Mika

A singer and songwriter whose vibrant tunes elevated him from an outcast to a mainstream success, Mika channels the uplifting force of imagination through his colorful pop sound. The multi-octave range and classical training behind his voice, paired with sharp wordplay, shone through on the 2007 U.K. number one single "Grace Kelly," underscoring how music served as his sole lifeline amid a difficult childhood. Early releases such as the 2007 U.K. number one debut Life in Cartoon Motion and the 2009 Top 20 U.S. hit The Boy Who Knew Too Much illustrated the expansive way his work connected with both marginalized listeners and a broader public. Although later projects like 2019's My Name Is Michael Holbrook adopted a more grounded tone and 2023's French-language Que ta tête fleurisse toujours underscored his global reach, Mika's output retained traces of its signature imaginative quality.

Born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr. in Beirut to an American-Lebanese mother and American father, Mika relocated with his family to Paris at a young age. There he began piano lessons and composed his first song at seven. At nine the household moved to London, where repeated relocations, the hostage crisis involving his father at Kuwait's American Embassy, and schoolyard bullying left him silent for a period. At twelve he received homeschooling for six months, during which music became essential; he soon pursued structured training that encompassed vocal instruction from a professional Russian opera singer. Upon returning to school he led the choir at St. Philip's School in Kensington and performed at the Royal Opera House.

While enrolled at the Royal College of Music during his late teens and early twenties, Mika recorded with the Royal Opera House and composed a jingle for Orbit chewing gum. He left formal studies to focus on songwriting, drawing from free-spirited figures such as Prince and Harry Nilsson. His first single, "Relax, Take It Easy," surfaced in late 2006 alongside the Dodgy Holiday EP. The follow-up, "Grace Kelly," released in January 2007, reached number one on the U.K. singles chart. The full-length debut Life in Cartoon Motion arrived the next month on Casablanca Records, topping the U.K. album chart near the time of its March U.S. release. Mika subsequently received the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year, and a 2008 Grammy nomination for Best Dance Record for "Live Today," among additional honors.

Before his second album, Mika issued the limited-edition EP Songs for Sorrow, featuring artwork by several admired visual artists. For September 2009's The Boy Who Knew Too Much he worked in Los Angeles with producer Greg Wells, Imogen Heap, and Owen Pallett. The record's vivid take on teenage turmoil extended the success of Life in Cartoon Motion, hitting number one in France, number four in the U.K., and the Top 20 in the U.S. Its lead single "We Are Golden" also reached the U.K. Top Ten. Following the album's release Mika was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters in March 2010 and contributed "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" to the Kick-Ass soundtrack.

After extensive touring through 2010 and 2011, Mika pursued a more direct approach for his third album. Influenced by Daft Punk and Fleetwood Mac as well as a near-fatal accident involving his sister Paloma, October 2012's The Origin of Love included work with Wells, William Orbit, Benny Benassi, Pharrell Williams, and Nick Littlemore of Empire of the Sun. Another chart-topper in France, the album entered the Top Ten in Canada while reaching number 24 in the U.K. and 47 in the U.S. Around its release Mika publicly identified as gay. In 2013 he joined the judging panel for the seventh season of The X Factor Italy and released the Italian compilation Songbook, Vol. 1 late that year. The following year he also became a coach on The Voice France, remaining in the role for multiple seasons.

After the 2014 French-language hit "Boum Boum Boum," Mika delivered his fourth album, June 2015's No Place in Heaven, again produced with Wells and shaped by a more mature style rooted in '60s pop. The record achieved Top Five status in France, Italy, and Switzerland and reached number 19 in the U.K. That November he issued his first live album, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Despite continued success, doubts about the industry's commercial pressures prompted a pause after the supporting tour. In 2017 and 2018 he created and hosted the award-winning Italian variety program Stasera casa Mika while composing at a measured pace. This measured openness informed 2019's My Name Is Michael Holbrook, which sustained the grounded approach of No Place in Heaven while preserving flashes of Mika's characteristic whimsy. The album reached the Top Ten in Italy and France and number 57 on the U.K. Album charts. Mika promoted it with dates across Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, and between shows appeared on X Factor Italia and France's The Voice Kids. Early in 2020 the live album Live at Brooklyn Steel was released.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of numerous 2020 performances, Mika stayed active. He served as a judge on X Factor Italia and performed at I Love Beirut, a streamed concert benefiting the city after the August 2020 explosion. His involvement earned him Lebanon's Order of Merit. Late that year he hosted the charity concert "Do Re Mika Sol" and partnered with the Royal Opera of Versailles on a performance documented by the early 2021 release A l'opéra Royal De Versailles. During Pride Month 2021 he delivered a live-streamed set supporting Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. Later he resumed judging on X Factor Italia and played two concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris that aired on French and Italian television. In May 2022 Mika co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest with Laura Pausini and Alessandro Cattelan; during the finale he performed the darkly pulsing synth-pop single "Yo Yo." He resumed live activity with mid-year U.K. shows and European festival appearances, while releasing new material that included the June BabyK duet "Bolero" and "Who's Gonna Love Me Now?," featured in Billy Porter's directorial debut Anything's Possible.

In January 2023 Mika teamed with Vianney on the single "Keep It Simple," which they performed at Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes, a televised fundraiser for Paris' Hospital Foundation. The next month he made his film-scoring debut with Zodi et Téhu, frères du Désert, a project that also included South Africa's Nomfundo Moh among its 160 international contributors. Around the same time Mika joined the judging panel of the U.K. musical competition The Piano. After touring Asia, Europe, and the U.K. mid-year, he released his sixth album Que ta tête fleurisse toujours in December 2023. His first French-language full-length, titled after a phrase his mother (who died of brain cancer in 2021) often repeated during his upbringing, incorporated Europop elements and reached number five on the French charts. In 2024 he returned as a coach for the thirteenth season of The Voice France and launched the Apocalypse Calypso tour across Europe and the U.K.