Mika Cole

Mika Cole ‘s ability to sing, play instruments, and write music are all no doubt inherited family traits as Mika, the eldest of four children, hails from a long line of singers, songwriters and incredibly talented musicians. Some say she started singing as soon as she could talk.

“My father is a Jazz musician and plays multiple instruments. My grandfather on my father’s side plays the guitar and both of his parents sing, though mostly in Spanish. Both my grandparents on my mother’s side sang as well. My grandmother was an opera singer in many plays, and my grandfather is also an opera singer, and an amazing piano player. His parents were also singers. They owned a bakery in Italy and would sing while you picked out your goods. I only wish I could have seen it! Both my brothers are also multitalented musicians. Some nights we would all sit in the living room and play music like the Partridge Family” she laughs.

Like her parents, grandparents, and other relatives, Mika too is a very talented musician. She plays acoustic guitar, piano, flute and congas. Mika says that ever since she can remember she’s always picked up an instrument and tried to play it.

Mika says that it wasn’t until high school that she became really interested in writing songs. She credits her mother with her skills as a songwriter. “My mother is the one who taught me music theory and how to structure a song. She would captivate me with the emotion she would put in a song. I wanted to write music that made people feel the way she made me feel” says Mika.

As for singing, Mika says that she’s always sung. As a child she says that she often sang on her father’s very own Jazz recordings.

In high school, Mika says that she often felt “a little out of place” when competing in school talent shows. She says that while other girls were singing songs by Whitney Houston and other popular artists, as she grew up listening to a lot of Jazz because of her father, she would often sing old Jazz classics like Summertime, and Autumn Leaves. “Nobody knew these songs, so I got made fun of a lot” says the southern California native, who now garners nothing but praise when she performs.

Mika says that despite her roots in Jazz, she grew up listening to all kinds of music. She counts Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt among her musical influences. Mika says that she also grew up “really admiring artists like Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLaughlin because of their ability to sing and play.” Today she says that she looks up to artists like Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, India.Arie, and John Mayer. “All of these people can hold their own, and you don't' exactly see them performing in their underwear” she laughs. “I respect these artists, and I would like to get that type of respect as a performer” she says.

When asked about her own style, Mika says “I would definitely say it sounds like a cross between Sheryl Crow, Christina (Aguilera) and Norah Jones. Sheryl because of that bluesy rock sound. She gets that because she's from the south. Though I am not, we share the same interests in Blues music, which is where Rock and Roll started from. Christina because we have similar vocal techniques. We both grew up listening to big voices like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, so you can hear the similarities in our vocal style. And Norah because of the Jazz influence in some of my songs. Having grown up listening to a lot of Jazz, Mika says that someday she would love to make a record of just old jazz classics. “I'm just all mixed up” laughs the southern California native who’s also written hooks for several rap and hip hop artists including one of rapper E-40’s cousins.

Mixed up or not, these days, people of all ages and from all walks of life are feelin’ Mika Cole. Her big vocals and range has her being compared to powerhouse vocalists like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Christina Aguilera.

In 2008, Music Connection magazine named Mika one of their “Top 25 New Music Reviews of the Year.” Last year, Cole also earned two 2008 Los Angeles Music Award nominations for her EP. One in the category of “Female Singer/Songwriter of the Year,” and the other in the category of “Best Pop Vocal, Male/Female” both for her song “I Do.”

For more on Mika Cole visit: www.myspace.com/mikacole