Mika in US & Canadian Press - 2013/2014

[Sabine64]

What kind of friend makes their friends buy tickets to start with? I would have told him I wasn't coming

 

What´s the meaning of the word " friends " for him. Maybe for him those friends a re people he knows and have contact from time to time and special friends who are close to him. We have two words in Germany for that " Freunde " who are close to us and " Bekannte " for people we know and talk to but never would steel a horse with if you know what I mean

[Christine]

What´s the meaning of the word " friends " for him. Maybe for him those friends a re people he knows and have contact from time to time and special friends who are close to him. We have two words in Germany for that " Freunde " who are close to us and " Bekannte " for people we know and talk to but never would steel a horse with if you know what I mean

 

We call those people acquaintances. But if that's what he means then why lecture them about what bad friends they are? It sounds like a bit of a bs story anyway

 

MFC got the very best tickets in the house for the acoustic tour presale in 2009 and one of Mika's friends was like how did you get those seats? Did you have a PRE-presale. We're all in the 6th row.

[Alireine]

Thank you PurpleCat, it looks tasty, I have to try one day

[Sabine64]

We call those people acquaintances. But if that's what he means then why lecture them about what bad friends they are? It sounds like a bit of a bs story anyway

 

MFC got the very best tickets in the house for the acoustic tour presale in 2009 and one of Mika's friends was like how did you get those seats? Did you have a PRE-presale. We're all in the 6th row.

 

That´s great :floor: , thank you for telling me this. Just fell from the couch for laughter by reading your words, you made my evening . So it´s better to be his fan than to be his friend

[IngievV]

What kind of friend makes their friends buy tickets to start with? I would have told him I wasn't coming

 

Exactly my thought:teehee:

[mamiam]

What´s the meaning of the word " friends " for him. Maybe for him those friends a re people he knows and have contact from time to time and special friends who are close to him. We have two words in Germany for that " Freunde " who are close to us and " Bekannte " for people we know and talk to but never would steel a horse with if you know what I mean

 

We have the same here - "venner" and "bekjente" - with the same meaning as you describe And I agree Christine, you don't normally tell a friend to buy ticket for your show! You're happy to fix it for free!! Strange

 

Love,love

me

[RainbowGirl]

What´s the meaning of the word " friends " for him. Maybe for him those friends a re people he knows and have contact from time to time and special friends who are close to him. We have two words in Germany for that " Freunde " who are close to us and " Bekannte " for people we know and talk to but never would steel a horse with if you know what I mean

 

I adore this expression! I shall have to use it sometime

 

We call those people acquaintances. But if that's what he means then why lecture them about what bad friends they are? It sounds like a bit of a bs story anyway

 

MFC got the very best tickets in the house for the acoustic tour presale in 2009 and one of Mika's friends was like how did you get those seats? Did you have a PRE-presale. We're all in the 6th row.

 

That is one of my all time favourite stories :rofl:

 

We have the same here - "venner" and "bekjente" - with the same meaning as you describe And I agree Christine, you don't normally tell a friend to buy ticket for your show! You're happy to fix it for free!! Strange

 

Maybe his friends have a habit of taking up a lot of the tickets and he wants to make sure fans in the area have a chance to see him

[Christine]

" Bekannte " for people we know and talk to but never would steel a horse with if you know what I mean

 

I adore this expression! I shall have to use it sometime

 

I think our equivalent would be someone you would ask you to help bury the body.

[dcdeb]

So it´s better to be his fan than to be his friend

 

So I must be Mika's very good friend, then, since he's made me buy my ticket to his show every single time!

[Sabine64]

So I must be Mika's very good friend, then, since he's made me buy my ticket to his show every single time!

 

Yes but you can get a presale and better places and his friends not

[LeiRe]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsburger/56073775-53/mika-american-lake-pop.html.csp

 

Burger with Relish: Music

 

David Burger is the pop music/pop culture writer at The Salt Lake Tribune.

 

Mika headlines In The Venue this weekend

 

Published on Mar 28, 2013 09:54AM

 

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 City

 

Tickets • $29.50 in advance, $35 day of, at SmithsTix

[Marilyn Mastin]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsburger/56073775-53/mika-american-lake-pop.html.csp

 

Burger with Relish: Music

 

David Burger is the pop music/pop culture writer at The Salt Lake Tribune.

 

Mika headlines In The Venue this weekend

 

Published on Mar 28, 2013 09:54AM

 

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 City

 

Tickets • $29.50 in advance, $35 day of, at SmithsTix

Great piece! T4P

[basicamenteyo]

"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?"

 

 

Oh Mika.... He feels at home in every country he visits... I remember him saying he loathed US God, this guy is clever...

[Christine]

Yeah he used to moan about US homophobia and how Walmart wouldn't stock his records. Think he probably has a different perspective now with all the ups and downs in Europe. He seems to be pretty well respected as a songwriter in the US and his fanbase may be small but they are fiercely loyal.

[krjsantos]

Great Review: MIKA Returns To Los Angeles For His 'Origin Of Love' Tour | Neon Tommy: http://t.co/JFXmawj2hJ

[krjsantos]

Sorry, here the article:

 

MIKA performed a sold out show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles to promote his latest album, “The Origin of Love,” Wednesday night.

In a room full of flamboyant fans, hipsters and Dita Von Teese, MIKA took the stage amidst screams and applause. There was no formal opening act. Instead, tour DJs spun Beach Boys, Motown, Lykke Li and Iconapop tunes while the audience sipped on drinks and danced.

 

MIKA's light-bulb-galore stage (Neon Tommy/Taylor Johnson).

The “Origin of Love” show was more intimate than many of MIKA’s previous tours in which he has performed at very large venues. Individual glowing light bulbs were suspended from the ceiling around the stage. The set was minimalistic and basic to say the least. Most of the night, MIKA remained seated at his piano crunching out the notes with passion. “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” sure can play…and sing. As great as his voice may sound in recordings, it is unbelievably smooth live. His vocal range is beyond impressive, as he is able to hit high notes with ease and perfection. There didn’t seem to be one sour note or missed lyric.

The crowd was made up by people of all ages- a group of three, twelve-year-old female fans were by far the youngest. Most people were in their twenties, though there were some as old as 60 in attendance.

When attendees were dancing, they were dancing hard. Given the performance of ballads and new songs that have not been performed in North America, it was not the crazy dance party that other set lists might inspire.

When he stood up and really leaned in and began dancing with the audience, he became more electrified. It would have been great to see more of that interaction, however his presentation style was in keeping with the songs he played.

Prior to the concert, Neon Tommy Reporters Ashley Riegle and Taylor Johnson interviewed MIKA about the tour, in wich MIKA revealed how he is “Grace Kelly,” “Billy Brown,” and the “Lollipop” Girl, and he brought all those characters to the show Wednesday.

 

 

MIKA opened with hit song and crowd favorite “Grace Kelly,” from his first album “Life In Cartoon Motion,” which was followed by “Toy Boy” from his sophomore album, “The Boy Who Knew Too Much.”

 

MIKA at the piano (Neon Tommy/Taylor Johnson).

The quirky and peppy “Lollipop” from the first album was next and had the crowd snapping along. MIKA then switched back to a tune from his second album with “Blue Eyes,” and back to the first album with “Billy Brown.” He sang every song impeccably, but in the midst of playing songs from the first two albums, the crowd did not get to hear “Happy Ending” or “We Are Golden,” unfortunately. This was likely a great disappointment to the super fans sporting a trio of neon shirts emblazoned with home-made “We Are Golden” messages.

When it came time for songs off the new album, he began with “Popular Song,” which is a take on the infamous “Popular” from Wicked. On MIKA’s album the song features Priscilla Renea, but the single version of the song features Nickelodeon star, Ariana Grande. Neither of the singers made a guest appearance for the performance, but MIKA had the crowd singing along to every word.

 

 

MIKA then poked fun at his managers, publisher, and other entourage in the VIP “sitting section,” and said how he was told to just write a “zippy” song that will make him a lot of money, but instead he decided to write “Love You When I’m Drunk,” which he then performed. The song had everyone yelling, “I only love you when I’m drunk!” In other words, it was a blast.

“The Only Lonely Man,” a new song for the tour, was next, which was a little reminiscent of The Lumineers’ track, “Ho Hey,” with its “heys” and “hos.”

During Neon Tommy’s interview with him, MIKA indicated that during a portion of his concerts he would take requests from audience members. That didn’t seem to take place at the El Rey show, although he was quite interactive with the audience and called out to some fans in the crowd.

“Under Water,” “Stuck In the Middle,” and “Elle Me Dit,” the French version of his song, “Emily,” followed. "Under Water" was powerful and borderline exquisite. He performed a song about California and dropped the best line of the night, “California…you’re full of under-dressed billionaires, so far from London…I love you." Incredible.

 

 

 

MIKA singing "Underwater" beneath a single, swaying light bulb (Neon Tommy/Taylor Johnson).

MIKA’s performance of “Origin of Love” exuded all the emotion of the meaning behind the title. It felt very fitting to hear this ballad while the US Supreme Court was in the midst of evaluating marriage equality.

While singing “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful),” he told the “skinny girls” in the audience to “sing it like you mean it!”

A pretty amazing, fairly unknown song of MIKA’s, “Century Man,” was performed next. The history of this song is somewhat mysterious, though it may have been recorded for a film he is working on.

MIKA’s live performance of his first single, “Relax, Take It Easy,” showed off his purely awesome voice and its remarkablyhigh range. He finished up the show with “Celebrate,” and other hit song, “Love Today,” in which he got up from the piano and did a little tap dancing. MIKA does not lack in originality nor talent.

[Dreamy_Queen]

@krjsantos Thank you for posting!

[Marilyn Mastin]

"Mika does not lack originality or talent."

100% agree!!

[stelly78]

Thansk for the article:thumb_yello:

[mellody]

i've updated the first post with links to all the articles that have been posted in this thread so far - thanks everyone for finding and posting them!

[krysady]

i've updated the first post with links to all the articles that have been posted in this thread so far - thanks everyone for finding and posting them!

 

Great,thank you!

 

This is another one,I like it so much : http://www.restlesscities.com/2013/04/02/mika-at-the-el-rey-march-27-2013/

 

 

"God was in the audience. MIKA pointed God out, tall and extremely visible in a bright neon pink shirt. The last time he performed in L.A., the same fan he’d christened God received many of his life complaints during the show. “I didn’t think he’d be back,” the lanky European pop singer recounted, “and yet here he is.”

This was my first time to watch MIKA, and while I have enjoyed his quirky and eloquent pop for many years now, seeing him perform an intimate venue such as the El Rey is definitely a must for any fan, hardcore or otherwise. MIKA was engaging and funny, full of little charming anecdotes about learning tap dancing in Paris, or teasing the VIPs on the balcony. Many moments found me thinking about how absolutely adorable he is, and so completely unassuming about his own career and success that you just want to throw love at him.

 

For the rest of the night, I was pretty sure that most of the audience felt the same way, and this love came in the form of very organic and energetic sing-alongs. Everyone knew every single song that he sang seated on a black piano, or dancing to the crowd. The set featured songs ranging from his 2007 debut Life in Cartoon Motion (“Grace Kelly”, “Love Today”), to his most recent 2012 album The Origin of Love (“Underwater”, “Love You When I’m Drunk”, “Celebrate”). At one point, he even performed the French version of “Emily,” to the delighted shrieks of the crowd who, of course, also sang along in perfect French.

 

Near the end, MIKA invited producer Greg Wells to play the piano as he sang “Make You Happy”. Wells gave his own testimony of how hard MIKA works, as the singer himself shook his head shyly. Although I think everyone knew this already, if the sold out show and multitudes of loving fans were any indication. MIKA promised, sing-song, that he will be back, and like the girl beside me who sang every word with him loudly, so will I."

Edited April 2, 2013 by krysady

[Christine]

That last one is really fantastic. And I like the pic. It looks so 2008.

[stelly78]

Thanks Krysady:thumb_yello:

Love too much the pics:wub2:

[PurpleCat]

http://curtainsup.tv/pop-phenom-mika-on-new-album-and-tour-his-idol-freddie-mercury-and-the-showbiz-closet/

 

Pop phenom Mika on new album and tour, his idol Freddie Mercury and the showbiz closet

 

British pop star Mika came out as a gay man in an interview with Instinct magazine last autumn.

 

“If you ask me am I gay, I say yeah. Are these [new] songs about my relationship with a man? I say yeah. And it’s only through my music that I’ve found the strength to come to terms with my sexuality beyond the context of just my lyrics,” said the 28-year-old singer who headlines Montreal’s Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre on April 6.

 

“This is my real life,” Mika then said about the songs on his current album The Origin of Love.

 

But I remember the handsome pop phenom played coy when I met him at the Auberge Le St-Gabriel in Old Montreal a couple of years ago. Mika turned to me, legs crossed, pretending to hold a cigarette, and did his finest imitation of Freddie Mercury.

 

“Yes, dahling,” Mika said à la Mercury. “Hello, dear!”

 

On this day Mika was very playful. “And he holds his beer like this,” he continued, imitating Mercury from the famous backstage British TV interview on the Queen – We Will Rock You: Live in Montreal 1981 DVD. “And he hardly drinks it!”

 

“You must get a lot of comparisons with Freddie,” I said.

 

“For being condescending?” Mika asked.

 

“No, for being fabulous!”

 

Not to mention dodging questions about his sexuality, a subject that – like Mercury before him – had dogged the singer since he first rose to fame. But when I asked Mika the pop star why he thought his private life wasn’t public property, he stared at me and replied, “Because I don’t offer it up for sale.”

 

Now that he has come out, Mika acknowledges the songs on his current album The Origin of Love are indeed about his relationship with a man. Fans can expect the pop star to sing many of his new songs at his April 6 concert at the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre.

 

Meanwhile, Mika told me he himself prefers female singers. “When you’re a woman singing, you can evoke so many [poses],” he said. “You can be sexy, authoritative and ballsy. You can be motherly and confident, strong or weak, in need. Traditionally male singers don’t show vulnerability. Think of Sinatra, Mel Tormé, all the great singers [and] all the great [male] rock singers – they’re never really vulnerable.”

 

Then Mika copped another Freddie Mercury pose and said, “Unless they’re playing with gender.”

 

Mika headlines the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre (2490 Notre-Dame West) on April 6 at 8 pm. Click here for tickets and more info. Click here for the official Mika website.

[nico_collard]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsburger/56073775-53/mika-american-lake-pop.html.csp

 

Just looking at these pictures, I'm starting to hope that I get to see an acoustic show sometime...