Mika was originally named Michael Hall penniman1983, and was born in an American-Lebanese marriage family (American father and Lebanese mother) in Beirut, Lebanon. He moved to Paris with his family when he was a child. When he was 9 years old, his family settled in London. Because of the war, Mika's family had to take him away from Lebanon when he was very young. After that confusion and great change, Mika became very introverted and dropped out of school at the age of 9. It was from then on that he chose music to give him shelter. Mika's famous saying: "As I grow older, my musical taste is very eclectic now, but I will always look back at the great songwriters who used their talents to create great songs."