Born Name
Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr.
Nick Name
Mika, Mica
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality
Lebanese and English
Education
Mika went to the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. However, he was severely bullied there and at the age of 12, he was homeschooled by his mother for about six to eight months.
Then, he got enrolled at St Philip’s School in Kensington.
Later, he got admission at the Westminster School. Finally, he got enrolled at the Royal College of Music. However, he dropped out early to focus on his debut studio album.
Occupation
Singer and songwriter
Family
- Father – Michael Holbrook Penniman (Banker)
- Mother – Joannie Penniman (Ran a small fashion label)
- Siblings – Fortuné Penniman (Younger Brother), Yasmine Penniman (Sister) (Visual Artist and fashion designer), Zuleika Penniman (Sister), Paloma Penniman (Sister). Two of his sisters are older and one is younger.
- Others – William Frederick Penniman III (Paternal Grandfather), Dorothy Dyar (Paternal Grandmother), John Mouakad (Maternal Grandfather), Odette Farah (Maternal Grandmother)
Manager
Mika is represented by Machine Management.
Genre
Pop, rock, glam rock, new wave
Instruments
Vocals, piano, and keyboards
Labels
Casablanca, Republic Records, Universal Music Group
Build
Slim
Height
6 ft 3 in or 191 cm
Weight
87 kg or 192 lbs
Girlfriend / Boyfriend / Spouse
Mika has dated
- Katy Perry (2008) – Mika was reported to be going out with pop star Katy Perry in September 2008. They were pictured fooling around at the Serpentine Gallery’s summer party in London’s Hyde Park, which sparked these dating rumors. They even left the party together.
Race / Ethnicity
White
On his mother’s side, he has Lebanese ancestry, whereas, he is of American descent on his father’s side.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Gay
Distinctive Features
- Curly hair
- Tall and lanky body
Measurements
His body specifications may be –
- Chest – 41 in or 104 cm
- Arms / Biceps – 14 in or 35.5 cm
- Waist – 32 in or 81 cm
Shoe Size
Unknown
Brand Endorsements
Mika has appeared in a Peugeot commercial.
Religion
His religious views aren’t known publicly.
Best Known For
The commercial success of his studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, which went on to sell more than 8 million records. He also bagged a Grammy nomination for the album.
First Album
In February 2007, he released his debut studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion.
First Film
In 2013, Mika made his first film appearance in a minor role in French romantic movie, Obsessive Rhythms.
First TV Show
In 2007, Mika made his TV show debut on the music show, Vodafone TBA as himself.
Personal Trainer
Mika’s workout routine and diet plan aren’t available.
Mika Favorite Things
- Books – White Teeth by Zadie Smith, and Brick Lane by Monica Ali
- Songs – Everywhere (By Fleetwood Mac), Singing In The Rain (By Gene Kelly), Loser (By Beck), Don’t Wait Too Long (By Madeleine Peyroux), Iko Iko (By The Dixie Cups), Everybody’s Talkin’ (By Harry Nilsson), All Good Things (By Nelly Furtado), Missionary Man (By Eurythmics), Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (By Édith Piaf), This Song Has No Title (By Elton John)
Mika Facts
- When he was just one year old, his family had to leave Lebanon due to civil war. His family had to hide in their residential building’s basement due to shelling, which one day blew out the wall of his sister’s bedroom.
- When he was 9 years old, his family left Paris and moved to London. Paris had served as their second home for nearly 8 years.
- He was often expelled out of private schools while in London due to his family’s inability to pay fees on time due to dire financial conditions. However, they were against enrolling him in state school as they believed he would struggle there.
- While growing up, his nickname was Mica and he decided to replace ‘c’ with ‘k’ for his stage name as he believed all the lines and angles in his name were straight and sharp angles and letter ‘c’ was the weak link.
- For his demo, he had created a hand bound book with art in it. He had interviewed himself for the demo and had even got a photoshoot done for his demo.
- Apart from English, he can speak Spanish, French, and Italian fluently. He also has limited command over Arabic and Mandarin.
- In his teenage years, he also used to write what type of lighting would be at his shows along with his songs. He used to dance around in his room imagining him was on stage.
- In March 2010, the French government honored him with the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier (Knight)) for his achievement as a musician and singer.
- By the age of 7, he had written his first song, Angry, which was a piano instrumental.
- While growing up, he also took musical training from Alla Ardakov (Ablaberdyeva), who is a reputed Russian opera professional.
- In earlier several interviews, he had refused to put a label on his sexuality and even hinted at being bisexual in some of them. However, in an interview with Instinct magazine in August 2012, he finally came out as gay.
- Visit his official website @ mikasounds.com.
- Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube VEVO.
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