Interview for Kaltblut Magazine - Page 6

mellody · 03-07-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mari62

t4p! well, but it's not as clear as the other ones imo... this jocelyn guy (who is he, btw? someone of the record company?) obviously supported mika, but i guess mika was the one in the end who had to take the decision and convince everyone else.

Christine · 03-07-2012, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabine64

he talked about it on the interview after winning the NRJ award and he showed us the guy who told him to release EMD, forgot his name. I can´t find the vid but it was called Reaction after NRJ or so

Ah thanks guys for finding it. I find it hard to believe that Mika makes unilateral decisions about releasing singles but I can believe some people tried to talk him out of it

I don't see what the risk was, as long as it wasn't released in the UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiaIchihara

Has anybody else noticed @Zsina's drawing is on that interview???

I love this pic! The one with his sisters that she gave to Mika is awesome too. She's amazing.

BiaIchihara · 03-07-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christine

Ah thanks guys for finding it. I find it hard to believe that Mika makes unilateral decisions about releasing singles but I can believe some people tried to talk him out of it

I don't see what the risk was, as long as it wasn't released in the UK.

I love this pic! The one with his sisters that she gave to Mika is awesome too. She's amazing.

indeed, have you guys ever seen her other works???

http://fruzsinagrande.tumblr.com/

EDIT: sorry for the off topic

suzie · 03-07-2012, 09:34 PM

Congratulations to Zsina on her drawing making it to a website as an 'official drawing'... I was looking at it and kept thinking where I had seen that before.

I was thinking all sorts like it reminded me of the Innuendo artwork (Queen) - I think it is a good sign I did not even occur to me it was a fan drawing...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christine

I find it hard to believe that Mika makes unilateral decisions about releasing singles but I can believe some people tried to talk him out of it

I don't see what the risk was, as long as it wasn't released in the UK.

That's just what I thought I'd comment here as soon as I get home

I mean, it is a catchy and happy song in French for the French market from an artists who has had incredible success there with the first two albums and who regularly appears in the media, speaks their language perfectly and often performs there to large audiences.

Financially, of course there was a 'risk' if you consider the French record label thinking that they will lose the sales impact of such a catchy happy tune to the forthcoming album. In other words, if they had thought that it would be difficult to match this hit with another song they should support the album with.

For the UK market of course it would not have made sense to release that song. He can't have seriously thought they would.

sariflor · 03-07-2012, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzie

It's just a funny twist on things, like when he talks about collaborating with Pharrell on Celebrate. Mika starts by saying that Pharrell called him .. so I imagine Pharrell waking up one morning with the idea to call Mika who happened to be working on his new album and insisted on working with him...

Sweet

Quote:

Originally Posted by basicamenteyo

Maybe I cant recall things properly but I think he said in another interview that Pharrell asked him for a lot of money,and then Mika called Pharrell and told him that he didnt want to buy a song but to work with him... then Pharrell agreed and that was all...

Ok,slightly going to the point of having fun with Mikas differents answers depending on his mood

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabine64

Mika wanted to work with Pharrell for the second album and then Pharrell wanted to have 100000 Dollar and Mika disclaimed at that time. This time Pharrell asked Mika to work with him and he didn´t want money for it

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzie

yes, sure it happened that way...

Yes, exactly my thoughts

cathouzouf · 04-07-2012, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzie

You mean a person correcting your French?
It is a 3rd person listed at the end of an article whose function was to probably transcribe or even translate what the other two wrote...

There was an interview in 2009 with Mika, that's where it was mentioned first but I can't remember whether it was an article or a radio interview. Does anyone remember? (Marina perhaps?

)

Yes I mean that in my job, it is mandatory to use a revisor on every text we write. And it's not because we write badly!

suzie · 04-07-2012, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathouzouf

Yes I mean that in my job, it is mandatory to use a revisor on every text we write. And it's not because we write badly!

Yes, in certain jobs I understand you have that. For magazines (especially online ones) I have never seen a corrector's name to be mentioned right after the article. That's why I thought that they probably needed someone to go through the transcription of the interview due to some uncertainties the interviewers were already aware of.

Marilyn Mastin · 04-07-2012, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzie

Congratulations to Zsina on her drawing making it to a website as an 'official drawing'... I was looking at it and kept thinking where I had seen that before.

I was thinking all sorts like it reminded me of the Innuendo artwork (Queen) - I think it is a good sign I did not even occur to me it was a fan drawing...

That's just what I thought I'd comment here as soon as I get home

I mean, it is a catchy and happy song in French for the French market from an artists who has had incredible success there with the first two albums and who regularly appears in the media, speaks their language perfectly and often performs there to large audiences.

Financially, of course there was a 'risk' if you consider the French record label thinking that they will lose the sales impact of such a catchy happy tune to the forthcoming album. In other words, if they had thought that it would be difficult to match this hit with another song they should support the album with.

For the UK market of course it would not have made sense to release that song. He can't have seriously thought they would.

I thought they should have actually. Occasionally, some foreign language songs have done well. Look at La Bamba a few years ago and the original version of Viva Espania got into the charts (and was much better than the English version)
These days it's more common for people in English schools to learn French, and even if they don't know it well (like me) EMD was catchy and easy to sing along to once you got to know the "porquois" line.
I think it would have been a change to have a French song on the radio, and that it should have had a chance. Mika's voice is so good in the song. It's different, no falsetto and it would have shown Mika in a whole new light in the UK
That is my opinion anyway. But if not EMD, I do think they should have released a single over here, since, in the UK, we were waiting for such a long time for new music from Mika.

suzie · 04-07-2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilyn Mastin

I thought they should have actually. Occasionally, some foreign language songs have done well.

Well, it is extremely rare so that's where the 'gut feel" comes into play, I guess, since success or failure of a song cannot be predicted by some algorithm (..or can it

)
Staying with French examples, the most famous international hit singles from the past decades that come to my mind are Je T'Aime, Voyage Voyage, My Lolita. All great and catchy tunes that you can hum along throughout teh song without knowing the words. In EMD he is basically 'speaking' and the lyrics play some part in 'getting' the spirit of the song. I agree with the UK label not taking a chance with that French song as there would have been a high risk of Mika falling flat on his face with that one. He needs an intense campaign in the UK with several good songs, not random ones.

Marilyn Mastin · 05-07-2012, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzie

Well, it is extremely rare so that's where the 'gut feel" comes into play, I guess, since success or failure of a song cannot be predicted by some algorithm (..or can it

)
Staying with French examples, the most famous international hit singles from the past decades that come to my mind are Je T'Aime, Voyage Voyage, My Lolita. All great and catchy tunes that you can hum along throughout teh song without knowing the words. In EMD he is basically 'speaking' and the lyrics play some part in 'getting' the spirit of the song. I agree with the UK label not taking a chance with that French song as there would have been a high risk of Mika falling flat on his face with that one. He needs an intense campaign in the UK with several good songs, not random ones.

Well I like what he's doing with these videos actually. He's getting some songs he likes, out there, even though they're not singles. People could download them, hopefully, and if Celebrate doesn't do well, then MYH or one of the others might become a hit.
Because record companies do make mistakes sometimes with their choices of singles. They can't always predict what the public will love. Some songs have been hits because they came along at just the right time. I think Mika is covering all the bases to try and get another hit. I think it's a really good idea and I hope it pays off for him.

suzie · 05-07-2012, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilyn Mastin

Well I like what he's doing with these videos actually. He's getting some songs he likes, out there, even though they're not singles. People could download them, hopefully, and if Celebrate doesn't do well, then MYH or one of the others might become a hit.
Because record companies do make mistakes sometimes with their choices of singles. They can't always predict what the public will love. Some songs have been hits because they came along at just the right time. I think Mika is covering all the bases to try and get another hit. I think it's a really good idea and I hope it pays off for him.

In theory, it totally makes sense. That's not how it works in pactice though, as we saw it with his second album. His first single failed to promote the album and the record company pulled the chair out from under him. That's why selecting the right single first or at least first two singles is key.
With MYH and Celebrate he tried to show the 'extremes' of the album but I don't think he can get groundbreaking success with either (I do love MYH though) and he needs that now to return. Perhaps with the title track though if that gets released as soon as possible. It sounds like a really good track.