Mika (August 18, 1983) became one of the most iconic characters in Europe, with melodic, happy and extravagant songs. He blazed his own path to stardom and did it in style, showing the world that his destiny was to make music. This polyglot Lebanese teaches us the importance of staying true to ourselves and urges us to continue on our way. We invite you to learn more about this charismatic rebel in Mika’s net worth and biography.
Mika biography
Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr. – who would later be known worldwide as Mika – was born in Beirut (Lebanon) on August 28, 1983. He is the son of Michael Holbrook Penniman, a banker and diplomat of American origin, and of Joannie, of Maronite origin -Lebanese, who was dedicated to taking care of her five children. Despite being born in Beirut, Mika has no memories of this city, as it was soon left due to an armed conflict that was taking place in Lebanon.
After his arrival in Cyprus, his family decided to continue to Paris, where little Michael would live the first years of his childhood. Mika’s school life in elementary school was not easy at all, as she was constantly abused by her classmates. Michael’s entire school situation worsened when his parents tested him and found out that he was dyslexic.
When he was 10 years old, his parents decided to move the whole family to London, England, to seek a better quality of life. There, his mother Joannie decides to hire an opera teacher, named Alla Ardavok. He taught the young Lebanese man to sing and play the piano, who showed exceptional talent. At just 11 years old, Michael could already sing as a countertenor or sopranist and even sang opera solos at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Mika was chosen to sing in various opera productions, which made his love for the trade grow even more. As the years passed, the little sopranist’s voice changed a bit, but thanks to his effort and continuous study he was able to maintain his voice register, which allowed him to continue interpreting his favorite songs.
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Mika net worth
Mika was chosen as the most promising artist of the year 2008 from a list of 130 independent artists according to a poll conducted by the BBC. Mika net worth is about 13 million dollars. Mika has her own wax statue in the Musée de Grévin in Paris. The statue is dressed in a costume that he used in his presentations, which was donated by himself.
Mika, the digital rebel
It didn’t take long for Mika to decide that she wanted to pursue music. And even though he began studying economics at the London School of Economics, he soon left to pursue his true passion, for which he enrolled in music at the Royal College of Music in London. The young man’s studies paid off and he soon managed to play the piano to perfection, so he dedicated himself to producing advertising jingles to pay for his career.
While still studying at the Royal College of Music, Mika sent demos and recordings of the songs he had composed to different labels looking for an opportunity. However, he was always rejected because “his style was very similar to that of Freddy Mercury” or because his music was “excessively happy and melodic . “
Mika, inspired by the rejection of record labels and producers, created what would be his ticket to fame, the Grace Kelly theme. This topic was not aired by mainstream media but was uploaded to different internet platforms, such as MySpace. With this, Mika wanted to give a strong message to the labels: he would do things his way. Grace Kelly quickly reached more than half a million views, which caught the interest of Casanova Records.
Mika debuted in 2007 with the release of Grace Kelly’s official single, which would later be included on her first studio album, Life In Cartoon Motion, and would be released on the Island Records UK label. Grace Kelly was exceptionally successful, ranking number one on the UK charts and the Top 100 in America.
Recognitions of a rising star
Thanks to the massive success of his debut album, Mika was nominated for the 2007 World Music Awards in the Breakthrough Artist and Best-Selling Artist categories. He was the winner in both categories, which gave the artist significant recognition from those who had rejected him. His single Love Today was nominated for a Grammy the following year.
Also in 2008, together with Take That and Leona Lewis, he topped the list of nominations at the Brit Awards and was awarded as the best new live artist. In 2008 there was a concert that would be very important for his career, the Parc des Princes. This concert was completely prepared and set by Mika and her sister Yasmine, a prestigious fashion designer in France.
With the unique style that characterizes him, Mika released his second album in 2009, entitled The Boy Who Knew Too Much, which he said was inspired by an episode of the famous television series The Simpsons. In the following years, he dedicated himself to various things, including being the image of advertising campaigns for Hugo Boss and Coca-Cola, which chose him for his particular style, presence and popularity.
At the beginning of 2010, he announced a world tour, and a few months later he released a single entitled We Are Young. This was part of the soundtrack of the movie Kick-Ass. In 2012 his third album, The Origin of Love, was released, which consists of 12 songs that speak of love in its different facets. The first song on The Origin of Love was the song Elle me Dit, which is completely in French and became a hit in France and Europe.
Popular Song and Talent Shows
In 2013, Popular Song was released, a song that Mika sang with Ariana Grande. At that time the artist was not so recognized, but Mika saw something special in her, so he decided to invite her to collaborate with him. And boy was he right, since it became an immediate hit, with more than a million views in a few hours.
In 2013 Mika became very interested in talent shows, so he decided to work at X-Factor from Italy. The artist described this event as “a wonderful opportunity to discover and train the future of music.” He was so fascinated by these types of programs that he decided to participate in The Voice of France and remained in those programs for the following years.
Mika dedicated herself to training the new generations, but in addition to this, she focused her efforts on helping children with dyslexia in Italy. He also became a recognized defender of gender equality and free love by coming out openly homosexual. He even had his own television show which showed who Mika was and his daily life.
