Mika was born in Beirut. He is the third of five children born to a Syrian mother and an American father. He moved to London when he was nine years old. He attended St. Philip’s School in Kensington, where he was the head of the Schola Cantorum (the St. Philip’s Choir). He later attended Westminster School and the Royal College of Music, which he left to record his debut album at Casablanca Records.
A fun fact about Mika is that he is in fact multi lingual, being fluent in French and Spanish. In an interview on September 29th 2009, with The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1, he commented that he had taken Mandarin Chinese for 9 years but did not speak it very well.
His music career took off in January 2007 when Universal Music released his single “Grace Kelly” for digital download on January 8th 2007. It reached number one the UK Singles Chart on January 21st 2007. His debut album “Life in Cartoon Motion” was released on February 5th 2007, went multi platinum in almost ten countries, and brought comparison with artists such as Freddie Mercury, Scissor Sisters, Elton John, Prince, Robbie Williams and David Bowie. Later that year he toured the United States, with support from Sara Bareilles and Natalia Lesz. The following year, he received a BRIT Award for Best British Breakthrough Artist.
His follow up album “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” released on September 21st 2009, featured the singled “We Are Golden” which peaked at #4 in the UK Singles Chart. “Rain” was the second UK and German single, released on November 23rd 2009. It was the first single to miss the top 40.
“The Origin of Love” was a worthy follow up making it to the top 20 of over ten countries. Mika claimed that the album’s music style would include influences from Daft Punk and Fleetwood Mac.
Eccentric, buoyant, technicolour popstar Mika is a consummate showman. He burst into our lives with “Grace Kelly”, a ridiculously infectious falsetto-slathered chunk of power-pop perfection, and has remained a modern glam-rock merchant ever since, reeling off ornate ditties like “We Are Golden”, “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)”, “Blame It On The Girls”, “Rain”, “Happy Ending” and “Lollipop”. Hooks galore, quirks by the bucketload and charm coming out the wazoo, there are few artists that are more entertaining to witness live. Known for frequently featuring a plethora of dancers, props, confetti cannons and bizarre constructions (such as enormous inflatable legs/feet), there's a Monty Python quality to his performances. He's not just there to reel off his songs and leave, he's there to provide a night of raucous, vaudevillian tomfoolery. An accomplished pianist, don't expect him to stand and sing – he frequently takes to his instrument of choice to tinkle. He also bounds around like a lithe puppy. Nowadays, you're more likely to catch him on the continent (his most recent album, Origin Of Love, featured songs in French, and is his third straight number one album in France), where he works on reality TV shows in Italy. However, should he make a grand return to the UK, be first in line for tickets – he's a performer you'll never forget.
The Feeling were amongst the leaders of the indie pop movement of the mid-2000s. Their soft rock tunes hence instantly transport many, like me, in their early twenties, back to their teenage years. You can imagine my excitement when I found out that they were touring again. My friends and I immediately booked tickets to see them in Liverpool.
The night kicked off with ‘Blue Murder’, a single from their latest album, ‘Boy Cried Wolf.’ On a darkened stage, illuminated by a single spot light, lead-singer Dan Gillespie-Sells generated hush amongst the previously screaming audience. And then the lights flashed on, the rest of the band appeared, and the guitars and drums jumped into life. Despite having faded slightly from the public glare, The Feeling clearly still enjoy considerable popularity, with crowd members singing along to their latest release.
But the audience really came to life with the next song. The crowd jumped and screamed as the familiar intro to ‘Fill My Little World’ echoed around the room. Soon everyone was singing along to the soft-rock tune and I got that teen-nostalgia trip I’d been searching for. A similar effect was achieved later in the show when The Feeling played their earliest hit. Possibly one of the most sickening (but obviously secretly loved by many) chart tunes ever, ‘People in Love’ often proves divisive. Not here though. The Feeling performed with such enthusiasm that even the greatest sceptics, dragged along by their less world-weary friends, threw themselves into singing along.
While it’s fair to say that I most enjoyed the romp through the indie pop classics of my teenage years, the Feeling also didn’t disappoint fans wishing to hear their new releases.