Known for his incredible vocal range and flamboyant persona, Mika is burning up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and proving that music can be a salvation. Mika was born one of the five children of an American banker and a Lebanese woman on August 18, 1983 in
Beirut, Lebanon under the name Michael Holbrook Penniman. As a child, he spent his early years in Paris, France before eventually settling in London, England. The target of bullying in school, Mika turned to music for solace and before long entered the Royal College of Music, soon after securing work a
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s a songwriter for advertising jingles during his mid-teens. Following this, it did not take long for him to land deals with both Casablanca Records and Universal Music, which lead to the launch of a limited 7"/download release titled "Relax, Take It Easy.” The song broke through on BBC Radio 1, but there was an even more overwhelming response to his second single—Grace Kelly—which was deemed “a Queen-ishly vivacious glam-rock stomp” and quickly became a smash hit in the U.K, hitting the top spot of the country's Singles Chart in less than two weeks. Rounding out his initial success, Mika’s debut album, "Life in Cartoon Motion," was then released in February 2007, through Universal's Island Records.
With Mika’s new success came even greater media attention and his name was immediately linked to famous musicians such as
Brian May from legendary rock band
Queen and
Madonna. He was a big winner at 2007 World Music Awards, taking as many as four titles, including Best Selling Pop/Rock Male Artist, Best Selling New Artist, Best Selling Male Entertainer, and Best Selling British Artist. Touring in the United States,
Canada and
Europe in the latter half of 2007, Mika built upon his popularity. He was the musical act for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 26, 2007 and February 14, 2008 and for Jimmy Kimmel Live on March 27, 2007. Mika has said in interviews that his songs are semi-autobiographical, dealing with the theme of transitioning from young person to adult in a very difficult world. In the song "
Billy Brown", for instance, Mika writes about a man who has a homosexual love affair in a poignant and moving away. No doubt Mika’s legions of fans applaud his honesty and ability to be vulnerable.
