OPEN MIKA SESSION (California Chronicle)

[Cassiopée]

OPEN MIKA SESSION ; Wandering pop star talks about his traumatic childhood years,homophobic abuse and dyslexia

By John Dingwall

 

As flamboyant male pop stars go, you would be hard pushed to find anyone who matches the colourful background of Mika.

 

Born in Beirut 26 years ago, Mika and his family were forced to flee Lebanon's civil war after their home was bombed.

 

They found a new life in Paris - where his parents realised he was dyslexic and unlikely to fit in with his peers.

 

And by the time he had relocated to London, aged nine, he'd grown used to the homophobic abuse that continued well into his teens.

 

Finally, Mika - born Michael Holbrook Penniman - realised the only chance he had of finding a way out of his torment was to invent an entirely new, outlandish persona. And it's one he admits some people still have a problem with.

 

The singer-songwriter revealed: "As a teenager, I got every type of abuse. It was mostly about the way I looked and a lot of it was homophobic.

 

"It was part of the fabric of my life and I braced myself for it leaving the house in the morning.

 

"I used to sit in the bath or shower and look at myself and think, 'Oh, God. I'm a weirdo. I'm a freak. How am I going to survive?' "I thought, 'I'll become an untouchable version of myself, then I'll be able to survive without being treated like s**tthe rest of my life'.

 

"I turned into an exaggerated version of myself, so bolshie that these people didn't need to criticise me because I wasn't competing with what they were trying to be.

 

"The logic was, if I differentiated myself from what they are, I wouldn't be a threat to their territory. I know that sounds slightly dour and animalistic but that's how I saw it as a kid - I still do, even now. In my head I still think the reason peopleattack you is because you're different or you're on their turf.

 

"I now live my life totally openly and unapologetically. But I don't divulge my private life and neither do I believe in labels.

 

"I could fall in love with anybody and have done in the past, so I don't operate from a position of fear. If I did, why would I write songs that discuss sexuality - probably more than any other artist in pop? "So much of what I do is based aroundidentity, sexuality and genderlessness. But I still get a hard time - especially in the UK."

 

Mika was just one when a bomb flattened much of his family's Beirut home. But, with help from the US Navy, his family fled to Paris.

 

He explained: "My parents were living in the middle of a 25- year, bloody and destructive civil war.

 

"They came home one night and one of the walls was missing from my sister's room.

 

"The American navy took us to Cyprus then on to Paris, where there was this transplanted community from Beirut."

 

Mika's seamstress mother quickly realised that effeminate Mika would be easy prey for bullies.

 

She enrolled him in a Russian music conservatory, where he studied opera and classical music - enduring daily piano lessons at a level normally reserved for child prodigies.

 

"She had this mother's sixth sense. She realised I was one of those kids who wouldn't necessarily have an easy time in real life," Mika said.

 

"I had a hard time at school. I would dress in very unique ways.

 

"My mother was a dressmaker so we were surrounded by thread. I used to pick out material and ask her to make me clothes.

 

"I really liked bow-ties and I'd wear them with matching shirts and trousers. I also liked to wear knee-high socks and knickerbockers until I was 10."

 

After almost a decade in the French capital, the family moved to London and Mika attended an exclusive French school - the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle, in Kensington.

 

"When I moved to London, I discovered I was dyslexic and couldn't even write down the name of my school," Mika recalled. "My parents moved me to the English schools system, which was more accepting of people with learning problems.

 

"I still don't know my times tables and can't spell. Luckily, I work in a visual language now."

 

However, Mika's other talents were recognised and he gained a place at London's Royal College of Music - where, to his horror, he saw a succession of young musicians' dreams crushed.

 

He said: "There was a floor at the college I used to call the Hall of Tears as every other day there would be at least one person crying there.

 

"They were having to face the fact their career wasn't going the way they wanted or face rejection. That's very tough.

 

"It made me more determined to find a different angle and compete in a singular and not traditional way. It's something I've taken with me into my career - whether my albums are selling well or not."

 

His first album, 2007's Life In Cartoon Motion, spawned a string of hits and sold 6.5million copies.

 

And last year's follow-up - The Boy Who Knew Too Much - has already sold more than a million.

 

He has a new single, Blame It On The Girls, released on February 15 and also features on the Hope For Haiti single, Everybody Hurts.

 

And he will go on the road this month - with a gig at Glasgow's O2 Academy on February 22.

 

"I always wanted to write honest music that is about me and nobody else," Mika explained. "Every time I tried to imitate anybody, I sounded like a clown, so I realised if I felt like a freak, at least melody could give me power.

 

"That's why I turned to pop. If you look at people who write pop music, a lot of those people are outsiders.

 

"I come from so many different places and I am very much an unofficial member of the UK. No matter what I do and how long I stay here, I'll always be a mixed breed mutt."

 

© 2010 Sunday Mail; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

[Lucrezia]

 

This interview is in part very sad...

 

I can understand how he felt when he was a kid...Unfortunately all over the world there is bullying and, more or less, everyone has had to overcome these moments... leave you a mark and it isn't easy to forget them...

[Mika_Addiction]

What a honest interview. I think it's so extremely sad how he felt when he was a kid. You should enjoy your childhood, and now all these other kids destroyed it a bit..

 

"I used to sit in the bath or shower and look at myself and think, 'Oh, God. I'm a weirdo. I'm a freak. How am I going to survive?' "I thought, 'I'll become an untouchable version of myself, then I'll be able to survive without being treated like s**tthe rest of my life'."

That is just so sad.

[Marilyn Mastin]

This really annoys me how the UK treat him as a outsider, and probably always will! He works damn hard and pays his taxes! what more do they want?

They couldn't get away with treating any other imigrant like they don't belong here! Why should they get away with it, when it comes to Mika?

The UK should be so proud of him!

[alice.loves.mika]

Thanks for posting, this is interesting.

 

[babspanky]

This really annoys me how the UK treat him as a outsider, and probably always will! He works damn hard and pays his taxes! what more do they want?

They couldn't get away with treating any other imigrant like they don't belong here! Why should they get away with it, when it comes to Mika?

The UK should be so proud of him!

 

According to this article he thinks the UK treat him as an outsider. He doesn't actually say he was persecuted for being an immigrant! Blimey.

 

Most people feel outsiders at some point in their lives, it's surely more to do with the way they feel themselves.

 

And hey ho another article! Good job I am not famous because I would have you all weeping, as I am sure would a lot of other people. We all have had our struggles. Not that I am unsympathetic at all to Mika, but he has been lucky enough to have his family around him.

[Marilyn Mastin]

According to this article he thinks the UK treat him as an outsider. He doesn't actually say he was persecuted for being an immigrant! Blimey.

 

Most people feel outsiders at some point in their lives, it's surely more to do with the way they feel themselves.

 

And hey ho another article! Good job I am not famous because I would have you all weeping, as I am sure would a lot of other people. We all have had our struggles. Not that I am unsympathetic at all to Mika, but he has been lucky enough to have his family around him.

No he's probly not persecuted, as such, but I really don't think the UK appreciates him as they ought to. Apparently, last time he was up for the Brit awards, I read, there was some flack on certain sites, saying that he's not British, so he shouldn't be up for Best Male. I don't know if it's different this time, it should be and I certainly hope it is!

[LadyJaneJJ]

"I used to sit in the bath or shower and look at myself and think, 'Oh, God. I'm a weirdo. I'm a freak. How am I going to survive?' "I thought, 'I'll become an untouchable version of myself, then I'll be able to survive without being treated like s**tthe rest of my life'.

 

.

 

Thank you for posting! litte bit sadness interview..

oh no mika..that's' NOT true. Why do you think about yourself ?

You have your own a huge priceless talent! you are legend to me.

[babspanky]

No he's probly not persecuted, as such, but I really don't think the UK appreciates him as they ought to. Apparently, last time he was up for the Brit awards, I read, there was some flack on certain sites, saying that he's not British, so he shouldn't be up for Best Male. I don't know if it's different this time, it should be and I certainly hope it is!

 

Well by that criteria, he wouldn't have won the last Brit he did and they would have had time to consider again and he wouldn't be nominated for this Brit.

 

People can say anything, it doesn't have to be true.

Some people read the Sun and think if it's in there it must be the truth!

[Christine]

I think Mika's "unaccepted in the UK" feeling is just part and parcel of his entire image since he came into the public eye and has been particularly pushing since this album came out. He's the one banging on and on about how he's not British. He didn't have to remind the press every single time he opens his mouth that he's not really English but instead a Lebanese-American who grew up in Paris and was rejected as soon as he set foot in the UK.

 

He is constantly telling the world that he is an outsider, so is it any wonder if the public views him that way?

[Sam7413]

That sucks how he feels he gets a hard time "especially" from the UK. And parts of that interview were sad...But I admire his honesty!

[babspanky]

I think Mika's "unaccepted in the UK" feeling is just part and parcel of his entire image since he came into the public eye and has been particularly pushing since this album came out. He's the one banging on and on about how he's not British. He didn't have to remind the press every single time he opens his mouth that he's not really English but instead a Lebanese-American who grew up in Paris and was rejected as soon as he set foot in the UK.

 

He is constantly telling the world that he is an outsider, so is it any wonder if the public views him that way?

 

I agree, and anyway, how actually is he not accepted in the UK? We were one of the countries that bought the most of his first album, he's had plenty of hit singles, he's invited on to tv shows, he's nominated for UK awards, I think all of his UK gigs are sold out. He pays UK taxes and has a UK passport.

[Jazzy]

I agree, and anyway, how actually is he not accepted in the UK? We were one of the countries that bought the most of his first album, he's had plenty of hit singles, he's invited on to tv shows, he's nominated for UK awards, I think all of his UK gigs are sold out. He pays UK taxes and has a UK passport.

 

I think it's more just that his culture and his behaviour is different to the typical English behaviour (not majorly, but certain aspects, I imagine) so everything is a little bit foreign here to him. I don't think he's been particularly pushed out by Brits, though this may be a hangover from his school days, particularly if his accent was all over the place when he was younger. Now it's settled down a bit and he just sounds like any other Londoner most of the time...though he does have that little quirk that makes me go all

[Soaring Simpson]

I agree, and anyway, how actually is he not accepted in the UK? We were one of the countries that bought the most of his first album, he's had plenty of hit singles, he's invited on to tv shows, he's nominated for UK awards, I think all of his UK gigs are sold out. He pays UK taxes and has a UK passport.

 

Quite- I don't think mika's making it up, but I think his problem's more like paranoia then persecution and is less to do with his birthplace the fact that he's very... original?/highly coloured?/plain weird (in the nicest possible way)? I don't think of him as foreign.

 

Mind, I've just discovered that someone I've known for about 5 years is not, in fact, from Redcar like everybody else, but from the slightly more distant Helsinki, so perhaps I'm not the best judge. She talks like Tiibet too- I thought that was just their character but I guess it's an accent

[babspanky]

I think it's more just that his culture and his behaviour is different to the typical English behaviour (not majorly, but certain aspects, I imagine) so everything is a little bit foreign here to him. I don't think he's been particularly pushed out by Brits, though this may be a hangover from his school days, particularly if his accent was all over the place when he was younger. Now it's settled down a bit and he just sounds like any other Londoner most of the time...though he does have that little quirk that makes me go all

 

I would agree with this. But it would also probably be true for half of the population of London.

[babspanky]

Quite- I don't think mika's making it up, but I think his problem's more like paranoia then persecution and is less to do with his birthplace the fact that he's very... original?/highly coloured?/plain weird (in the nicest possible way)? I don't think of him as foreign.

 

Mind, I've just discovered that someone I've known for about 5 years is not, in fact, from Redcar like everybody else, but from the slightly more distant Helsinki, so perhaps I'm not the best judge. She talks like Tiibet too- I thought that was just their character but I guess it's an accent

 

There you go! We Brits are so welcoming, we even fail to notice that people are foreign!

[violet_sky]

I would agree with this. But it would also probably be true for half of the population of London.

 

I love how London is an island on the island.

[Jazzy]

I would agree with this. But it would also probably be true for half of the population of London.

 

That is so true, but he probably doesn't see it like that. I think people like feeling victimised and alone to a certain extent. Not saying he's a drama queen or attention seeking, but people do like being singled out.

 

Like all teenagers think it's them against the world........er, no.

[babspanky]

That is so true, but he probably doesn't see it like that. I think people like feeling victimised and alone to a certain extent. Not saying he's a drama queen or attention seeking, but people do like being singled out.

 

Like all teenagers think it's them against the world........er, no.

 

Yes, you are right. We all like to think we are special or different in some way. But the truth is we aren't really. Everyone has these feelings and most people have had trials in their life, just not everyone talks about it.

[Christine]

Yes, you are right. We all like to think we are special or different in some way. But the truth is we aren't really. Everyone has these feelings and most people have had trials in their life, just not everyone talks about it.

 

And not everyone is charismatic and looking like a toddler with curls and dimples and talking about it in the media...so no one cares.

[babspanky]

And not everyone is charismatic and looking like a toddler with curls and dimples and talking about it in the media...so no one cares.

 

That is the sad truth. There are so many more deserving cases out there. But they are not all as cute as Mika.

[suzie]

Yes, many people have problems with being accepted at a young age or even later. Many of them get bullied and unfortunately not everyone can overcome this as successfully as Mika has.

I think this interview gives a rare glimpse into how he felt when he was young and his words sound more than simply sad. I find it bitter and even 'tragic' considering how young he was when he had these thoughts.

"I used to sit in the bath or shower and look at myself and think, 'Oh, God. I'm a weirdo. I'm a freak. How am I going to survive?' "I thought, 'I'll become an untouchable version of myself, then I'll be able to survive without being treated like s**tthe rest of my life'.

 

I think throughout in this interview he is mainly talking about being an outsider because of his looks / behaviour / way of thinking..etc. It has nothing to do with the fact that it happened in the UK. It is likely to have happened anywhere else. I think London is one of the most accepting places in the world and he even mentions how the English school system was much more tolerant about his learning difficulties.

 

PS: I think Mika not really being accepted in the current music scene in the UK has something to do with a kind of pop cultural snobism. He simply does not fit in with the trends in terms of both his looks and his music - it has nothing to do with him as a person.

[marian538]

Thanks for post. His childhood was horrible, peolple is so cruel when your different, you have to be boring, just like the others, then your life is easy, that sucks, I'm happy he have his family who support and share his dreams.

[Christine]

Suzie don't you think that's a bit of rewriting of history? I would be surprised if he had such fully formed thoughts about his circumstances at the age of 9. If he was so self-aware and fully cognizant of his differences and how to cope with them he probably wouldn't have had them in the first place.

 

I would imagine his coping mechanisms were kicking in subconsciously and it's only in analyzing it in retrospect as an adult that he realizes what he was doing. I can't imagine he was saying all that to himself at the time.

[suzie]

@Christine I think you are probably right.

I often start wondering about past events in my childhood and teenage life and realise how I interpret everything in a different way now. Only at this age do I realise how luckily I was in my 'blissful unaware' and I didn't take everything to heart that time..

 

PS: I still feel for him, though as he keeps analysing all this. His prescious soul is obviously scarred.