesca in the short-film music video for her song "What If". Cesca described it as Claver's first feature centred primarily on acting and commended his performance in the video. The following year, Claver contributed to the High Street (Original Soundtrack), performing "Kalma Kahit Magulo - Reprise" alongside Maymay Entrata and fellow BGYO member Gelo Rivera. Also in 2024, he co-wrote "Andito Lang" with Christopher James Moore Lopez, professionally known as Moophs. In 2025, Claver received co-writing credits on "All These Ladies", "Dance With Me", and the title track of BGYO's EP Headlines. In December, he appeared as AJ McLean during fellow BGYO member Akira Morishita's Backstreet Boys-themed performance of "Last Christmas" on the fourth season of Your Face Sounds Familiar. In 2026, Claver wrote and co-produced BGYO's single "Fresh" with Darren Cashwell, marking the first BGYO release on which he was credited as both the sole writer and a co-producer. He also co-wrote "Forever Tonight" with fellow BGYO member Nate Porcalla and songwriters GG Ramirez, Dan Henig, Aaron Paris, and Pontus Kalm. That year, Claver and the other BGYO members appeared as themselves in the GMA musical drama Born to Shine, his first television acting project.

== Other ventures ==

=== Fashion === In a December 2022 interview with Teen Vogue, Claver's bandmates identified him as the BGYO member with the strongest fashion sensibility. Claver described his personal style as versatile and said that he experimented with women's clothing and other styles to develop his own look. In 2023, Mikki made his runway debut at .ARCHIVES' ARC 02: Digital Oasis fashion show. In April 2023, he was featured in Parcinq's "Electromagnetic" fashion editorial, which presented him in experimental summer streetwear.