Mika in US & Canadian Press - 2013/2014

[cubitus]

I don't know where to post this since it's not confirmed yet, but according to this news, Mika will play in Montecarlo on August 6th:

 

http://www.nicematin.com/monaco/rihanna-elton-john-mika-et-roberto-alagna-en-vedette-au-sporting-summer-festival.1209981.html

 

Edit: I guess it should go in "Tour rumours", sorry.

 

Last time he played Monaco , the venue was half empty (80€ the ticket) and the posh audience not very interactive. When we met Mika afterwards he said he was disappointed by the audience , so I highly doubt he plays Monaco , but who knows.

[krysady]

LIVEDC: MIKA @ SIXTH AND I SYNAGOGUE http://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/livedc-mika-sixth-and-i-synagogue.htm

 

“Grace Kelly,” the first track and biggest hit from singer-songwriter Mika’s 2007 debut studio album, was one of those pop songs that would have been grossly overplayed … if in fact it were possible to get tired of it. Somehow, even on a 15th (or 50th) listen, those bubblegum beats stayed fresh and the ridiculous octave-climbing chorus felt as joyful and spontaneous as a child bounding up stairs. No one seemed to get sick of “Grace Kelly.”

Except, perhaps, for the artist himself. Performing at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue on Wednesday night, he opened with “Grace Kelly” and gave the distinct impression of getting the song out of the way. “Am I too dirty, am I too flirty?” Mika asked, as ever, but he wasn’t nearly enough of either on this one. The arrangement was uninspired, the delivery lackluster.

 

Thankfully, these problems were short-lived. It was, as they say, smooth sailing from there. Over the course of the next hour-and-a-half, the Beirut-born, London-based Mika offered the sold-out crowd a wonderful treat: a concert as rich as it was fun, as colorful as it was skilled. Far more creative treatment was given to “Lollipop” and “Underwater;” far more delight was gained from “Emily” and “Blue Eyes.”

“Emily,” in particular, literally brought the crowd to its feet. Mika has always combined level-headed lyrics with mischievously giddy melodies, and while his backup musicians tinkered with bass and drums, he held court from behind a black grand. Switching from English (“Emily, you could be a millionaire, but you’re so full of hot air / Gonna to end up like your father”) to French only raised the attention level. Just in time for the bridge, one big cognate came through: “dance.” So dance they did.

 

With a pair of talented multi-instrumentalists at his side and a falsetto that sounds like Robbie Williams doing a Freddy Mercury impression in his throat, Mika made the Sixth & I space his own. And what a space! Looking up at the beautiful, vaulted ceiling, our host advised his sound board early on: “We don’t need reverb tonight.”

The festivities started bright and vibrant, but, adjusting to his setting, Mika toned down both the volume and the lights – without sacrificing any energy – in the set’s second half, eventually even coming out from behind the mike and singing unamplified for, he said, the first time since he was a boy. The electric-bulb menorahs soon became significant glows as the “Intimate Evening” tour more than lived up to its name.

A word here on concert etiquette. Current audiences need a refresher on when to cheer and when to SHUT. UP. Hint: When the person everyone paid to see is singing pianissimo, don’t join in. And when he steps away from the microphone entirely, don’t do anything, least of all whisper with your neighbors. Gosh, it’s like some people have never been to a rock concert in a house of worship before …

Minor hiccups aside, Mika’s performance Wednesday was a smash from almost-start to finish. As in his studio recordings, even his saddest ballads somehow make you feel happy. It might start with their titles: “Happy Ending” could be the most tragic song the man has, but oh, it’s good for the heart. His rendition of it in Washington was bracing, sincere and crushing. By the end, no one was not smiling.

 

[stelly78]

Thanks for the article Chris:thumb_yello:

[krysady]

Thanks for the article Chris:thumb_yello:

 

You're welcome!

[robertina]

http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/04/12/the-lesson-learned-don-mess-with-mika/lOuiTcFjJffdDlvtPhIn5M/story.html

 

 

[robertina]

http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/04/12/the-lesson-learned-don-mess-with-mika/lOuiTcFjJffdDlvtPhIn5M/story.html

 

 

[GinevraDahl]

http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/04/12/the-lesson-learned-don-mess-with-mika/lOuiTcFjJffdDlvtPhIn5M/story.html

 

 

 

Oh, this is lovely . Thanks!

[Marilyn Mastin]

http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/04/12/the-lesson-learned-don-mess-with-mika/lOuiTcFjJffdDlvtPhIn5M/story.html

 

 

I'm loving all the positive articles! Thanks for posting this one.

[stelly78]

Thanks for posting robertina:thumb_yello:

[Poisonyoulove]

New video interview?

 

[YOUTUBE]BhJ4EBsEYTM[/YOUTUBE]

[krysady]

New video interview?

 

Not new,judging by his haircut

[Poisonyoulove]

Not new,judging by his haircut

 

It was just posted, though. I don't recognize it right offhand, if it's pieced together from a previous one. I mean, we've heard him say those things before, but I don't recognize the backdrop.

[krysady]

It was just posted, though. I don't recognize it right offhand, if it's pieced together from a previous one. I mean, we've heard him say those things before, but I don't recognize the backdrop.

 

I've also never seen it,who knows,could be made from a previous recording,like you said

[smokesignal]

I've also never seen it,who knows,could be made from a previous recording,like you said

 

I think I've seen it before, but even then there was no new material in it.

Still nice to see it again though

[C. Tyler]

I think I've seen it before, but even then there was no new material in it.

Still nice to see it again though

 

I've definitely seen that one. Mostly I remember him saying "I call it joy chasing" over the TOOL videos.

[krysady]

Live Review - MIKA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg http://www.officiallyayuppie.com/2013/04/live-review-mika-music-hall-of.html?spref=tw

[A. Clay]

APRIL 15, 2013

Concert Review:

Mika at Union Transfer

 

 

http://rockonphilly.com/2013/04/15/concert-review-mika-at-union-transfer/

 

I really like this review.

I think it's right on target.

Edited April 15, 2013 by A. Clay

[krysady]

Thanks,Alice!

[A. Clay]

Thanks,Alice!

I think that MAY be my FAV review.

Closest to what I think, anyway.

[stelly78]

Thanks a lot Alice

[A. Clay]

Here's another nice one jammed with loads of professional

photo images : It's for the Williamsburg, Brooklyn Show.

16 Apr

Concert Recap: Mika

http://kenami.tumblr.com/post/48141558273/concert-recap-mika

Edited April 17, 2013 by A. Clay

[LaraMay]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zack-rosen/the-nowhere-boy-mika-finds-confidence-in-coming-out_b_3111440.html

 

The Nowhere Boy: Mika Finds Confidence in Coming Out

 

Gay pop superstar Mika blasted out of the gates in 2007 with the indelible mission statement "Grace Kelly" and a Swiss-cheese view from inside the closet. Six years later he is firmly out and boasting a new elevator pitch in the title track of last year's Origin of Love.

 

Where "Kelly" traded in to-the-rafters choruses and obfuscating winks toward identity politics, "Love" cuts the theatrics and trusts its universal metaphor of "attraction is addiction" as a solid emotional lead-in to an album of intellectual pop love songs.

 

Where Mika was once a jumbo pack of sour-centered bubblegum, he's now a candy befitting his upcoming 30th birthday -- say, a vegan gummybear at the bottom of a kombucha bottle: sweet, sustainable, effervescent and with an unexpected resonance. The singer recently completed a small U.S. tour, including Washington, D.C.'s ultra-polite 6th and I Synagogue, further proving that a pop star can change his stripes.

 

This interview was done over the phone on April 5, 2013.

 

Zack Rosen: Is it safe to say you've grown up a little since you first released Life in Cartoon Motion in 2007?

 

Mika: I do most of my growing up on my record. As I move on, as I develop my songwriting, and as my life evolves, it's always going to be captured in the records. I like to stay true to myself and not buy a different persona. Strangely, I feel that I become increasingly reclusive in my normal life and more open and candid in my music.

 

Rosen: Your second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, seemed really nervy and jagged. It sounded to me like someone backing down.

 

Mika: The second album is part two of the first. The first is pinks and greens, and the second is a similar layout but in blue and purple. They were bookending each other. This new one, The Origin of Love, is a different thing. It's like a new movie.

 

Rosen: How do you feel about your first single, "Grace Kelly," six years out?

 

Mika: I feel exactly the same about it. It was a perfect representation of me as a 23-year-old. Because they are my songs and born from real life, they represent something real, not songwriter purchases. It helps them age gracefully. This whole thing about turning 30, everyone keeps haranguing me about it. I say I have a midlife crisis every time I start and finish a record.

 

Rosen: Are you still "identity mad"?

 

Mika: I have no idea who I am. I'm "The Nowhere Boy." I was brought up in many different cultures, moving around all the time, and I find my identity in my songs. I project the identity I want to have throughout the songs that I write. Identity for me is something that has to be played with and explored, and not become complacent about or uninterested in.

 

Rosen: Did coming out free you to expand who you are as a musician?

 

Mika: There was a de-complexing that happened in my life. I got to a point where I'm really happy. Not on a daily basis; I don't skip to the coffee shop. I'm not that kind of person. I was happy with the freedom I had to write what I write. It got to the stage where I said, "I've earned this myself." I've been given lots of guidance and help in getting to the stage where I'm comfortable in my skin, not hating my surroundings or feeling powerless, so I'm writing the songs that recognize that.

 

Rosen: Who gave you guidance?

 

Mika: I had a teacher at school who basically made it his mission to always get me out of trouble. He was the librarian at my school, a very eccentric Englishman who moved to Australia and lives in Scotland, I believe. He saw I was having trouble conforming not only with stuff like making friends but in my work. I was having a tough time keeping up with this tough academic school. He made up a sport for me that got me off school two afternoons a week. He used to pretend I was working in the library, but then he would book me a music room, and I'd write songs and show him the stuff I was making. He gave me space to not conform, and get away with it.

 

Rosen: What's his name? He might like to know that you remember him.

 

Mika: Hugh Eveleigh, the former librarian at Westminster School. He was amazing. There's people who look out for oddity, and instead of punishing it, they help it, and so many people have done that along the way for me. I guess what I'm saying is that all of that has to do with tolerance, being able to look at life in a slightly different way and be allowed to do so.

 

[We get sidetracked talking about the nature of celebrity. Mika checks back in with this:]

 

Mika: I did a show last night in Philly at the Union Transfer. Someone was smoking the most nasty chronic pot in the front row, and all the smoke was coming on stage. Normally that doesn't bother me, but this was so chemically enhanced, and it blocked my brain, and I couldn't remember any of my lyrics and couldn't keep time on my piano. Only the front section understood what was happening. I was singing my song "Popular," and I stopped it three times. I got to the second verse three times and forgot what was supposed to happen next. I felt like I was 14 on a camping trip, smoking for the first time. Whoever was smoking that **** needs to sort themselves out.

 

Rosen: What's your favorite song on Origin of Love?

 

Mika: A song that no one knows, "Heroes." It's based on an A. E. Housman poem called "The Lads and Their Hundreds to Ludlow Come Into the Fair," from the First World War. Most of a generation of young men were wiped out in the UK. Housman describes these men and how almost all of them will never come back, will die in their glory and never return. I was reading an article about the Army recruitment process in America, how so many people are being recruited from other countries at 19 years old in exchange for security and education and money for their families. They have no idea about the history or geography of the country, fighting a war they don't understand. I reinterpreted this Housman poem; I tried to make a modern version of it and put it on a pop record. The idea of the album is that it's a collection of love songs. Happy, bitter. Love songs about religion, about sexuality, about a mother and her son, one like this about a soldier that you've never met. Lyrically, I like that.

 

Alright: Which one of you was smoking that joint??

Edited April 18, 2013 by LaraMay

[Lucrezia]

Thank you Lara for posting it! It's really an interesting interview

 

I'll write my 2cents tomorrow, i really to go to bed now

[Christine]

Alright: Which one of you was smoking that joint??

 

I heard (from Mika via another MFCer) it was a bong.

 

That's sweet about his teacher. It's easy to imagine a lot of people seeing something special in Mika so I'm not surprised he's gotten that kind of help along the way. I had some pretty useless teachers but a few of them were pretty amazing like that too.

[LaraMay]

I heard (from Mika via another MFCer) it was a bong.

 

 

Security guard: Hey, what you got there?

Fan: Just a water bottle...

Security guard: Alright then.