Mika Newton
Mika Newton Мiка Ньютон | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Oksana Stefanivna Grytsay |
| Born | March 5, 1986 |
| Origin | Burshtyn, Ukraine |
| Genres | Pop, soul, pop rock, Eurodance, Europop |
| Occupation(s) | singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Chris Saavedra (m. 2018) |
| Website | www.mikanewton.com |
Oksana Stefanivna Grytsay (Ukrainian: Оксана Стефанівна Грицай; born on March 5, 1986), known professionally as Mika Newton (Ukrainian: Міка Ньютон),[1] is a Ukrainian singer and actress from the city of Burshtyn. Born and raised in Ukraine, the singer currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Early life
Oksana Stefanivna Grytsay was born on March 5, 1986, in the western Ukraine city of Burshtyn. Newton's stage name comes from Mika, a derivative of Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger's first name, and Newton is an abbreviation of the words "new tone".
Newton taught herself to sing at an early age by imitating famous artists she heard on the radio. She began begging her mother to invite friends over so she could have an audience to perform in front of. By the age of nine, she was already entering regional voice competitions.
Music career
Newton decided to pursue singing after watching a video of Michael Jackson performing "Earth Song", and at the age of 16, Newton moved from her hometown of Burshtyn to Kyiv, where she enrolled in the College of Circus and Variety Arts, studying voice, piano, acting, dance and pantomime. She also continued to compete in both local and international talent competitions, taking first place in nearly every one of them. This led to Newton gaining the attention of music industry professionals, and at the age of 16, she was signed with Kyiv-based record label Falyosa Family Factory.
2011: Performance at Eurovision 2011
Newton was chosen to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011[2] in Düsseldorf, Germany singing Ruslan Kvinta and Maryna Skomorohova's "Angel".
The final national selection of participants from Ukraine for Eurovision song contest aired live on First National Television Channel. There were 19 participants. The winner was determined by SMS votes (45% of the vote), Internet voting (10%), and jury votes (45%). The greatest number of points was received by Newton. Zlata Ognevich took the second place and Jamala took the third place.
In the Eurovision final on May 14, 2011, Newton finished fourth with 159 points, behind the entries from Azerbaijan (the winner with 221 points), Italy and Sweden. During her performance, she was accompanied by sand-artist Kseniya Simonova, the 2009 winner of Ukraine's Got Talent.
2012: Breakthrough with Don't Dumb Me Down
Newton released two albums and provided theme songs for a number of popular Ukrainian and Russian films and television shows prior to Eurovision 2011, which piqued the interest of JK Music Group. They invited Mika to Los Angeles to record for two weeks with songwriter Walter Afanasieff. During her visit, Mika also had the opportunity to perform in front of producer Randy Jackson.
Mika Newton signed a contract with JK Music Group and Randy Jackson's Friendship Collective after finishing 4th in Eurovision 2011. She relocated to Los Angeles in June 2011 to pursue a career as a pop-rock singer in the United States.
On February 21, 2012, Mika released her debut American single, "Don't Dumb Me Down." Directed by Marc Klasfeld, who has worked with the likes of Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, and Jay-Z, the video premiered on MTV's Buzzworthy and came in the top 5 highest rated, most viewed, most shared videos of the week on their official website.
Newton also captured the attention of the Chinese media while promoting "Don't Dumb Me Down", and travelled to make a guest appearance on "Maoren Queen," a reality show similar to "The Hills," in March 2012.
2013: Come Out and Play and Magnets
Newton released her new single "Come Out and Play" in 2012, which was remixed by DJ/Producer Paul Oakenfold. Newton and Oakenfold gave an exclusive performance at the Winter Music Conference 2012 to promote the new remix. In April 2013, Mika began performing acoustic shows throughout Los Angeles.
Newton's new music video for "Magnets" (co-written by Newton and songwriters Rune Westerberg and Victoria Horn) premiered exclusively on OK! Magazine USA official website.[3] on May 20, 2013.
Newton debuted the music video for her second American single "Come Out and Play", directed by Ali Zamani, at the Lily Bar & Lounge in Las Vegas on August 31, 2013.
Public image
In June 2013, Newton was selected as the Best Vocalist of the Month by SingerUniverse for her song "Magnets".
Newton was featured in the October issue of Maxim,[4] and the January 2014 issue of Chulo Magazine.[5]
After a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Newton sang at the 2022 Grammy Awards with John Legend and fellow Ukrainian artists Siuzanna Iglidan and Lyuba Yakimchuk in a performance that paid tribute to the lives lost during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6][7]
Other ventures
Philanthropy
Newton is strongly committed to charitable work. She frequents events at foster homes and juvenile detention centers and participates in auctions to benefit disadvantaged youth.
Personal life
Relationships
In December 2018, Newton married talent agent Chris Saavedra in the United States. Newton's sister, Liliya Grytsay, has been serving in the Ukrainian Army during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6]
Health issues
In September 2020, Newton announced on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2019. Following surgery and treatment, she has been in remission as of October 2020.
References
- ^ Newton gave her birthday as 5 March on her website [1]. She was said by a reviewer to be 20 years old in September 2006 [2].
- ^ "Mika Newton will represent Ukraine at Eurovision - UNIAN".
- ^ "Mika Newton Exclusive Video - Listen to Mika Newton | OK! Magazine". Archived from the original on 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
- ^ "The Chase Singer Mika Newton | Maxim". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "Mika Newton is a Pop Music Rising Star | Chulo Magazine".
- ^ a b Zelenskyy makes video appearance at Grammys
- ^ John Legend and Ukrainian Artists Call For a ‘Free’ Country With 2022 Grammys Performance
External links
| International | |
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| Artists | |
