Mitch Santiago started young, and he knows it.

Growing up in Perth, he built his early career while most teenagers were still figuring out what they wanted to do after school. By the time he finished high school he had already toured nationally, supported The Dreggs across Australia, showcased at BIGSOUND and SXSW Sydney, and stepped onto the international stage with performances in the UK and Europe anchored by Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. Triple j supported his releases, Live Nation selected him for its “Ones To Watch” program, and audiences responded to the energy of a young artist clearly obsessed with making music.

But success didn’t answer the bigger question: who was he actually becoming?

Leaving school created space Mitch hadn’t had before. Without the structure of adolescence, he immersed himself completely in the process of writing, recording and producing. Over the next two years he stepped back from visibility and focused on craft — rebuilding his workflow, refining a studio he funded himself from years of busking and gig earnings, and recording dozens of songs in search of a voice that felt honest. The quieter period wasn’t about disappearing; it was about growing into the person behind the music.

That process led to Heathrow, a five-track EP written and performed entirely by Mitch and co-produced with Andy Lawson. It’s the first project he describes as feeling fully like his own — textured, exploratory and shaped by an increased focus on drums, synths and layered arrangements. The title track “Heathrow” and follow-up single “17” have introduced audiences to the new era, with further releases to follow as the full EP rolls out through 2026.

Live music remains central to how Mitch connects with people. In 2026 he expands his stage show with drummer Tex Holmes, bringing new weight and movement to performances that have always been driven by emotion and precision. The Heathrow release also marks his return to Europe, with showcases at The Great Escape in Brighton, Dot to Dot Festival in Bristol and Nottingham and Are You Listening Festival in Reading, alongside headline shows in the Netherlands and Germany.

Mitch still describes himself as a student of music first. Independent and self-producing, he continues to approach his career as a long process of learning rather than a finished arrival. Heathrow isn’t framed as a breakthrough moment — it’s simply the clearest snapshot yet of an artist becoming more comfortable in his own skin.

And for Mitch, that’s the part that matters.