Mika overcomes setbacks to find his niche

[xlindee]

It's already a month old, an not much new, except for some little things he said himself, I think. I don't think this was ever posted before

 

Mika overcomes setbacks to find his niche

By Roman Gokhman, STAFF WRITER

Article Created: 02/06/2008 02:39:44 AM PST

 

 

DESPITE TAKING Europe by storm the last two years with an infectious mix of glam-pop — he went from singing radio jingles to selling out arenas, winning awards and being compared to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury — Mika isn't ready to let down his guard.

To know why, you need to grasp the background of the 24-year-old falsetto-singing songwriter. Born Mica Pennimann in Beirut, during Lebanon's civil war, he, his parents and three siblings were forced to flee from their home. At his London school, he was bullied to the point where he became despondent.

 

Singing was his release, and his four-octave voice made it clear to everyone that he had talent. Yet, he was unmarketable to record labels: They told him he was too different.

 

Eventually given control of his sound, Mika (pronounced "Meeka") has flourished. But the singer, who performs Tuesday at the Warfield in San Francisco, has no visions of grandeur.

 

"You have to evolve and learn and get better," he said in a recent interview from London, where he was preparing to perform at an awards show. "I certainly think I have a long way to go. I'm not going to let that scare me."

 

Mika was the third of four children born to a Lebanese mother and an American father. When he was 1, he and his family went to Paris to escape the civil war in Lebanon. When Mika was 9, financial problems forced them to move to London where his dad, a businessman, was offered a job.

 

"We needed to pay the bills and the only way to do that was if my dad got this job in the U.K.," he said.

That's where, according to many reports, the bullying began. Mika was an eccentric. He was also severely dyslexic. He reportedly suffered a breakdown and lost the will to read, write or speak for almost eight months.

 

Mika isn't comfortable talking about that experience these days.

 

"I had a hard time in school — I did not know how to deal with it and I was ashamed to tell anyone about it," he said. "I ended up retreating into myself and that led to me being thrown out of school."

 

His parents, who encouraged their children to appreciate the arts, signed him up for singing lessons with a Russian opera professional. By the time he was 11, he was regularly performing at the Royal Opera House in London.

 

"I needed something to give me purpose again," Mika said. "Music got me back on my feet, and I went back to school and did a lot better."

 

Mika's talent provided several opportunities. He needed cash and studio time to record demos. Companies wanted him singing their commercial jingles.

 

What that didn't get him was the record deal he sought. He continued to learn rejection at an early age. At 13, he was knocking on the doors of industry executives to show off his demo. One door belonged to Simon Cowell.

 

"He knew that I wasn't the type of artist he was looking for," Mika said. "I eventually realized that no one was the right person for me and I had to figure out what I wanted to do on my own. He was one of many I didn't end up working with."

 

The labels didn't get his breed of dance-pop, disco and glam-rock. They thought he was weird. The hang-up was Mika's refusal to become someone different.

 

He learned that lesson after signing with a label and turning in a set of songs. He was asked to go back to the drawing board and come up with some standard pop songs.

 

Instead, he quit the label and penned "Grace Kelly," the lead song for what would become his first album.

 

The song is a blunt refusal to the record label to be anyone other than himself. Over a sound fitted for Freddie Mercury and Queen, Mika sings, "Should I bend over?/Should I look older/just to be put on the shelf?"

 

With "Grace Kelly" and several other tunes in hand, Mika traveled to the United States in 2005, where he was "discovered" by the Universal-backed Casablanca Records.

 

The label gave him complete control over his music and his image — even letting him choose the Technicolor artwork for the album cover, which one of his sisters designed.

 

"Life in Cartoon Motion" was released in February 2007. The album blends dance tunes and witty, "unapologetic" stories of love, happiness and abandonment.

 

In "Billy Brown," a married man discovers he's gay. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" is a worthy ode to large women and Queen's "Fat-Bottomed Girls."

 

The album, which uses everything from full orchestration to children's choirs, quickly climbed to the top of the charts in several countries. It won awards overseas, and the single "Love Today" was nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording. He will find out if he wins on Sunday.

 

Mika is as taken aback as anyone by his quick ascent.

 

"I am pleasantly surprised and also kind of dubious about it," he said. "I have to be good at what I do and sustain in order to have as long a career as I possibly can. I don't feel like I'm getting the last word, but I feel like I'm quite far away from the things I was feeling when I was younger."

 

 

 

Reach Roman Gokhman at 925-847-2164 or at rgokhman@bayareanewsgroup.com.

[Milou]

apart from some little mistakes, it's a great article! Thanks for posting!

[xBillyBrownx]

i quite like that one! Thanks for posting

[IngievV]

Poor Fortuné, forgotton to be mentioned...

[greta]

t4p haven't read this before:thumb_yello:

[uhsofamous]

thanks for posting!!!!

[lcmlcm]

thanks ...and i start to miss him :crybaby:

*wait patiently for him penning new material*

[Louiza]

Very positive article!

Thanks for posting:thumb_yello:

[Mici]

Thanks for posting, good interview.

[Nâgö!]

thanks for article!