Mika X
New Zealand performing artist and director
Mika (born Terrance John Pou, né Neil Gudsell, 8 February 1962; also known by the stage names Mika Haka and Mika X) is a New Zealand Māori singer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker, TV producer and comedian.
He has toured the world, performing his cabaret shows and music, including 10 performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has also acted in TV shows and movies including Shark in the Park, The Piano, and Shortland Street. Mika has released five music albums including Do U Like What U See, Mika Haka and Mika Versus Fashion.
Name
Mika was born Terrance John Pou, but was legally adopted immediately by Bill and Dawn Gudsell, who named him Neil. In 1988, musician Dalvanius Prime suggested he change his name to the gender-neutral name Mika, which he did in 1990. He has since gone by the name Mika Haka, and currently uses the stage name Mika X.
Early life
Terrance John Pou was born on 8 February 1962 in Timaru, New Zealand to Elizabeth Halkett and was adopted at birth by New Zealand European couple Dawn and Bill Gudsell. He came out as gay at age 12. While attending Timaru Boys High School, he played rugby and competed in athletics, including at the national athletics championship. In 1988 Gudsell placed eighth in the inaugural Suzuki World Cup aerobic championships.
The public source identifies “Mika X” as new Zealand performing artist and director. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mika, Zealand and performing.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q67270436. The Library of Congress control number is no2002010541. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1962, 1988 and 1990.
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This entry incorporates text from “Mika X” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.