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Aged 13, he sang for Diana Ross and introduced himself to Simon Cowell. He's been spoken of in the same breath as Prince, Freddie Mercury and George Michael. Oh, and his debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, shifted six million copies. Mika, the crown prince of pop, tells BRIAN BOYDabout his second coming

IT BEGAN with a pilgrimage. In Los Angeles to record his new album, Mika paid a visit to the United Western Recorders studio complex in Hollywood. The space has been used by Frank Sinatra and Phil Spector among others, but Mika was there for a very specific reason. "When I was 16, I drowned myself in the Pet Soundsalbum - I was obsessed with it to the detriment of my outside life," he says.