Mika: I'm getting gay death threats

The 23-year-old singer, real name Mica Penniman, has told how he receives messages from people threatening to kill him over his sexuality.

Mika, who hails from Lebanon and shot to fame in January when his single Grace Kelly topped the charts - making him into an instant star - said: "I get hate messages all the time, a death threat.

"It was over whether I am gay or not. He wasn't happy that I won't talk about my personal life like that. Sometimes I think that I have made it, other times it is a bit worrying."

The star, who last month released his debut album, Life In Cartoon Motion, went to number one almost overnight. Like his single, it went straight to the top of the charts, and 500,000 copies have already shifted off the shelves.

Outgoing Mika's personality has had a lot to do with his success, but, he has so far refused to discuss his sexuality publicly. He recently said: "I never talk about anything to do with my sexuality, I don't think I need to. People ask me all the time.

"In order to survive I've shut up different parts of my life, and that's one of them, especially this early in my career, I don't really feel that it's necessary to know in terms of my music.

"Some people make records that are defined by their sexuality, but mine really are not. It does play a lot with campness. It has a theatricality to it. Why not? It's pop music.

"If you're 14-years-old and you're gay, well, just do whatever you want. I'm not confused and I don't have any barriers about the way I live my life. That's why I don't want to put it under the microscope."

Mika was the latest in a bunch of popettes who have burst onto the music scene courtesy of the internet. Like Arctic Monkeys, he leapt to fame through downloads.

He previously wrote inflight music for British Airways and performed at the Royal Opera House after training with a Russian opera professional.