Mika: Music saved me - june 4 2007
Mika has credited music for helping him to read and write again after a troubled childhood.
The flamboyant singer moved from a war-torn Beirut to London, England when he was a child, and his education soon began to suffer.

The Grace Kelly chart-topper told The Sun: "A hard time at school early on in London led me to forget how to read and write. But music helped me."

Mika moved to the UK when he was nine years old - and he has admitted that he was bullied at school and had problems with dyslexia.

The award-winning singer said it was his colourful nature that set him apart from his pals.

"I was a show-off as a kid. A bit weird. But I had that beaten out of me by everyone I was at school with."

He was later home-schooled by his mum - and began to explore music.

Mika to pen song for Westlife? - May 10 2007
Mika is apparently planning to pen Irish boy band Westlife a new track.

The flamboyant Grace Kelly singer, whose debut album hit the No 1 spot, is also secretly working on a number of tracks for other artists, reports the Daily Star.

A source said: "Mika had given pop a good kick-start again in the fun department and turned around many opinions that the scene had perhaps gone a little stale.

"Westlife have been around for nine years now and want to freshen up their sound so Mika is exactly the man to do that."

Westlife’s most recent record The Love Album included several covers and the group have reportedly admitted they were desperate for new ideas.

Band member Mark Feehily, 25, is quoted as saying: "Our preferred choice would’ve been to record a new studio album. Good pop doesn’t fall out of trees. Not many writers are writing for pop now."

Mika to support Take That? - Jan 26 2007
Comeback group Take That are reportedly lining up pop’s hot new talent Mika to support them on their forthcoming European tour.

Gary, Howard, Jason and Mark are apparently planning a string of shows that will match last year’s sold out UK tour - and they think the Beirut-born singer would be the perfect support slot.

The 23-year-old’s debut outing, Grace Kelly, bounced to the top of the charts on Sunday on the strength of downloads alone and is poised to stay at No 1 next week after the CD hits shops on Monday.

A spokesperson for the singer told The Sun: "There has been talk of Mika joining Take That on tour but nothing has been signed yet."

A source added: "Mika will be huge. All the great bands at the moment seem to be indie bands, which doesn’t fit with Take That, but Mika’s individual pop style is perfect."

Mika uses Freddie’s piano? - Jan 24 2007
Upcoming singer Mika apparently leapt at the chance to use music legend Freddie Mercury’s piano for a recording session.

The singer was so keen to use the ex-Queen frontman’s piano that he had it shipped in for the recording, reports the Daily Mirror.

A source said: "He heard there was a possibility of using the original instrument that Freddie wrote most of Queen’s classics on and he said that he’d move mountains to get his hands on it.

"Mika was adamant that if he was going to do a stripped-down, acoustic version of his song (Grace Kelly) he wanted to get inspiration from Freddie."

The piano, which is valued at almost £1 million, was taken out of secure storage for the track, which is being released on iTunes next Monday, according to the paper.