Noughties legend Mika has revealed he has secretly been working on new music, that is set to be released later this year.
The singer, 41, is returning for a third series of Channel 4 show The Piano on Sunday, alongside Claudia Winkleman and new mentor Jon Batiste.
And he explained that he was inspired by the talented amateur pianists and wrote the new record completely solo – the first time since his debut megahit album Life in Cartoon Motion in 2007.
Speaking to The Sun, Mika confirmed: ‘I do have new music coming this year. It’s a record that I’ve written completely on my own. I don’t know why I felt like I needed to do that. I haven’t since my first album.
‘So I’ve composed the entire thing at the piano, which I then sent over to people who kinda make psychedelic Ibiza music, and then finished it off after that.
‘What I ended up with was something that is completely euphoric and joyful and colourful and full of melodies.’
Noughties legend Mika has revealed he has secretly been working on new music, that is set to be released later this year (pictured in 2020)
The singer, 41, is returning for a third series of Channel 4 show The Piano on Sunday, alongside Claudia Winkleman and new mentor Jon Batiste (pictured together)
He explained that he was inspired by the talented pianists and wrote the new record completely solo – the first time since his debut megahit album Life in Cartoon Motion (pictured in 2015)
The Grace Kelly hitmaker’s last album was released in France in 2023, coming after his final English record My Name Is Michael Holbrook in 2019.
Explaining how seeing the best UK pianists on The Piano inspired him, he said: ‘I was like, ‘Actually, all you need is a piano and some ideas and then the rest, it’ll just explode’.’
The talent show puts a camera on amateur musicians, invited to perform on public street pianos at railway stations around the country.
However, the compeтιтive element is kept a secret from contestants with the judges lining the best performers up for a finale at the Royal Festival Hall.
Its debut was Channel 4’s best-rated new format since 2017, boasting 2.7 million viewers on average, with blind and autistic child Lucy Illingworth getting ‘performance of the night’ in an inspiring finale and going on to win the show.
The show went on to make a series two and a Christmas Special episode aired in December.
Discussing the show to the Mail’s Weekend magazine last year, Mika explained: ‘It isn’t a traditional talent show. If anything it’s the anti-talent show.
‘People don’t come on to seek fame and fortune, it’s not about becoming a star for 15 minutes or, ‘We’ll get you a record deal.’
The talent show puts a camera on amateur musicians, invited to perform on public street pianos at railway stations around the country (pictured with Jon on show)
‘And that opens the door to a whole other world of stories, people like Lucy who’d never dare present themselves on a conventional talent show. That’s what makes it so wonderful.’
While he explained the importance of the instrument to him, admitting: ‘I’ve been playing piano my whole life, but I don’t read music.
‘I play by ear, so I’m an example that you can play really simply, and it can change your life. I always say that the piano gave me my voice.’
Mika quickly became a household name after his debut album Life In Cartoon Motion sold an incredible six million copies and went straight to number one in the UK as well as 11 different countries in 2007.
The star became known for his catchy pop tunes and unmistakable falsetto tones and went on to release follow up album The Boy Who Knew Too Much in 2009, featuring hits We Are Golden and Blame It On The Girls.
