Mika - who is known for his outrageous outfits and wild curly hair - says his new LP, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, was inspired by his turbulent adolescence, which he now wants to forget.

“It’s still joyful pop music. I needed to liberate myself from my childhood - I was a weird, reclusive teen,” the 26-year-old said.

The “Love Today” singer’s forthcoming album, the follow-up to 2007’s Life in Cartoon Motion, even contains a vengeful “break-up” song inspired by a bitter split.

“There’s a song called ‘Rain,’ which was a break-up letter, but I thought it would be funny to put a disco beat behind it. It’s my form of revenge - I’m quite a passive aggressive person,” Lebanon-born Mika explained to Britain’s Daily Star newspaper. “A lot of artists are more protective of themselves on their second album. I don’t give a s**t how I’m perceived. Famous people are boring and only think of themselves.”

For Mika’s latest single “We Are Golden,” the eccentric pop star was asked to act like a teenager, and ended up stripping off. “The director did ‘Paparazzi’ for Lady Gaga and asked me what my 17-year-old self would be wearing. I said my underwear, and then I was there in white boxers flexing my muscles. I almost wanted to vomit,” he revealed.