Dean O'Brien was born in Dunedin. After a varied career on radio and teaching English as a second language, he decided to follow his heart, creating fun music and stories under the name, Mr Yipadee. His mission is to encourage kids to laugh and believe in themselves. Living in the UK at the time, Mr Yipadee's debut album went to #1 on the UK Children's Music Charts. Since then, he has headlined the Kidz Field at the famous Glastonbury Music Festival. Now living back in the Antipodes, he loves spending time touring with his family between New Zealand, Australia and England.