Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight is a Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter who was born in Lebanon and is now based in London. Today's Out Spotlight is Mika.

Mika, was born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr., the third of five children born to a mother of Syrian / Lebanese heritage and an American father, on August 18 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon. War forced the family from Lebanon and they moved to Paris. It was in Paris that he wrote his first song, a piano instrumental called 'Angry'.

When Mica was nine years old, the family moved to London. Growing up he experienced being bullied and had problems with dyslexia. For a time he was home schooled by his mother.  He attended St Phillips School in Kensington, then Westminster School and the Royal College of Music. He left RCM to record his first album for Casablanca Records. Frustrated at people mispronouncing his name, he changed the 'c' to a 'k'.

Speaking French and Spanish fluently; in an interview in September 2009 with The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 Mika commented that he had taken Mandarin Chinese for 9 years but did not speak it very well but also mentioned that his three sisters did all speak it fluently.

As a child he was trained by Alla Ardakov (Ablaberdyeva), a Russian opera professional, and later attended the Royal College of Music in London. His debut radio appearance was on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 show in September 2006. He is rumored to have a vocal range of five octaves, but claims that it is actually closer to three and a half octaves.

Mika's public musical endeavours range from creating the music for an Orbit chewing gum jingle, to writing British Airways in-flight music and appearing at the Royal Opera House.

His debut TV appearances were on Later With Jools Holland and The Friday Night Project. In 2007 he topped the BBC News' influential Sounds of 2007 poll.

His debut single was a download / limited "7 vinyl release, 'Relax, Take It Easy'. The song was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 and was made Single of The Week by the station's DJ Scott Mills.

After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007.

The first single off the album  'Grace Kelly' reached number one in January 2007 and the next month, his album, Life In Cartoon Motion, produced by Greg Wells, was released. Reviews of the album drew comparison to a number of established artists such as Freddie Mercury, Elton John and Scissor Sisters. The artwork for the album was created by his sister, who works under the name Dawack.

Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit Award—winning Best British Breakthrough act, and receive a Grammy Award nomination.

In 2006, Mika started up his company, Dodgy Holiday Tours Limited. Two years later Mika released his second extended play, Songs for Sorrow, of which limited edition copies are now sold out worldwide. In 2009 Mika released his second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Finishing his worldwide tour, Mika recorded his third album, The Origin of Love, stating it would be "more simplistic pop, less layered than the last one". The album was released internationally on 16 September 2012 and in the UK on 8 October 2010.

Mika won three awards at the 2007 World Music awards: more than any other artist that year and the first artist to ever win three in one year. In February 2008 he played at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. That same month, he opened the 2008 BRIT Awards. He performed his own songs, 'Love Today' and 'Grace Kelly' as well as a duet with Beth Ditto, performing her band The Gossip's song 'Standing In The Way Of Control'

Mika denied allegations that he steered clear of sexual taboos in order to appeal to the US market, pointing to the song "Billy Brown", which is about a married man who has an affair with another man. He is quoted as saying, "If I was worried about sexual taboos I certainly wouldn't have made the record I made. It has nothing to do with that. It has more to do with self-respect." In an interview in Out magazine he stated that "there is a way of discussing sexuality without using labels."

In a September 2009 interview in Gay & Night he commented on his sexuality: "I've never ever labelled myself. But having said that; I've never limited my life, I've never limited who I sleep with... Call me whatever you want. Call me bisexual, if you need a term for me..." Later he stated in an interview with This Is London "I consider myself label-less because I could fall in love with anybody - literally - any type, any body. I'm not picky." In an August 2012 interview with the magazine Instinct, the singer confirmed that he is gay.

In March 2010 Mika was named in France a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters for services to music.