“It is fun. It’s f***ing fun!”

May 16, 2012

Mika on making music, meeting the Queen and performing at Lovebox…

Where have you been?

I’ve been hiding, re-cooking something. I was on tour for almost 3 years and it made me approach my third album, which is what I’m finishing now, in a very different way.

Who have you been working with on it?

A lot with Empire Of The Sun, Pharrell Williams and 21 year-olds I found on the internet – a real mixture. I think this record has only been possible because of Skype and DropBox. It’s clear that I haven’t been isolated in this writing process.

Didn’t you work with Benni Benassi? He’s a favourite of mine.

We wrote a piece then I got it replayed by the London Symphony Orchestra. We took a dance approach to writing a song, and then re-humanised it in the production.

So is there going to be much of a club sound within the album?

I’ve taken electronic music and given it as much heart as I could so that it doesn’t just feel like it’s coming out of a box. I really wanted to use a lot of live instruments and work with programmers who make their own sounds. Far too often people are like, ‘Oh I want to make a record that has more of an electronic sound’ so they go shopping for a load of tracks, write some very linear top-lines and call it ‘progressive’. I wanted to make something that had an organic quality to it mixed with a very electronic side as well. I think my music has always been vaguely danceable. It’s also weird enough to be danced to by freaks and three year olds.

And we love a freak. So you wrote a track for Madonna’s album! Erm, amazing!

Well, yeah I did! I wrote something called ‘Bang Bang’ with William Orbit, who took it to Madonna and she loved it. She recorded it, adapting it to suit her album, and renamed it ‘Gang Bang’. Her version sounds quite different, but an artist who writes themselves is always going to interpret.

Would you like to work with her more directly?

I’m happy with the way this turned out. I’ve got Madonna singing one of my songs – that is good enough.

Do you read your own criticism?

Sometimes I read criticism if it’s intelligent, well structured and somebody’s actually spent a lot of time doing it. If I’m doing a tour I’ll definitely read the critics’ reviews for the first few months and then stop. It’s a funny balance – the good stuff can be equally destructive as the negative stuff because too much good feedback can just warp you. I go through periods of feeling like I’ve got elephant-like skin and periods where I just completely hide away in a bubble.

Are you comfortable with the term ‘pop star’?

Yeah, absolutely. It means something different to each person and it means something different in each country.

‘I praise your energy and your sense of life’ – The Queen on Mika

With the Jubilee coming up, what are your thoughts on the Royal Family?

They are absolutely fascinating, We’re really lucky to have them. They are held together by the monster of matriarch that is the queen, who is so incredibly impressive.

Have you met her?

I have. She said ‘I praise your energy and your sense of life’ which was really nice. But then the Duke of Edinburgh walked over to Michael Buble and said ‘It’s so good to meet the face behind the voice’ because apparently the Queen listens to Michael a lot, and I was like, “****! I just got ‘You jump around a lot, boy’.”

You’re a snappy dresser. How do you choose your clothes?

I have a weakness to choose things that I think are beautiful even if I know I’ll never wear them just because they’re nice pieces of art. The problem with that is nothing ever fits together, so now my approach is to stick within a brief. The devil’s in the detail. Technical stuff like structure is important. If your arse looks amazing and your legs look great and you feel good in them, then the trousers are working.

Lovebox, June 17th. Your first show in the UK in ages, and it’s on my stage! What have you got in store?

It’s either gonna be really up or completely, like, just stopping in it’s tracks for two minutes and then back in again. Full of contrast. I’m actually really looking forward to it.

Is it hard being Mika?

No, it’s not. It’s amazing. I have never been pushed into anything that I don’t want to do. I sell records and manage to fill at least a theatre or whatever around the world doing what I love.

Is it fun being Mika?

It’s full of extremes. You always want to create something better or new or contrasting. It is fun. It’s ****ing fun. I can’t complain. There’s just nothing to complain about.

http://www.qxmagazine.com/feature/%E2%80%9Cit-is-fun-its-****ing-fun%E2%80%9D/

Thanks for posting Milda!!

May 16, 2012

 

Mika on making music, meeting the Queen and performing at Lovebox…

 

Where have you been?

 

I’ve been hiding, re-cooking something. I was on tour for almost 3 years and it made me approach my third album, which is what I’m finishing now, in a very different way.

 

Who have you been working with on it?

 

A lot with Empire Of The Sun, Pharrell Williams and 21 year-olds I found on the internet – a real mixture. I think this record has only been possible because of Skype and DropBox. It’s clear that I haven’t been isolated in this writing process.

 

Didn’t you work with Benni Benassi? He’s a favourite of mine.

 

We wrote a piece then I got it replayed by the London Symphony Orchestra. We took a dance approach to writing a song, and then re-humanised it in the production.

 

So is there going to be much of a club sound within the album?

 

I’ve taken electronic music and given it as much heart as I could so that it doesn’t just feel like it’s coming out of a box. I really wanted to use a lot of live instruments and work with programmers who make their own sounds. Far too often people are like, ‘Oh I want to make a record that has more of an electronic sound’ so they go shopping for a load of tracks, write some very linear top-lines and call it ‘progressive’. I wanted to make something that had an organic quality to it mixed with a very electronic side as well. I think my music has always been vaguely danceable. It’s also weird enough to be danced to by freaks and three year olds.

 

And we love a freak. So you wrote a track for Madonna’s album! Erm, amazing!

 

Well, yeah I did! I wrote something called ‘Bang Bang’ with William Orbit, who took it to Madonna and she loved it. She recorded it, adapting it to suit her album, and renamed it ‘Gang Bang’. Her version sounds quite different, but an artist who writes themselves is always going to interpret.

 

Would you like to work with her more directly?

 

I’m happy with the way this turned out. I’ve got Madonna singing one of my songs – that is good enough.

Do you read your own criticism?

Sometimes I read criticism if it’s intelligent, well structured and somebody’s actually spent a lot of time doing it. If I’m doing a tour I’ll definitely read the critics’ reviews for the first few months and then stop. It’s a funny balance – the good stuff can be equally destructive as the negative stuff because too much good feedback can just warp you. I go through periods of feeling like I’ve got elephant-like skin and periods where I just completely hide away in a bubble.

 

Are you comfortable with the term ‘pop star’?

 

Yeah, absolutely. It means something different to each person and it means something different in each country.

‘I praise your energy and your sense of life’ – The Queen on Mika

 

With the Jubilee coming up, what are your thoughts on the Royal Family?

 

They are absolutely fascinating, We’re really lucky to have them. They are held together by the monster of matriarch that is the queen, who is so incredibly impressive.

Have you met her?

 

I have. She said ‘I praise your energy and your sense of life’ which was really nice. But then the Duke of Edinburgh walked over to Michael Buble and said ‘It’s so good to meet the face behind the voice’ because apparently the Queen listens to Michael a lot, and I was like, “****! I just got ‘You jump around a lot, boy’.”

You’re a snappy dresser. How do you choose your clothes?

 

I have a weakness to choose things that I think are beautiful even if I know I’ll never wear them just because they’re nice pieces of art. The problem with that is nothing ever fits together, so now my approach is to stick within a brief. The devil’s in the detail. Technical stuff like structure is important. If your arse looks amazing and your legs look great and you feel good in them, then the trousers are working.

 

Lovebox, June 17th. Your first show in the UK in ages, and it’s on my stage! What have you got in store?

It’s either gonna be really up or completely, like, just stopping in it’s tracks for two minutes and then back in again. Full of contrast. I’m actually really looking forward to it.

 

Is it hard being Mika?

 

No, it’s not. It’s amazing. I have never been pushed into anything that I don’t want to do. I sell records and manage to fill at least a theatre or whatever around the world doing what I love.

 

Is it fun being Mika?

 

It’s full of extremes. You always want to create something better or new or contrasting. It is fun. It’s ****ing fun. I can’t complain. There’s just nothing to complain about.

 

 

http://www.qxmagazine.com/feature/%E2%80%9Cit-is-fun-its-****ing-fun%E2%80%9D/

t4p Milda always interesting the things he says and he's finishing the album

omg

it's so good to read a new interview

T4P Milda!

You're welcome everyone

t4p Milda always interesting the things he says and he's finishing the album

He's "re-cooking" it

Thanks 4 posting! It's always pleasant to read a Mika interview and to know a little more about his life!

This is amazing... I love this kind of interviews

good read! T4P!

'you jump around a lot boy'

Forgot to ask something.. Could someone remind me when Mika was on tour for three years? Because I honestly can't remember that

Thanks!

Thanks a lot for posting !!

Good to see a new interview, and I wonder if this is what the photoshoot was for? T4P:thumb_yello:

Forgot to ask something.. Could someone remind me when Mika was on tour for three years? Because I honestly can't remember that

Pretty sure he means doing the festivals when he wasn't actually doing a proper full on tour.

Good!! A new interview with not-that-new-stuff on it!!

Anyway, it´s great to see he is somewhere in UK press again. Gay press. Whatever. I bet if it wasn´t cause J. Harsh is a friend of him he would had never been interviewed....

Oh well... let´s see how this new album works for him.

Good!! A new interview with not-that-new-stuff on it!!

 

Anyway, it´s great to see he is somewhere in UK press again. Gay press. Whatever. I bet if it wasn´t cause J. Harsh is a friend of him he would had never been interviewed....

 

Oh well... let´s see how this new album works for him.

Good promo for both of them, works out just right:wink2:

Thanks for posting

Wow thank you !

Good promo for both of them, works out just right:wink2:

I just hope he doesn´t get stuck in gay press or gay public... you know what I mean?

This site's PDF downloading works so slow.

I made a PDF file D/L link of FRONT-COVER and Page 6. ENJOY !

http://www.mediafire.com/?ssv66kz1c6qu92a

You’re a snappy dresser. How do you choose your clothes?

 

I have a weakness to choose things that I think are beautiful even if I know I’ll never wear them just because they’re nice pieces of art. The problem with that is nothing ever fits together, so now my approach is to stick within a brief. The devil’s in the detail. Technical stuff like structure is important. If your arse looks amazing and your legs look great and you feel good in them, then the trousers are working.

This bit made me giggle.

Thank you for posting Milda! I really enjoyed reading that.

Thanks a lot for posting!

Pretty sure he means doing the festivals when he wasn't actually doing a proper full on tour.

He did 10 or so festivals a year ago and now he makes it sound like he just finished touring around the world.. Typical Mika

Good!! A new interview with not-that-new-stuff on it!!

 

Anyway, it´s great to see he is somewhere in UK press again. Gay press. Whatever. I bet if it wasn´t cause J. Harsh is a friend of him he would had never been interviewed....

I'm not sure which one of them wanted this interview more J.Harsh: "I blagged Mika’s first interview for a long time to discuss Lovebox, meeting the Queen and his new album."

He did 10 or so festivals a year ago and now he makes it sound like he just finished touring around the world.. Typical Mika

 

 

I'm not sure which one of them wanted this interview more J.Harsh: "I blagged Mika’s first interview for a long time to discuss Lovebox, meeting the Queen and his new album."

Yes, true. Maybe Rose is right and it works both ways... I really want Mika to get aired more, but not only in gay press. It would "label" him and we all know how he hates "labels"

@Milda you have been the busiest bee on MFC since you won that competition:roftl:

Thanks for posting this

The first thing that caught my eyes:

"I think my music has always been vaguely danceable. It’s also weird enough to be danced to by freaks and three year olds."

.... He can totally see his current audience.

I just hope he doesn´t get stuck in gay press or gay public... you know what I mean?

I don't think even the gay audience have embraced him. I think he is in no-one's land right now.

He is doing a promo in the gay press because he is headlining Jodie Harsch's "The Circus" at Lovebox. (I don't think I'd need to explain the connection. ) It was his choice to promote the album there - or maybe is only chance to do so as a headliner and not just a random support act to some 'big' name in the UK.