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BIOGRAPHY

Mika
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP

Mika (real name Mica Penniman), born 18 August 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, is a London-based singer.

When Mika was a child his family was forced to leave war-torn Lebanon and moved to Paris, France. They moved to London when he was nine years old. In London, he attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, Westminster School and the Royal College of Music, from which he later dropped out to record his first album.

Coming from different background to most he found no place at school and delved into music from an early age. Mika started writing songs as a kid, not because of grand ambitions but because it was an easy way to tell a story, a joke and often the truth. Mika says, "Tell the truth in a song and people are less pissed off than if you were to say it to their face."

Mika was trained by a Russian opera professional and his public performances and jobs have varied from classical performances in the Royal Opera House, writing in-flight music for British Airways and creating an Orbit Chewing Gum jingle. He appeared on BBC Radio 1 in September 2006, and on The Friday Night Project on 19 January 2007.

"Life In Cartoon Motion" is his first record. It has a coming of age theme, and deals with his transition from childhood to now.

His first single was a limited 7"/download release called "Relax, Take It Easy" (2006), which features the melody of "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew. It was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, and was also made Record of the Week by DJ Scott Mills. The Dodgy Holiday EP is also available for download. His song "Billy Brown" was available for free download for a week from the iTunes Music Store.

Universal Music released his single "Grace Kelly" by digital download on 8 January 2007, and it reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on 21 January 2007.