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MIKA
British-Lebanese singer (born 1983)
Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr., known professionally as Mika, is a Lebanese-British singer-songwriter based in Paris and London. Mika rose to prominence after the release of his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday (2006), which contained his debut single "Relax, Take It Easy".
The track was released in October 2006, and topped the charts throughout Europe. His first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion (2007), released on Island Records, was led by the single "Grace Kelly" which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks starting in January 2007.
The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. Life in Cartoon Motion helped Mika win a Brit Award in 2008 for Best British Breakthrough act, while its single "Love Today" was nominated for a Grammy Award.
labels: Casablanca Records, Island Records, Republic Records, Universal Music Group
genres: pop music, power pop, glam rock, alternative rock
awards: Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, NRJ Music Award for International Revelation of the Year, NRJ Music Award for International Male Artist of the Year
Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr. was born on 18 August 1983, in Beirut, the third of five children—he has two older sisters, Yasmine and Paloma, a younger sister Zuleika, and a younger brother, Fortuné. His parents are an American-born Lebanese-Syrian mother (Mary Joan "Joannie", née Mouakad, daughter of John Mouakad and Odette Farah) and an American father (Michael Holbrook Penniman, son of William Frederick Penniman III and Dorothy Dyar). Mika's father was a banker born in Jerusalem. His paternal grandfather William Frederick Penniman III was a diplomat. Mika's maternal grandfather John Mouakad was Syrian (from Damascus) and his maternal grandmother Odette Farah was Lebanese (from Beirut). He is also the second-nephew of writer William...
2011–2014: The Origin of Love, X Factor Italy and Songbook Vol.1
Before the release of his third album, Mika stated in numerous interviews that it would be more simplistic and less layered than The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Mika announced the title of the album, The Origin of Love in a French interview on 17 June 2011. Mika said he would include a number of French tracks on the album, and that the musical style was inspired by Daft Punk and Fleetwood Mac, while describing the project overall as less "childlike" and more "serious". The first single from the album,"Elle me dit", Mika's first French-language track, was released digitally on 1 July 2011. The video for the song was released 16 August, and features the French actress Fanny Ardant, along with a number of other well-known French actors and...
On 31 May 2019, Mika released the single "Ice Cream", and announced the title of his fifth studio album, My Name Is Michael Holbrook, and its release date of 4 October 2019. The album, described as "intensely personal" by a number of reviewers, contains elements of "disco-tinged exuberance" and "joyous pop" with "anthemic choruses and vocal harmonies". Several singles and accompanying videos were released in the months leading up to the debut of the album: "Tiny Love" (released as the second single on 16 August 2019), "Dear Jealousy", "Tomorrow", and "Sanremo" (released as the third single on 6 September 2019). My Name Is Michael Holbrook was promoted in September 2019 with the seven-date Tiny Love Tiny Tour at small venues in New York,...
Lebanese-British singer and songwriter, born 18 August 1983 in Beirut.
Better known as Mika (stylised as MIKA).
Also known as: M. H. Penniman, M. Penniman, M.H.Penniman, Mica Penniman, Michael H. Penniman
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
MIKA, the records, oldest first
Dodgy Holiday
2006 ep
Relax / Lollipop Bundle
2007 ep
Mika E.P.
2007 ep
Life in Cartoon Motion
2007 album
wanted
Songs for Sorrow
2009 ep
The Boy Who Knew Too Much
2009 album
The Origin of Love
2012 album
No Place in Heaven
2015 album
My Name Is Michael Holbrook
2019 album
Que ta tête fleurisse toujours
2023 album
Hyperlove
2026 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Grace Kelly" is a song by British singer Mika. It was released as the lead single from Mika's debut studio album Life in Cartoon Motion (2007) on 8 January 2007.
It was written by Mika alongside Jodi Marr, John Merchant and Dan Warner. The song was produced and mixed by Greg Wells.
Background and composition
Mika wrote the song after he felt frustrated with record label executives that wanted him to change his sound to fit the common pop mould. In the song, Mika points out how he can pretend to be anyone he likes to win approval – in this case the glamorous actress Grace Kelly. He wrote the song after the record company told him that they wanted to model his look and sound on Craig David, who was popular at the time in the UK. Mika rejected this idea and wrote "Grace Kelly" as a way of expressing his individuality. The song's melody is based on the aria "Largo al factotum", from the opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini. The song is in the key of G major throughout.
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares from AllMusic wrote a positive review for the song, stating that "Mika's singles are his most charming moments, including the instant sunshine of "Grace Kelly," which crams tap-dancing rhythms, filmic dialogue, Elton's pianos, Freddie's vocal harmonies, and Brian May's guitars into just over three minutes." Christian John Wikane from PopMatters wrote an extensive article about the comparisons between Mika and Freddie Mercury, writing that "he sounds a lot like Mercury and wears the influence like a badge of honor, even name-checking the late front man of Queen in the first verse. Mika vacillates between the affected theatricality of Mercury's full-throttled voice and his...
Live performances and covers
Top 50 contestant of American Idol Josiah Leming performed a rendition of the song in Hollywood for the judges, which received great praise.
Music video
The music video for the song "Grace Kelly" was directed by Sophie Muller and starred Mika and future singer Mae Muller, who is Sophie's niece. The video was filmed in early November 2006 and has been nominated for numerous worldwide awards. The instrumental introduction in the video is an extract of the acoustic version of the song found on certain releases of the album. The video premiered on MTV on 15 January 2007.
