Mika headlines In The Venue this weekend

The last time pop singer-songwriter Mika performed in Salt Lake City, his instruments were stuck in transit as a snowstorm raged.

He ended up delivering an acoustic set.

"To this day, it was one of my favorite shows ever," he said in a recent phone interview.

The 29-year-old singer — with an amazingly flexible range for a pop singer — was born in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and an American father and was raised in Paris and London. His American blood resonates. "I am extremely proud of it," he said. "America is the only place where I am embraced for [my diversity]. Where else am I going to feel [at] home?"

Mika's most recent album — his third — is 2012's "The Origins of Love. "

While it didn't yield any American hit singles like his prior hits "Grace Kelly" and "Love Today," it is a near-perfect example of top-shelf pop craftsmanship.

"I had a real desire to sound symphonic but not busy," he said. "I like to explore things to their limit."

Mika is writing and working on his next record, which he said is "quite Billy Joel-esque," a simple, acoustic album.

When • Saturday, 8 p.m.Where • In The Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake CityTickets • $29.50 in advance, $35 day of, at SmithsTix