Ian Gabriel

Ian Gabriel (MIRAAGE) is both a professional Music Artist and a Motivational Speaker. Born and raised in Lexington, KY. The music has a Pop/Jazzy/Hip-Hop feel, spiced with horns and flow switches. This along with his voice creates beautiful soundscapes with soul and passion. MIRAAGE has been making music since he was very young and has been producing it professionally since 2010.

He debuted his first full length project, "Donuts & Coffee" in 2015 which is a tribute album to the late great James Dewitt Yancy AKA J Dilla. The album displays MIRAAGE'S lyrical prowess and complexity over the instrumentation provided by J Dilla's "Donuts" album. He continues to provide intricacy and yet stay simple enough to make sure the message connects with his audience. He brings back true soul music into an industry that is now so hard to find.

Ian is also an activist for foster youth and individuals with disabilities. He started speaking at different events/conferences at age 15. He uses humor and music to connect with youth, families, and professionals on various topics; Relating to his 13 years that he spent in the foster care system. Recently he gave a keynote for the 2nd time at the annual KECSAC con-ference (Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children) and has also spoken at several events nationally. He's also been involved with different organizations building the futures for youth: such as TAYLRD (Transition Age Youth Launching Realized Dreams), YMO (Youth MOVE Oregon), and NYTD (National Youth in Transition Database). He has used these experiences to develop himself into a messenger of hope- delivering a powerful, informative, and entertaining experience every time he grips a microphone.