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Mika Net Worth
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Mika full Biography
Michael Holbrook (Mika) is a Lebanese-American pop singer. Having first appeared on the music arena in 2006, the performer made a dizzying career, becoming the leader of the charts and the winner of a dozen prestigious awards.
Now the artist continues to delight fans with new music, is engaged in design, acts as a judge in the X Factor talent show, and also conducts concert activities and writes songs for colleagues in the workshop.
Childhood and youth
The biography of Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr. began on August 18, 1983 in the Lebanese capital.
The future singer became the third of five children born in the family of banker Michael Holbrook Penniman and fashion designer Mary Joan Muakad. As for nationality, the singer’s father is of American origin, and his mother has Syrian-Libyan roots.
When Mika was young, the family was forced to move from war-torn Lebanon to Paris. It was there that the boy wrote his first instrumental composition called Angry.
When Michael was eight, his father left for work in Kuwait, but was taken hostage in the American embassy, where he stayed for several months.
A year later, the Penniman family, having lost their homes due to the war, moved to permanent residence in London. There Mika began attending the French Lycée Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington, as well as the Royal College of Music in Westminster.
However, he had to quit his studies because of the bullying that the boy was subjected to by his classmates. At the age of 11, Michael suffered a nervous breakdown, and the mother decided to continue to educate her son at home.
Mike, as his mother called him, was hired by a Russian music teacher named Alla Ardakova (Ablaberdyeva), who helped him develop his vocal abilities. Mika soon performed the choral part of the opera by Johann Strauss at the Royal Opera House.
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Music
In 2006, Mika began his career by performing the first song Relax, Take It Easy, of which he was the author. The track gained a foothold on BBC Radio 1, and the young talented performer made a name for himself.
After recording his debut EP, Dodgy Holiday, Mika released his first full-length studio compilation, Life in Cartoon Motion. The compilation was released on February 5, 2007 by Island Records and was a success: sales exceeded 5.6 million copies worldwide.
The rising pop star was awarded the BRIT Award for Best British Breakthrough Performance and also received a Grammy nomination. Music critics, praising the album, put Mika on a par with Freddie Mercury , Robbie Williams , David Bowie and Elton John.
In 2009, Mika released an EP called Songs for Sorrow, which also sold like hot cakes in a limited edition. Four months later, the singer pleased a growing army of fans with a full-fledged release called The Boy Who Knew Too Much.
In support of the album, a world tour followed, and after its completion, Michael began recording the third studio album.
The Origin of Love compilation was released in 2012 and, compared to the previous ones, sounded less complicated, but, according to the musician, it turned out to be more serious.
To work on The Origin of Love, Mika attracted popular performers such as Pharrell Williams , Benny Benassi and others.
Following a tour to promote the release, the Beirut native announced his fourth album, which was released in June 2015 under the title No Place in Heaven.
Separately, it is worth noting the design activity of the singer. Together with his sister Yasmina, the musician has developed unique collections for the luxury brands of Swatch watches and Pilot pens.
In 2016, the performer launched his own comedy show on Italian television called Stasera Casa Mika. The project involved not only the stars of Italian show business, but also world-famous celebrities such as Sting, Australian Kylie Minogue, fetish model Dita Von Teese and others.
Also, the performer is regularly invited to take the jury chair in various vocal shows. The musician was a mentor for several seasons of the X Factor show, the French The Voice: la plus belle voix, where Michael’s ward Kenji Girac became the winner, and in the show The Voice. All Stars” on TF1.
Separately, it is worth noting that Mika is the artistic director of the Star Academy program broadcast in Canada.
The British musician’s fifth studio album was released in early October 2019. My Name Is Michael Holbrook turned out to be quite frank, and Mika went on a European tour to support the release.
Personal life
Details of the artist’s personal life remained a secret for a long time. The musician answered evasively to journalists’ questions about orientation, noting that he does not label himself and does not limit himself in choosing partners, hinting at his bisexuality.
A couple of years later, however, the singer specified his preferences by saying that he was gay.
In support of this, Michael stopped hiding the details of his private life and openly spoke about his long-term relationship with the director of documentaries and music videos Andreas Dermanis. Unlike the artist, Andy does not like to be in the spotlight, so little is known about him.
“My partner hates when I talk about him, you can say he is a country boy,” the singer shared in an interview.
Mika has a younger brother and three sisters. The eldest, Yasmin, works under the pseudonym DaWack as a designer and artist, it was she who drew the illustrations for the first two albums of her brother.
The musician is also attached to his dogs Mu and Sharky, photos of which regularly appear on his Instagram page. The British pop singer also opened an account on the popular youth platform TikTok.
Mika now
In 2022, Mika, together with the Italian singer Laura Pausini, became the host of the Eurovision 2022 international music contest.
The show took place during the May days in Turin and was broadcast around the world. It is worth recalling that Italy is hosting the event after Måneskin won the competition a year earlier with the song Zitti e Buoni.
“I believe in the ability to bring people together by breaking down the walls that separate us, to celebrate what we have in common as well as our differences!” Mika commented on his appointment.
Interesting Facts about Mika
- Mika’s father entered university at the age of 15 and knew seven languages. The artist like his father and, in addition to English, knows Spanish, Italian and French. In 2009, the singer revealed that he was learning Mandarin and had some Arabic.
- The British performer has British and US citizenship.
- Once, the musician had to perform from the top platform of the Eiffel Tower. This happened in 2019 during the celebration of the 130th anniversary of the building.
- For services to music, France in 2010 awarded Mika the Order of Arts and Letters.
