Mika often talked as I typed. Our personal communications were then shaped as a result of further verbal and written exchanges into many of the quotes that appear here without formal citation. In addition, Mika’s use of te reo Māori in his songs involves a degree of poetic licence, and has been left much as he originally arranged it to maintain consistency with his performances. The translations into English are somewhat literal without necessarily being lyrical, to evoke the meaning underlying the singing.
The images that appear here were collected by Mika from numerous sources: family photos, snapshots and selfies, show posters and professional photo shoots. Mika has a remarkable gift for remembering the faces in front of and behind the cameras. We have taken particular care to identify the photographers who worked with Mika to create so many fabulous images. There are, however, some names lost to time, for which we apologise.