shouldilookolder

Well, let me clarify: obviously any fan would care if people like him or not in that obviously we all want what's best for him and for him to be sucessful. But the kind of success where there isn't anyone complaining about you on Twitter doesn't exist. Basically, I don't think it's really something to be concerned with. I'm also wondering about how success is supposed to be defined. Clearly Mika isn't exactly a big name in the UK or the US, but the fact remains he sold out some shows last time he came to the states. So he may not be successful in the sense of radio play and whatnot, but the fanbase is very devoted and ticket sales are a huge deal (artists usually make more off of concerts + merch than album sales or radio play, after all). I guess I'm just not seeing a connection between any of these non-musical commitments and his failure to attain superstardom? Like I said, his success tapered off after LICM, before any of this happened - so the only connection I can see is that he's making the best of a bad situation, and even that seems a bit cynical. It's not uncommon at all for artists to be hailed as the Next Big Thing when they first appear only to be ignored on their sophomore album, and there's not always much rhyme or reason to it. It makes sense, I guess, to be disappointed that his career has taken this path as opposed to a more successful one, but I don't understand why things like this are frequently touted as the reason he isn't more successful. To me, it just seems like he's doing what he wants and enjoying a comfortable level of success.

It's a wider audience in that people will hear the song and see him even if they wouldn't hear a song on the radio or watch X Factor. Unless I'm missing something about how often/on what channels the ads are played, anyway. As for this so called loss of impetus - I don't think it exists. Mika's TV appearances and other commitments outside of recording have nothing to do with the fact that he is known as a "one hit wonder" to some and hasn't gone fully mainstream. His popularity already tapered off long before these things occurred. What's more, if you look only at facts, there's not much reason to be upset about the delay on releasing this album. TOOL only came out in September of 2012... it has only just now been a little more than 2 years. The next record will surely come out in 2015 - 2-3 years is a completely normal span of time between albums. There was actually more time between LICM and TBWKTM than there has been between the release of TOOL and now. Basically, I think these problems are imaginary. If there is one problem with his career that can be pinpointed, I would be inclined to blame whoever is in charge of his marketing + promotion. The website is an absolute embarrassment - it still refers to TOOL as new ("available now"). The Facebook page frequently misquotes song lyrics and makes other glaring errors. That whole aspect of things is very amateurish. I don't really know what the story is behind it all, but he obviously needs a better team working for him.

Oh no, Mika is on TV... making $$$... reaching a wider audience... how absolutely dreadful!!!1 I really don't give a if there are people on twitter complaining about the commercials being annoying. It's not like that's the same thing as losing fans - the peopling whining about it wouldn't have bought the albums or gone to shows anyway. They don't matter. Since when did anyone in this fandom care if some people don't like him? I think people have a tendency to forget that Mika is a grown man who makes his own decisions... you'd think he'd been coerced to do half the things he's done, from the way people talk. And I really don't understand because Adam Levine of Maroon 5 has done many of the exact same things Mika has - he's judged on shows and been in Proactiv commercials (which is WAY more embarrassing than an iPhone ad) - and as far as I can tell it's had no negative impact on his career whatsoever and no one dumps on him the way Mika's own fans dump on him.

So, just something I've noticed about the Mika facebook. As of Dec 1, they started a #MikaVideoChristmasCountdown. They have been posting a video once per day in chronological order. Now, at face value, this appears to be the usual kind of fairly pointless filler content we've all gotten used to during the hiatus. However, by my count, there have only been 15 music videos by Mika to date. Christmas is of course on the 25th. Since they are posting once per day, they are on track to post Boum Boum Boum on December 15th and be out of content on December 16th. I could be totally wrong, but something here does not add up. There is no schedule they can use from this point forward that would work to actually count down to the 25th, unless it becomes totaly erratic and they skip days at random. And even if it did, what's the point? "Merry Christmas, here's the video for Boum Boum Boum that came out like five months ago"? I am hoping and theorizing that the mention of Christmas is basically a red herring and this whole thing is actually a sneaky prelude to the premiere of a new song/video. Surprise releases are quite popular these days - Beyonce and Fall Out Boy have done it recently. And it does seem worth noting that December 16th is a Tuesday - the day of the week on which new music is commonly released. It could very well be wishful thinking and I might be obsessing - but nevertheless, something seems very fishy here. Plus the facebook is becoming more active in general, it seems...

My struggle with Popular Song is that I prefer the lyrics of the album version and the vocals of the single version. C'est la vie.

Alright, I've had a day or two to formulate all my thoughts on this song. Here goes: If the new album will indeed come out in the next 5-9 months, there is still more than enough time to release a single in English. The album is still rather far away, so as such I don't see this as the suicide of his career in English-speaking countries as I originally feared. There is time. I don't believe he should give up the English speaking market as some have perhaps implied. I can't speak for the U.K, but his tour here in the U.S last year featured sold out venues, and I think a modicum of fame is still possible. (Will he ever attain Jay-z or Bieber levels of stardom? No, but I don't think he wants to, anyway.) A French single may in fact have been the best move he could have made, capitalizing on the public awareness of him in France before it fades away... provided he does, in fact, release an English single within 2-7 months. I like the sound of the song. The chorus is actually my least favorite part as the female vocalist sounds rather grating to me - but it is certainly no more irritating than the Priscilla Renea version of Popular Song. To me, it's an irksome interruption of Mika's voice, which sounds gorgeous to me as an American who is blissfully oblivious of any errors pertaining to word emphasis, phrasing, etc. But it's not enough to make me dislike it. The lyrics, from what I can understand from very literal translations, are a bit "Dr. Seuss meets Dr. Ruth" for me. Sex isn't my favorite subject matter for a song, but I don't particularly object. Is this going to be a new favorite of mine? No, far from it. But that's okay. What's more, the lyrics are co-written, which explains why it doesn't "feel" like Mika as much as one might expect and hope. I don't think collaboration produces his best work, and I don't think it's any surprise that "Step With Me," the only Mika song I will NOT listen to, was co-written. Since it's co-written, I don't think it's necessarily indicative of the themes or style of the rest of the album. I don't think we need to worry that it's an album full of boink anthems. It's just one song. Which brings me to my next point: the common knowledge is that the "best" songs become singles. Based on that theory, I can understand why some people are worried about this being the lead single. However, I believe it is far wiser to use the most marketable songs as singles, and I'm sure no one will disagree that the best songs are not necessarily the most marketable. I hope and believe that that is what is happening here - Mika is no fool, and I don't believe that it's a coincidence that the lead single is happy, silly, and dance-worthy. That's what people want, especially in the summer. Does he think this is The Best sing from the new album? I sincerely doubt it. He is playing to trends, which, within reason, is wise. (It's also worth pointing out that Mika almost certainly does not have complete control over what is released when. If anyone is mad about this being the lead single, they should probably direct at least half of that anger towards the record label.) All in all, I just don't think there's any reason to be upset about this song. Even if you don't like it - it's just one song. It's okay not like one song, especially when there's so many reasons to think the rest of the album will be at least somewhat different. To say that it's vulgar is, quite frankly, ridiculous within the context of Mika's body of work. I'm not even saying the song itself isn't somewhat vulgar. However, this man: -Is almost 31 years old -Wore a pendant of a little naked man quite regularly for some time -Wrote Lollipop (Yes, Buom Buom Buom is more overtly sexual, but I would definitely argue that Lollipop is much more crude in that it alludes to a rather specific sex act, whereas BBB alludes only to sex in general) -Has referenced sex in lyrics more times than I have the energy to count right now (though I'd like to specifically mention the prostitution references in Love Today and the entirety of Toy Boy) -Released a video featuring very in your face boobage (The Origin Of Love - yes, I know he wasn't in the video and it was created by someone else, but he surely must have signed off on it in some way, yes?) -Is under no obligation to write "kid-friendly" music. (Seriously, he's not Raffi. Your kids can listen to something else - and in the case of young kids who don't know French, I doubt they would even ask you what it says, anyway.) So basically, there's just no reason to be upset about anything yet. If you hate BBB... don't worry. If he releases another single, and you hate that, too... maybe then you can start worrying. But in the end, Mika can do whatever he wants and release whatever he wants even if I hate it. Regardless, he deserves all the success in the world and I will be happy as long as he is. (A final note: It is beyond me why anyone is upset about the cover art. For starters, the art for a single is pretty unimportant. But more than that, what more could you ask for? A more serious looking cover accompanying a song that calls sex "boom boom boom" would be bizarre, and not in a good way. As for the fixation on tribal masks - many artists have themes and motifs they return to again and again or get "stuck" on for a long time. It doesn't mean he lacks originality or creativity. Good grief.)

This is precisely the song I thought of when I saw this translated lyrics!

Okay, I admit I've been baffled by the translation involving the word "zoom" for a couple days now. But now I see the altered english lyrics as "no need to use a zoom." And I think I understand and I wish I didn't? EDIT: Just saw this: "Translation of "Boum boum boum" by Mika from French to English And all the sixteenth's bourgeois* Wonder why I love you No need a zoom to see it When you and I are making boom boom boom" NOW I understand... ignore me.

Officially afraid of what the video will be like.

OH MY GOD (Yes. We do. We definitely do.)

What is that girl at the start saying? I hear "American." Should I be offended?

I am NOT HAPPY about how this says the album comes out in 2015. No.

I've heard worse, at least on American radio.

Yeah... t-shirts. Totally.

I must admit, looking at the translation, this is even filthier than I expected! But it sounds so good...