Daniel Harvey has come a long way since ending up homeless at age 11

With his twin brother, Andrew, he ended up sleeping outside – “by bakeries and chicken shops and in sand ditches in golf courses to stay warm” after “escaping violence and neglect at home”.

Then they both ended up in different (and numerous) foster care homes.

“Foster homes and refuges couldn’t take us both so we got split, then I lost all contact, and then I kind of accepted the fact that he was gone as well.”

At age 14, and after two-and-a-half years apart, they found each other again in the Blue Mountains.

“I’d been at the Springwood refuge for about three months and they said ‘someone new is coming tomorrow’ which wasn’t unusual, there were different kids coming all the time – and it was my brother.

“It was so cool to reconnect, we spent 11 months together at the refuge and it was amazing to be able to stay together longer.”

During his stays at refuges and foster homes (“most foster carers I thought were in it for the pay cheque”) caseworkers identified his love of music.

They sent him to a music camp through Musicians Making A Difference -  a charity that aims to transform young lives through music. That group eventually led to him getting his HSC and then into university.

In 2015, as hip hop artist D Minor, he represented Australia in Los Angeles in California, America and won a gold medal in the vocal rap category in the World Championship of Performing Arts. He has been invited back each year since.

Late last month he released his first song on all streaming platforms called Concrete Pillow about youth homelessness.

“It’s a personal song [about being] thrown from foster home to foster home, separated from my twin brother, expelled from traditional schooling and caught up in all sorts of survival trouble.

“I want to share to help bring awareness to a situation facing 100,000 Australians on any given night and to help inspire those experiencing hardship.”

Harvey’s song features pop singer Alli Simpson, who appeared on a reality TV show (Filthy Rich and Homeless) where she was forced to live on the street for 10 days.

Earlier this year the 23-year-old shared his story on ABC youth program Tonightly with Tom Ballard during youth homelessness week. He appeared on breakfast TV last week promoting the single.

All the proceeds from the single are going to Musicians Making A Difference.

“I want to give something back to them. I feel really good.”

Harvey’s brother is now in the army and they live together in Sydney. To watch the video go here: https://youtu.be/TRL0TdKv4JY