From Kuala Lumpur Street Kid to Malaysian Star

Michael Lean, known as Kael, is a Malaysian singer and actor. According to the New Straits Times in September 2025, he was abandoned by his parents at about the age of eight and lived on the streets of Kuala Lumpur for roughly a year. The article notes that both of his parents were later in rehabilitation for serious illnesses.

The year on the streets taught him to survive hunger; he says he tasted hunger and learned to rely on his survival instincts. At about nine, a kindly woman found him and took him home. Her family took good care of him and later found him a place in an orphanage in Ampang, Selangor, where he grew up. He says he was relieved to have a good roof over his head. He longed to find his parents, and his foster family and the orphanage helped him locate them. Both were unwell and in care. He did not spend much time with them, but says he made his peace with them. He says he wanted to make them proud and to inspire orphans and abandoned children, and that the hardships made him tougher and pushed him to aim high.

He went on to study at a private college and earned a diploma in psychology. After graduating he worked behind the scenes on the crews of dramas and films, learning the industry from the inside.

About twelve years before the interview, he decided to become a singer and actor. He has appeared in dramas and films, including Suamiku Lelaki Pendosa and Marrak, and works as a recording artist and creative director as well.

His latest single, Angkasa, released in 2025, is his fourth song under Alternate Records, a pop ballad made with the composer Omar K. His dream is to become a producer, and he says singing lets him express his innermost feelings. The newspaper presents his story as that of a street kid who became a star.