Born in Sweden to a Swedish father and Ethiopian mother, Sebastian Mikael grew up in a diverse household immersed in music, fashion and art. In 2008, he moved from Sweden to Los Angeles to attend the Musicians Institute before continuing his studies at Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music. While a student at Berklee, he was signed by Slip-N-Slide Records CEO Ted Lucas and in late 2011 he released his first mixtape, J'Adore, which received rave reviews from his steadily growing fan base.