Mika (singer)

For the New Zealand Māori singer, see Mika X. For the Swiss train, see BLS RABe 528.

Mika
Mika at the London Roundhouse on 3 July 2022
Born
Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.

(1983-08-18) 18 August 1983 (age 41)
Beirut, Lebanon
Other namesMica
Mika Penniman
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Lebanon
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • actor
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
Years active2006–present
Labels
Websiteyomika.com

Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.[6][7] (born 18 August 1983), known professionally as Mika (/ˈmiːkə/ MEE-kə, stylised in all caps), is a singer-songwriter born in Beirut, Lebanon, and raised in Paris and London.

After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday, Mika was predicted to be the number-one breakthrough act of 2007 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2007.[8] Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. It sold more than 8.3 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit Award—Best British Breakthrough act—and receive a Grammy Award nomination.[9] He topped the UK Singles Chart in January 2007 with "Grace Kelly" and has since gone on to record four more platinum-selling studio albums (most recently My Name Is Michael Holbrook released in October 2019), as well as serve as judge/mentor on both the French version of The Voice and the Italian version of X Factor.

Mika also starred for two seasons in his own television variety show in Italy, Stasera Casa Mika [it], which won the 2017 Rose d'Or Award for Entertainment,[10] and has hosted his own BBC Radio 2 show, The Art of Song. In 2022, he co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest alongside Italian singer Laura Pausini and Italian television presenter Alessandro Cattelan.[11]

In addition to his musical career, Mika has worked as a visual artist and designer on various projects, among them sunglasses for the Italian eyewear company Lozza,[12] a clothing line for Belgian retailer JBC,[13] pens for the 100th anniversary of Pilot,[14] and (along with his sister Yasmine) three watches for Swiss company Swatch.[15]

  1. ^ Heather Phares. "Mika | Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Mika Returns: How the Glam-Pop Star Rejected Industry Standards to Make His Boldest Record Yet". Billboard. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Single Review: Mika – 'Talk About You' – Renowned For Sound". Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Artists". Universal Music. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Global Pop Phenomenon, MIKA, Releases Sophomore Album, We Are Golden, September 22" (Press release). Business Wire. 14 July 2009. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  6. ^ Pareles, Jon (31 March 2007). "A rising British pop star revives a Mercurial style". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
  7. ^ Cotton, Fearne; Adam Luck (28 September 2009). "Mika at Live Lounge". BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC 6231243 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Brit Awards 2008: The winners". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  10. ^ "How Mika sold 10m albums... then reinvented himself as an award-winning TV star". Music Business Worldwide. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  11. ^ Moore, Sam (3 February 2022). "Mika set to co-host Eurovision 2022". NME. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Otticanet Magazine – Lozza sunglasses: when the past comes back in fashion". Otticanet.com (in German). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Mika presents 'Grace Kelly' collection". vrtnws.be. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Pilot Pen celebrates 100 years with popstar Mika – Channel Info". Channelinfo.net. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  15. ^ "MUMU-CUCURRUCUCU – SUOZ210 – Swatch® United States". Swatch.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.