lollipop_monkey Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Star of wonder: Mika talks about his merry future Mika's future is so bright you've got to wear shades. Then again, with a wardrobe like his - not to mention the eye-opening backstory - you'll need them anyway... "I am very suspicious of people," Mika begins. He falls silent for a bit, replaying in his head some scene from his past. It's a habit of his. "I was always told I was ugly. I still think I am ugly. I know I've got an odd face and you can't tell me otherwise. It's the same with what I do. Part of me sees myself as talented, and the other part sees me as strange. Ideas get stuck in your head and nothing changes them. Not even fame." How screwed up do you have to be to be a pop star these days? At its most base end, the X Factor approach to stardom, you can't get anywhere without the X Combo: the suitably intriguing – yes, we're talking 'kooky' – personality and harrowing backstory. And that's ironic when it comes to Mika, because he has fabulous examples of both and still Simon Cowell turned him down (and perhaps just as well, considering how few of Cowell's music-hall acts have achieved a career of any longevity or credibility). Mika was born in Beirut in 1983, at the height of the Lebanese civil war. His family fled to London via Cyprus and Paris. Diagnosed dyslexic, considered autistic, certified obsessive compulsive (he still buys all his clothes in sets of three), he was bullied so completely he had a nervous breakdown. His father was taken hostage in Kuwait City by Saddam Hussein for his human shield; he was 'adopted' by a Russian opera star, accepted amid fierce competition by the Royal College of Music (despite not being able to read so much as a semi-quaver of sheet music), only to drop out, pursue a professional singing career and spend years wading through an ocean of rejection slips. And then he used one of those slips to finally make it. One particular record company executive was so disparaging that Mika wrote down his hurt feelings in a song, Grace Kelly, masking its meaning with upbeat melodies. The song went straight to No 1 in the UK for five weeks on the strength of downloads alone, and Mika became the biggest-selling new artist of 2007. A classic ugly duckling becomes swan story? Not quite. "Lots of people don't like me," Mika says. "Lots of people don't like my music. There's not a lot I can do about that." It would seem the bubbly onstage performer of cute hits such as Lollipop has major ghosts to slay. The story that emerges today is more of a revenge drama – and those don't always turn out too well. We meet on the set of a photo-shoot where Mika will leap around brightly in an approximation of his stage act. His arrival is preceded by the distinctly tall, dark and glamorous appearance of his two sisters, Yasmine and Paloma. Mika goes nowhere without them. "They always come with me to pick my clothes and fix me," he explains, following up the rear. "A stylist might say you look amazing in anything. Your family will always tell you if you look a complete idiot." Mika is also – like his sisters – very tall (he stands at 6ft 4in) and rake-thin in jeans and a vintage black overcoat. Rather than bouncy, he's initially slightly edgy and uncomfortable. It transpires he hasn't eaten for quite some time. He's nervous about having his photograph taken. He bends his head and upper torso to one side as he speaks, and occasionally stops altogether as if he expects you to start laughing at him. "I'm totally used to standing in an alien environment and having to deal with it. My first ever gig was in a side room at the Manumission club in Ibiza. I walked on to this tiny stage and it was empty, just a few blank faces staring at me. I'm so used to intimidation I just dealt with it and slowly the room started to fill. That to me was a bigger thrill than getting to No 1." More than any other pop star since, perhaps, Freddie Mercury, Mika is driven by a sense of difference. He always knew he was something special, and so did his peers – which was bad news for him. At the age of nine, he attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in London. Rather than hang out in jeans and cool, ripped T-shirts like his fellow students, Mika would turn up in bright red trousers and a bow tie. "Oh, my school days were a nightmare," he says. "It was as if all the kids could smell there was something different about me. I was bullied all the time. It was all psychological and name-calling, the usual weirdo stuff. "I was fatter then and they used to say I had child-bearing hips. That always stuck. Those are the scars you can inflict that don't ever show. The teachers were just as bad. They thought I was completely stupid. "A lot of kids end up pretending to be someone they are not. You can learn how to dress like everyone else and learn to talk about computer games and football and the sort of music other kids like. I did attempt to do that a couple of times, but I couldn't stand it. I couldn't change the way I was. It made me even more extreme." His family was put under pressure to have him diagnosed as autistic and tutored as a special-needs pupil, but his mother resisted. Parental support remains a crucial lifeline, with Mika explaining of his initial inhibition today, "I surround myself with my family and my oldest friends. I don't let new people in." For someone so painfully honest about his unhappiest experiences, Mika is evasive when it comes to his family. He describes his father's job as "something in finance", and is unwilling to talk about why he was in Kuwait shortly before the first Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein's regime kidnapped hundreds of foreigners and forcibly used them as human shields around factories and military installations. Mika's father was held for seven months before Saddam finally released the hostages under intense international pressure. "I was terrified about my dad. He was an American in Kuwait. We didn't know what was happening." That's all Mika will say on the matter – surely one of the formative experiences of his life. He returns to the subject of school, where the pressure of his dad's internment got too much for Mika. He stopped speaking, reading and writing altogether. "That was a very bad time," he says. "I can see how weird I was. One day I decided the school needed a Christmas tree and spent hours dragging this huge beast of a tree into school. No one was pleased. I got two weeks' detention because I was 45 minutes late and had made a big mess of leaves and soil all over the building. All the kids just laughed at me." Mika's mother, decisive as ever, pulled him out of school and encouraged him to sing, welcoming the Russian opera singer Alla Ardakov into their lives as his trainer. He'd escaped from the school environment, but a part of his personality, it seems clear, was scarred. "Even now if I was put back into that environment it would happen all over again. For the first few hours everyone would be happy for me and want to talk about my music. Then there would be the laughing. Then the jokes at my expense. Then the nasty comments." For all that this borders on camp self-obsession, there are thousands of people who relate directly to the way Mika grew up. "Generally, the people who like my music are the less conventional ones – the outsiders, the weirdos," he says. "It's amazing how many of us there are." Mika's fans arrive at his shows dressed up as the characters in his songs: pink and cutesy Lollipop girl, kipper-tied closet gay Billy Brown and Big Girl. A select few musicians are singled out as uniquely sensitive to their fans' needs, and Mika is one of them. Strangers give him presents. "I get amazing things from sketch books filled with their drawings to hand-made kimonos for my toys and this incredible embroidered shirt that I wear." His pursuit of recognition began in his teens when he was obsessively sending out tapes to every record company. A chance meeting with Simon Cowell when he was 16 looked promising. Cowell told him his songs were 'too strange' but thought his voice (Mika has a five-octave range) was good. "I kept calling him for months and months," says Mika. "He never called me back. He obviously didn't think I was worth it. I haven't seen him since I became successful. He probably doesn't care. That's fine. He just didn't get me." Mika believes that what happened to him at school helped him avoid the trap of becoming the sort of artist Cowell would like. "I pushed on doing my own thing and just went round to clubs and festivals and gathered a core of people who understood what I was doing. It got bigger and bigger, which is why I got to No 1 before anyone in the mainstream had really heard of me." Continues here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/live/live.html?in_article_id=504038&in_page_id=1889 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxLollypop_girlxx Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks for posting Very interesting to read He thinks he is ugly? No nonono "A stylist might say you look amazing in anything. Your family will always tell you if you look a complete idiot.":roftl: So true Sorry ,i have a habit of updating my posts alot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah_Lollipop Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 No way is he ugly!! Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanessa Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks for posting ! That picture is sweet ! Pink suits him as well ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greta Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Success firmly under his belt, Mika remains unwilling to conform to people's expectations of what a pop star should be, say or do. He avoids models and liggers, he doesn't do bling, he rarely appears in magazines and doesn't hang out with other musicians. He won't say whether he's gay or straight (Q: 'Are you gay or straight?' A: 'Boring!'). "I don't have anything flash," he insists. "I live in a flat and I spend most of my time working, drawing and writing songs (Mika is only able to write lyrics if he draws at the same time). "I would like to earn money. Making a lot of real money would be cool. I think I could handle being rich. I'd definitely find something interesting to spend the money on." Like a Ferrari? He looks stunned. "That wouldn't even occur to me," he says. Fame might prove to be Mika's biggest challenge so far. He's taken on the bullies, proved himself bigger, brighter and more successful than they could ever have imagined. But when Revenge Of The Nerd is the story of your life, what comes next? ..wanna see his draws! I remember a cute little bunny once in a jap interview.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Quoting myself because I'm THAT cool. "I was always told I was ugly. I still think I am ugly. I know I've got an odd face and you can't tell me otherwise. It's the same with what I do. Part of me sees myself as talented, and the other part sees me as strange. Ideas get stuck in your head and nothing changes them. Not even fame." An odd face? Who would have told him that? That makes me want to scoop him up and give him a hug. One day I decided the school needed a Christmas tree and spent hours dragging this huge beast of a tree into school. No one was pleased. I got two weeks' detention because I was 45 minutes late and had made a big mess of leaves and soil all over the building. All the kids just laughed at me." That's so freakin' cute that he did that, despite being punished for it. I can just imagine that scene playing out. I wonder if any of his schoolmates remember that. Mika's mother, decisive as ever, pulled him out of school and encouraged him to sing, welcoming the Russian opera singer Alla Ardakov into their lives as his trainer. Hi mom is a star. If Mika had been born to different parents, things would have turned out a lot differently for him. Hearing about this supportive, tight-knit family a world away brings tears to my eyes. "Generally, the people who like my music are the less conventional ones – the outsiders, the weirdos," he says. "It's amazing how many of us there are." LOL! Well said, Mika. *bows down* "I get amazing things from sketch books filled with their drawings to hand-made kimonos for my toys and this incredible embroidered shirt that I wear." Aww! That puts the "he's tired of gifts" argument to rest, I would say. Sigh. He's...I don't even have a word. Maybe someone else who speaks another language has the word. I'm going to go with Ichzenpfinkluhoji. That's my new word that I've coined to encompass all the adjectives that describe this boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlindee Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Whahaha those clothes:roftl: He thinks he's ugly? Love that Christmas tree part:roftl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotdlp Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 that was a great read, thanks for posting! and people have always told him he's ugly? he thinks he's ugly? boy haven't u seen yourself in the mirror lately? oh and that pic! seems like every colour suits him and its great the mentioned bout the fans' presents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjoshi Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 "I get amazing things from sketch books filled with their drawings to hand-made kimonos for my toys and this incredible embroidered shirt that I wear." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise_xx Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Mika is like, the opposite of ugly ! The christmas tree thing made me ( and my friend ) laugh So sweet of him:wink2: I would have loved to have him at my school!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thx very much for posting this, I loved reading it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sariflor Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thank you for posting, this interview is wonderful!!!!!! And he's damn right to wear pink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marleen Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 This article gave me a sad feeling. I hate it so much when people get bullied. And Mika is not ugly. He's so cute. That he dragged a Christmas tree to school is so sweet! Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonjourMika1990 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 What a sweeheart:wub2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonjourMika1990 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Well, atleast we know...again He loves our presents:mf_rosetinted: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaMariaPetra Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Great article, with a lot of new things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenie Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Interesting reading, seriously. About being ugly...I understand him so well. When you spend half of your life hearing you´re useless, ugly, sh*t..it´s quite difficult to think people can find you attractive, sexy or talented. Even sometimes you think they´re mocking at you when they´re saying good things about you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celesteee Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Awww thanks for posting! luv the article and the photo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinbabzz Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 he thinks he has an odd face? omg, poor lad! i just want to hug him and tell him he's the most beautiful boy in the world until he believes me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngievV Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I loved the interview but it's quite sad. I felt very sad while reading it anyway. And he's right, I think all of us, the fans, are outsiders. I think the real fans are anyway. Because there are many people who claim to be a 'fan' but only like him because of his looks (And believe me Mika, you look good!) I think all of us stand out from the crowd and most of us have been bullied, so we can connect to Mika in a way, that's why we like him so much. Because thanks to him we know that we can accomplish something and that we're not as useless as they say we are. At least that's how I feel about it:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Oh I loved this interview even though it gave me the "oh poor boy, c'mere I'll give you a great big hug" feeling again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Interesting reading, seriously. About being ugly...I understand him so well. When you spend half of your life hearing you´re useless, ugly, sh*t..it´s quite difficult to think people can find you attractive, sexy or talented. Even sometimes you think they´re mocking at you when they´re saying good things about you That's defintely true. I wonder if Mika was a bit skeptical when fans started following him around, going on about how attractive he is, and practically drooling on the floor. It sounds as though he sees the whole fame and success thing as a bubble that's just going to suddenly pop on him, and leave him as that lonely 10 year old boy who just wanted a Christmas tree at school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlindee Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Interesting reading, seriously. About being ugly...I understand him so well. When you spend half of your life hearing you´re useless, ugly, sh*t..it´s quite difficult to think people can find you attractive, sexy or talented. Even sometimes you think they´re mocking at you when they´re saying good things about you Yeah...I know how it feels too. I got bullie when i was like, 10 years old. I was really fat and they say I was ugly and stuff. A few guys actually beat me. I was really uninsecure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah_Lollipop Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Interesting reading, seriously. About being ugly...I understand him so well. When you spend half of your life hearing you´re useless, ugly, sh*t..it´s quite difficult to think people can find you attractive, sexy or talented. Even sometimes you think they´re mocking at you when they´re saying good things about you I know how that feels! I was bullied badly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I loved the interview but it's quite sad. I felt very sad while reading it anyway. And he's right, I think all of us, the fans, are outsiders. I think the real fans are anyway. Because there are many people who claim to be a 'fan' but only like him because of his looks (And believe me Mika, you look good!) I think all of us stand out from the crowd and most of us have been bullied, so we can connect to Mika in a way, that's why we like him so much. Because thanks to him we know that we can accomplish something and that we're not as useless as they say we are. At least that's how I feel about it:thumb_yello: Oh I loved this interview even though it gave me the "oh poor boy, c'mere I'll give you a great big hug" feeling again. I agree .. Don't know anything to add... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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