Aki Celeste

Mika is nothing if not considerate! I might have checked the Indeed job description page a few times over the past several weeks and they definitely updated the description more than once. Probably trying to weed out the people applying who are just fans looking for a lark but don't have all the necessary qualifications, lol. Which definitely doesn't include me.

That is a great way of putting it. Mika seems to always be experimenting in one way or another, which is why I respect him even for the songs/projects I don't like as much. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that version of Overrated before. I like it much better than the album version, which is way too overproduced for me, even though the angst of the lyrics and melody still come across. And just when I think he can't go any higher during the chorus, he hits an even higher note!

OK.... I have a few thoughts on this song and want to try to gather them here before they fly away altogether. First off, in trying to remember my initial encounter with OMS, I think it was similar to how @TinyLove_CJ described it, as having a "haunting" quality (without the spooky feeling or jumping out of the bath, lol). I'd listened to the LICM album several times already but had never let Happy Ending play out all the way to the end, and happened to leave it going while I was doing schoolwork one evening. From what I can recall, my first reaction was something like "WOW, this is beautiful and completely different from Mika as I know him from his other songs, and I'm totally here for it." Up until that moment, I had enjoyed his music as a fun, danceable romp but didn't really respect him as much as a composer and performer. (Honestly I thought he was a bit cheesy and over-the-top, which could still be said about a lot of his songs, although I've come to appreciate him and his style a lot more since 2007! ). The funny thing is, I didn't even recognize OMS as being in any particular language at first. His voice was so raw and purely emotive that I completely skipped over trying to understand the lyrics and just bathed in the sheer melancholy of it. The simplicity of the tune, the piano accompaniment, and the carefully placed dissonant harmonies also blew me away. Even if the overall feeling it evoked was sad and depressing, I didn't mind that he took me there. It was a welcome respite after the candy-like wonderland that was the rest of the album (and I'm referring more to the music than the lyrics, as I know that some of his other song lyrics from LICM were pretty dark too). I don't feel like any of his other songs I've encountered meet quite the same level of melancholy, although he's come close with a few (I See You, Last Party and Blue come to mind, even though they all have more lively or uplifting qualities to them as well). Listening to his live orchestral versions of OMS lately has been interesting, as I feel like he brings a completely different energy to it. More like a mature opera singer than a lost little boy. If I'm lucky enough to see him in concert this year, I'd love to hear him sing it, but a part of me feels most connected to the original album version, simply because it was such a gateway to a different world of music as pure emotion when I was a young adult. That's what I can come up with for the moment. Lots of blah-blah from me, but it's so interesting to sift through these feelings in words, I had to do it. And if by some miracle Mika ever reads these words, THANK YOU SO MUCH for slipping this little orphan of a song into your debut album. It was truly a treat to discover it, and I hope you continue to bring it out at concerts again and again.

I find this image so precious and endearing to contemplate... Mika conversing with his tree! And agreed on no cars for him, although maybe a Vespa? Or a Ducati? Eh, he should just stick with horses and camels, he's so speedy otherwise!

I was just thinking about this earlier, especially the "F you attitude" part. I feel like the pandemic has been a giant opportunity to work with this, sometimes to unfortunate effect, but more often in a liberating way, especially for the artistically inclined who might not have had the confidence to cultivate that side of themselves otherwise. I'm really curious to see how Mika embodies this in live performance. I would say he does already and has for a while, just by being who he is in the dodgy world of professional music, but based on what he mentioned recently, he seems to be ready to take it to a new level. Skateboards and all.

Well... if that thread were to be started, I might just follow it, as I've had a few weird 'Spiritual Experiences' (Appearances?) myself, although none so exciting and dastardly as messing with the Wifi. Not saying anything, just saying!

That's amazing, I'm so glad you were able to have that experience! My few encounters with celebrities in the past have definitely been random, and I totally agree that luck and patience have a lot to do with it. I don't even know what sort of encounter I would be looking for with Mika - maybe just a more direct way to express my appreciation - but so far the most rewarding part of this whole adventure has been listening to his music, engaging in my own creative projects inspired by his music, and inspiring other people to do the same. And now, getting to know other people who feel similarly!

I want to echo my appreciation for Deb. I would not have been able to act with nearly the same composure while doing any IG Live, let alone with Mika jumping in! This was my first time hearing from him in such a direct way (I'm sadly - or perhaps blessedly - not very active on IG), and I was touched by how open and playful and patient he was, particularly when he was telling the story of his home and showing us his Christmas decorations. I've been part of other fandoms and I'm already blown away by the quality of engagement and mutual appreciation I've seen in this one. At the same time, I feel rather sad that I missed out on the earlier part of his career, when he seemed to be much more accessible to fans on an individual level. I'm most drawn to his music, and it sounds like he's more interested in connecting with his fans as a collective anyway, so ultimately it doesn't matter, I suppose. Maybe I'm just stuck in nostalgia for something I never lived through. Regardless, it was still lovely to hear from people who have been here since the beginning!

All excellent questions, although I was most taken with the mention of a personal "house ghost." If you have a story of your own, DO TELL.

I never hear Mika anywhere in my little New England town either. However, I did recently hear Love Today on a show I was watching, The Shrink Next Door. The day I hear him being played in public locally, I may very well die of shock and adoration.

Their cookie butter is legendary. Trader Joe's has a pretty decent version of it, including in one of their seasonal sweets: cookie butter sandwiched by two buttery shortbread-ish biscuits. Heaven!

I feel it more this year than in past years, for sure. Even though I'm working normal hours this week, the days seem to blend together and all that really registers are things that touch me emotionally. Like listening to Mika's songs or watching his Paris Phil performance. If anyone's measuring my productivity at work, I'm definitely not at my best, lol.

I am delighted to be proven wrong in my assumption that peanut butter is not well-loved across the pond. I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but it does complement the taste of chocolate so well that I can't always resist when it's offered to me. I also enjoy using it in cooking from time to time, crunchy of course. Peanut brittle is not my thing at all, but I have family from the South, so I felt a need to acknowledge my roots somehow. Back to the subject of smoothies, I agree that mangoes are magic, as are blueberries. There's a local cafe that makes something called a Nutty Banana, which is not half bad (banana and peanut butter mixed with almond milk), but I can't even remember the last time I treated myself to one. This time of year, I gravitate toward warm drinks anyway. There's another cafe that serves a coffee latte drink sweetened with honey and cardamom, called a Cardi Bee - absolute heaven!

On the topic of smoothies... I seem to only enjoy them when I'm overseas, particularly in the summer. Here, at home with my mixer and all kinds of fresh fruit, I'm like "meh," but some of my favorite local places I discovered in France and Italy were smoothie/juice bars. Maybe the Europeans just do fruit better. I still mourn the fact that we don't have nearly as many pear-centric treats here in the U.S. But then again, we have peanut butter, which I gathered is not nearly as popular in Europe. Since I brought it up, here are some Poire Williams chocolates and peanut brittle for everyone to enjoy!

I was wondering what the point of making a lemon piglet might be, let alone who thought up the idea. Super cute tradition, and one I'd never heard of until now!

I certainly hope so! NYC might be a little tricky for me, but Boston is calling my name, and I've already bought tickets to Montreal. I love that you describe him as having superpowers, yet searching for meaning like any other person. And yes, this world is crazy. Sometimes to a delightful degree, but I have to look hard for the delight in it sometimes, and Mika makes it a little bit easier.

I didn't for the Montreal show, silly me! But if I end up getting those Boston tix, I definitely will. This Omicron business is throwing everyone for a loop.

Yeah, it's definitely going to be a month by month - or week by week even - calculation for me. I live just far enough away from both cities that it's going to be an adventure either way, although Montreal is slightly more convenient because it's scheduled for a Saturday night. I suppose I could always offer up tickets for other fans here if I end up not being able to go...

Thanks so much for posting, guys! I have to get up early tomorrow and I've only gotten through the first 25 minutes, but so far I'm most impressed with the rendition of "Rain." I also love that he dropped the F bomb in "I Went To Hell Last Night" - or maybe I'm just completely clueless, as I've only ever heard the "clean" version of the song.

Can't wait to watch it! I'm still catching up to his more classical performances and this seems like a perfect next step. Will it be on Youtube or elsewhere?

"Mikamas," I love it! I intend to have fun wherever I go with this Mika adventure - thanks for the warm welcome.

I'm in the wrong time zone, otherwise I'd totally be watching this through France 4's website. Hopefully the recording will end up someplace more accessible for us in North America eventually!

Heat waves are the worst. I'm sensitive enough to warm temperatures that even when there isn't a heat wave going on (they are relatively rare where I live too, in New England), it throws off my sleep cycle and turns me into a zombie pretty much all summer long. Take that part of it out and keep the sunshine, and I'd have a much better time. Maybe I should've stayed in California when I had the chance... but then I'd miss out on the changing leaves and the snow!

SAD-ists unite! Oh wait, that came out wrong... What I mean to say is, I never thought about it that way before, but I think this is part of the reason why I look forward to the solstice so much myself. It brings some sense of structure and the possibility of change to the dark days of winter, rather than feeling completely bogged down by it. I actually tend to feel more joy during the winter than in the summer sometimes - maybe because it's the opposite, where the days are growing shorter?