MIKA on Tonight Show w/Ariana Grande 10/1/13

[crazyaboutmika]

Which brings me back to my first question. If performing on a US TV show is not the time for rehearsing until it's right and giving the best performance, then when is the time?

Mikasoon

It was cute but could have been rehearsed more...but maybe we don't know the whole story?

Mika likes his shows to be perfect usually but maybe the circumstances didn't allow it on this particular occasion? I'm wondering...

[IngievV]

Mikasoon

It was cute but could have been rehearsed more...but maybe we don't know the whole story?

Mika likes his shows to be perfect usually but maybe the circumstances didn't allow it on this particular occasion? I'm wondering...

 

Why? Every occasion is an occasion to be good.

 

I liked the performance personally but I can see the flaws.

[crazyaboutmika]

I do...

 

[YOUTUBE]qAtJ0wFv_1A[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]FvZkRgMzBvc[/YOUTUBE]

I deffo like Mika singing alone

[Mikasister]

I do...

 

[YOUTUBE]qAtJ0wFv_1A[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]FvZkRgMzBvc[/YOUTUBE]

 

Thanks so much for those vids Laura. Better singing alone by far but I like the one snging with Kristin:wub2:

 

Nice to see you here again

[krysady]

Ariana is coming to the UK this weekend.

[shouldilookolder]

Rewatching the performance, it seems better than it did at the time. I guess my expectations were crazy high at the time... Here's my thoughts:

 

1: I'm at a loss as to why people are saying "Mika isn't the best singer." If it's about not being good at duets, I dunno, that seems kind of like a separate issue to me. Other than that I have no idea what criticism could be given of his voice... (And I'm not one of "those" fans, I will gladly tell you which songs I can't stand)

 

2: Does anyone know wtf happened during the "try to make me feel bad with the things you do" line in this performance? It sounds very strange, almost like it was censored as it would be in the album version...

 

3: I really, really wish the ad-libbing wasn't there. It doesn't work at all.

 

As my husband pointed out - TV performances like these are rarely the best example of any artist's talent. And honestly, to "normal" people (not Mika fans, Ariana Grande fans, or music buffs), it probably sounded totally fine. We've heard this song so much that we're hyper-aware of every flaw or change to it, which makes us more critical than the average viewer... which is who this performance is targeted to, anyway.

[dcdeb]

 

2: Does anyone know wtf happened during the "try to make me feel bad with the things you do" line in this performance? It sounds very strange, almost like it was censored as it would be in the album version...

 

I don't *know* but my sense is that there was some confusion about who was supposed to sing that line. Mika clearly thought Ariana was supposed to sing it, and when she didn't he filled in, but then she picked up so he backed off. So I think it was just a failure to communicate there -- I think they covered it the best they could.

[Christine]

1: I'm at a loss as to why people are saying "Mika isn't the best singer." If it's about not being good at duets, I dunno, that seems kind of like a separate issue to me. Other than that I have no idea what criticism could be given of his voice... (And I'm not one of "those" fans, I will gladly tell you which songs I can't stand)

 

There's nothing wrong with his voice he just isn't literally the best singer in the world. I saw Mariah Carey perform on Oprah once and she was technically flawless. She concentrated on every single note and executed each one perfectly. I can imagine her laying down a record track in one take.

 

Mika's live vocals are not flawless and he's said so many times. He's putting on a show and not laying down a studio track and that's the whole point. It's a trade off and it's a good one. With a massive show like Parc des Princes I thought the cost was too high but smaller shows are a good balance and I'd rather see one of his shows than Mariah Carey's.

 

Ariana has a long way to go. She is not Mariah Carey and I think it's overstating it a bit to say she is better than Mika. She needs more work to be better than him because from what I've seen she doesn't have the same control over her voice. But she does have a very good voice and could do those Mariah Careyesque runs that I really can't imagine Mika doing (not that I would want to). He does not transition so easily from one note to another at times and will throw in an extraneous consonant or even syllable which is not the greatest technique IMO.

 

I've seen Adele quite a few times and I would say she is better than Mika in that she barely strains to produce an incredibly powerful sound. Mika's performances of Happy Ending are absolutely brilliant there is no question about that. But sometimes he looks like he is going to burst a blood vessel. Adele appears to just open her mouth and produce an equally powerful vocal. But again Mika is more entertaining than Adele who just sits on a stool while Mika is giving it his all for the audience.

 

I am pretty sure the only reason this came up is because of the implication that the only reason these women who sing with Mika come off sounding so good is because Mika lets them and not because they are great vocalists. No one thinks Mika is not a great vocalist with a wonderful voice.

 

On another note I find that Kristen Chenowith performance horrid. Her Broadway performances are delightful but she is no pop singer.

[tiibet]

A great duet would mean coming together to make something at least as good as they are as individuals. It doesn't mean holding back and giving half a performance.

 

This is true, if you put it that way, of course. But there can't be two separate stars on stage, the singers need to "fit" their performing style/energy together. And that can be done in a good way, as you described a good duet. I guess I just need to like the other singer very much to think the duet is equally good or even better than his solo performance. I can always say "they did well" if I generally think the result was good quality, but to personally like it as much as I like his solo performance I need to like the other singer very much too. Now that's not the case, I still think they did well.

 

I get why people on here are slightly biased when it comes to Mika, and I love him a lot, but to be honest, he is not perfect. I feel like Ariana gets blamed in this case for...well...singing with him and because it wasn't as good as it possibly could be, it's all about the 'circumstances.'

 

It's not about the circumstances. A professional performer always has to deliver. As Mika said himself, 'You're only as good as your last performance.'

 

I definitely don't think he is perfect and that's exactly how I want it to be. The above is not how I used the word "circumstances", it was nothing to do with delivering. I especially explained I talked about my personal taste. I don't enjoy Ariana's voice that much, so how an earth I could like their duet better than his solo performance. I didn't expect that to happen. I was still excited about this performance and wanted to see it very much. She is sweet. She seems to genuinely like Mika. She talks about him in a a very warm way. They looked cute together and the publicity is good for Mika. From my point of view the result was as good as it can be in this situation

 

I still think his performing style is different when he sings together with someone, I feel he lets himself shine more in solo performances. In duets he is careful not to be a separate star and it's the right thing to do, imo. This is how I experience his solo/duet singing. It's just my opinion. There's no absolute truth, because it's very difficult to measure the absolute amount of "shining", lol. The main reason why I prefer solo performances, however, is that to like a duet I should like the other singer too, not only Mika, and I generally very rarely like any other singer that much.

 

 

I am pretty sure the only reason this came up is because of the implication that the only reason these women who sing with Mika come off sounding so good is because Mika lets them and not because they are great vocalists. No one thinks Mika is not a great vocalist with a wonderful voice.

 

The reason why I used the ridiculous word "circumstances" in the first place (lol!) is because I definitely don't want to say Ariana is not a great vocalist. Many people seem to think she is extremely talented. I just don't find her voice pleasant. I love Mika's voice, I don't even care if he makes mistakes (and he does).

 

I once went to see Adam Lambert live and for me it sounded he didn't do any mistakes His voice was great all the time and the show was really smooth. But guess what, my back was hurting. I wanted to leave in the middle of the show (but I couldn't, because I was with my friends). I never feel any pain when I'm watching a Mika concert. I forget my pain And I'm almost expecting little imperfections in the show, that way it's always different.

Edited October 4, 2013 by tiibet

[kreacher]

As my husband pointed out - TV performances like these are rarely the best example of any artist's talent. And honestly, to "normal" people (not Mika fans, Ariana Grande fans, or music buffs), it probably sounded totally fine. We've heard this song so much that we're hyper-aware of every flaw or change to it, which makes us more critical than the average viewer... which is who this performance is targeted to, anyway.

 

i meant to point this out in my last post but forgot. i've yet to see a music performance, by any singer/band i really like, on a US talk show that really blew me away. Wonder why that is?

 

regarding the Kristin Chenoweth performance: they definitely needed to rehearse more

[tiibet]

 

[YOUTUBE]FvZkRgMzBvc[/YOUTUBE]

 

Exactly my point, thank you!!! Love hearing Max on the background

[IngievV]

Rewatching the performance, it seems better than it did at the time. I guess my expectations were crazy high at the time... Here's my thoughts:

 

1: I'm at a loss as to why people are saying "Mika isn't the best singer." If it's about not being good at duets, I dunno, that seems kind of like a separate issue to me. Other than that I have no idea what criticism could be given of his voice... (And I'm not one of "those" fans, I will gladly tell you which songs .

 

Christine explained this perfectly and I thought I had explained myself well but before we get this to escalate into "She said Mika is a bad singer!" as happens at times, I think it was an important part of the performance. I don't agree that Mika just takes a step back and lets others outshine him simply because technically he is not good at duets. I am not speaking about his voice solo which is amazing (however not flawless but I like the imperfections).

 

And yes tv shows are not always the best performances but more rehearsing would possibly have made the mix-up less likely to happen.

[Valmont69]

Amen! I think Ariana has better technique when it comes to singing duets. She has the tendency to overdo it, but still you can say whatever you want, she is a great singer. Whether her voice is your taste is another.

 

Here he shows how magnificent he sounds on his own when he uses the right techniques. Watch the ending. You can even hear Curtis going 'wow!'

 

Curtis is right, that one was the perfect happy ending.

[Valmont69]

I deffo like Mika singing alone

 

Yeah, I agree, even if he did some remarkable duets

I liked the performance, but it seemed to be just, how I can explain: a good pupil homework, a good composition, but not literature.

 

I didn't see the chemistry I saw in another duet performance:

 

[YOUTUBE]AwNkA0x6IVU[/YOUTUBE]

 

They were both not technically perfect, Mika was not at his best, you surely remember, but I think it was a far better duet performance.

I know it was completely another kind of song, another context, he couldn't "overperform" for his supporting role, and he didn't, but that duet was a great outcome, in my opinion, even if it was not perfect.

And I don't think it's a matter of the number of rehearsals they did.

[Shieun Jeon]

I think they did a great job! Their voices were really good, their costumes looked awesome. And this was their first time singing together right? I was very excited and still excited now!!

But I really don't like how Mika's getting famous from 'featuring Ariana Grande'. Don't get me wrong, I like Ariana very much personally, but I just get frustrated when most of Ariana's fans think that Popular Song is her song. You know, just look at the video of the performance Mika did in Perez Hilton studio, the comments are mostly about 'how Mika doesn't sound great without Ariana', 'where is Ariana', 'I only like the version with Ariana'. Mika should get popular from the works he did, not as 'a singer who sang with Ariana Grande'.

Other than that, I really like seeing them together:thumb_yello: I liked the way Mika was hunching his back most of the time hahaha

[tiibet]

I didn't see the chemistry I saw in another duet performance:

 

[YOUTUBE]AwNkA0x6IVU[/YOUTUBE]

 

They were both not technically perfect, Mika was not at his best, you surely remember, but I think it was a far better duet performance.

I know it was completely another kind of song, another context, he couldn't "overperform" for his supporting role, and he didn't, but that duet was a great outcome, in my opinion, even if it was not perfect.

And I don't think it's a matter of the number of rehearsals they did.

 

For some reason I really loved this performance, because of the feeling and warmth in it and because I immediately liked Chiara's natural style

[Christine]

From my point of view the result was as good as it can be in this situation

 

Right and as good as it can be in a bad situation is pretty much saying it's not great. It's like saying my flight took off 8 hours late, there was no food or drink or electricity, there was a baby screaming next to me on one side, someone with air sickness on the other, tons of turbulance and we crash landed. But under the circumstances it was a great flight. No actually a great flight would have excluded all of those bad circumstances. That's the difference between great and not great.

 

We ALL agree that Mika singing solo is preferable. The question is whether this particular performance was great or not great. And actually my question intially is why can't people just simply say it's not great if that's what they honestly think. But I should have known better and I completely give up now.

 

I once went to see Adam Lambert live and for me it sounded he didn't do any mistakes His voice was great all the time and the show was really smooth. But guess what, my back was hurting. I wanted to leave in the middle of the show (but I couldn't, because I was with my friends). I never feel any pain when I'm watching a Mika concert. I forget my pain

 

This is why I think that when people are still in the "honeymoon period" they are not necessarily objective about Mika and his work. People get defensive about it but believe me I understand. I have been there. There was a time when I could have walked across broken glass or hot coals and not felt the pain because I was so enraptured by him. The same thing that makes your pain disappear also makes BIOTW sounds like a beautiful song () or allows one to watch willy willy without wanting to slap Mika.

 

Now I look at Mika and Adam Lambert through the same eyes and experience their concerts in almost the same ways. I will always prefer Mika because I feel like I "know" him and therefore his songs have more personal meaning but a gig is a gig is a gig to me now and I really just want to sit down because my back hurts.

 

Christine explained this perfectly and I thought I had explained myself well but before we get this to escalate into "She said Mika is a bad singer!" as happens at times, I think it was an important part of the performance.

 

Well you have to be careful because saying "Mika is not the best singer" only works on a literal level. If you say that to a North American it could also be taken as "Most singers are better than Mika."

 

[YOUTUBE]AwNkA0x6IVU[/YOUTUBE]

 

They were both not technically perfect, Mika was not at his best, you surely remember, but I think it was a far better duet performance.

 

Yes this is exactly what I am trying to say about what is great and what is not. I like Ariana's voice more than Chiara's. We all like Mika singing solo better than singing a duet with anyone. But his duet with Chiara was great, the one with Ariana is not so great.

[Alie]

I definitely don't have the same taste than most people because I don't like Ariana's voice. She sounds fake and I don't like that. I love Mika because his voice is different than what we hear most of the time. But the duet was cute because they were cute together. The music background was too loud, we could hear Mika "correctly" but Ariana's singing was lost by trying to put too much effect in it (Am I clear ? I think my english is really bad here ) So who's fault it is ? Not really clear between Mika, Ariana or the technicians..

 

Beside that, I understand to point of everybody here. Yes Mika's voice doesn't mix very well with other singers most of the time.

[tiibet]

...

We ALL agree that Mika singing solo is preferable. The question is whether this particular performance was great or not great. And actually my question intially is why can't people just simply say it's not great if that's what they honestly think. But I should have known better and I completely give up now.

 

This is why I think that when people are still in the "honeymoon period" they are not necessarily objective about Mika and his work. People get defensive about it but believe me I understand. I have been there. There was a time when I could have walked across broken glass or hot coals and not felt the pain because I was so enraptured by him. The same thing that makes your pain disappear also makes BIOTW sounds like a beautiful song () or allows one to watch willy willy without wanting to slap Mika.

 

Now I look at Mika and Adam Lambert through the same eyes and experience their concerts in almost the same ways. I will always prefer Mika because I feel like I "know" him and therefore his songs have more personal meaning but a gig is a gig is a gig to me now and I really just want to sit down because my back hurts.

...

 

I thought it _was_ great. Lol! So I don't understand why I should say something I don't genuinely feel or think and I'm not going to do it. I hope it's fine this way

 

About honeymoon period. It's an interesting expression. I don't think I've ever had any honeymoon feeling. Literally. I've been married 17 years (in three weeks). People always say (and I've read about it from magazines etc) that at some point reality hits, there are good days and bad days, that's it's normal to be bored/annoyed/whatever but I've never had a day like that. Ever. I think every single day that I'm the luckies person in the world. I don't think my husband is perfect in any way. I just think our marriage gets better and I love him more day after day.

 

I can't recognize any honeymoon feeling with music either, I don't think I've had any honeymoon period. I've seen a LOT of concerts. And it's different now when it was in the beginning, because I probably pay attention differently but I enjoy music more and more. I can see and hear mistakes, I'm just happy to notice imperfections and I have my own favorite songs and not favorites, but I still love seeing concerts and listening to music as I did in the early days.

 

Hahah, I admit I do enjoy having a seat every now and then It gives perspective and I like seeing the whole stage and having a good view over the audience!

[Christine]

Nina sorry I can't quote at the moment. The honeymoon feeling can exist whether it ends after 2 days or lasts a lifetime. Mika's voice doesn't magically make people's feet and backs stop hurting. It's a different phenomenon. If it was just about going to concerts it would happen at all concerts.

 

If you think everything that someone does is funny or cute or amazing, etc. even if you know intellectually that they are not perfect that is effectively the same as seeing them as perfect. I mean you kind of have to see it that way to really enjoy being married for decades I think. And I'm sure people feel the same way about their children forever.

 

Great is a relative term. If that performance is great then what do you call the Happy Ending that Ingie posted?

[tiibet]

Nina sorry I can't quote at the moment. The honeymoon feeling can exist whether it ends after 2 days or lasts a lifetime. Mika's voice doesn't magically make people's feet and backs stop hurting. It's a different phenomenon. If it was just about going to concerts it would happen at all concerts.

 

If you think everything that someone does is funny or cute or amazing, etc. even if you know intellectually that they are not perfect that is effectively the same as seeing them as perfect. I mean you kind of have to see it that way to really enjoy being married for decades I think. And I'm sure people feel the same way about their children forever.

 

Great is a relative term. If that performance is great then what do you call the Happy Ending that Ingie posted?

 

Christine, I think we just see things very differently. For example, I definitely don't think everything that someone (anyone) does is funny, cute or amazing. If someone thinks I'm like that I take it as implying I'm brainless or blind. I like seeing that people make mistakes and are imperfect. I would be worried about myself if I thought someone is perfect and "too perfect" people are scary anyway. I try to understand reasons and analyze the situation. Things are not always like it looks at first.

 

A performance can be good in many ways even it's not perfect. This time the duet met my expectations and Mika and Ariana gave a very good impression, I think it was worth him to be in US television, he doesn't do it often. I can't understand what's wrong with this description and why I shouldn't say it. It gave a positive image of the song and them both. It wasn't breathtaking as Mika singing Happy Ending. How could it be? There's no need to compare those two songs, imo.

 

Mika's music stops my feet and back hurting because it takes my mind to another world. It's not literally magic but he is talented and I'm very lucky (to have found his music) (I hope my explanation was good enough, lol. I can't be much on mfc during the weekend, family things to do.)

[cathouzouf]

Amen! I think Ariana has better technique when it comes to singing duets. She has the tendency to overdo it, but still you can say whatever you want, she is a great singer. Whether her voice is your taste is another story.

 

I don't think Mika has a voice for singing duets. He is so much better singing solo and I feel like in most live versions of duets, he is outshined by the other singer, not because he 'lets' them outshine him, but just because as Christine said, he doesn't harmonize and keeps singing lead voice when backing voice would be much better for the song.

 

[YOUTUBE]X4ysl8mDOag[/YOUTUBE]

 

I personally think Ida is much better in this video.

 

[YOUTUBE]1AZz3AVS98M?t[/YOUTUBE]

 

Here he shows how magnificent he sounds on his own when he uses the right techniques. Watch the ending. You can even hear Curtis going 'wow!'

 

Quoting as I can't seem to see videos otherwise

[cathouzouf]

I think we can't compare live performance to TV ones.

 

The only thing I didn't like about that performance was that the sound was somehow off and there's nothing neither singers could do about it.

 

In my book, of all the musicians that I love, Mika is in a category of its own. Can't explain it with words, but there is something in his music, his voice that amazes me every single time I hear him sing. Those who come close to him do have something in common: they may not have the best voice technically (on that matter, I think no one beats Celine Dion, even though I don't even like her much, the woman CAN sing) but they are able to carry emotions through their singing.

[Christine]

For example, I definitely don't think everything that someone (anyone) does is funny, cute or amazing. If someone thinks I'm like that I take it as implying I'm brainless or blind.

 

I don't think it's brainless I just think it's biased. Let's get off the topic of Mika for a minute since it seems everyone is too sensitive about that and let's talk about children. Don't people think their children are funny, cute, etc. even when they are doing things that would annoy you if it were someone else's child and not your own? It doesn't mean you think they are perfect on an intellectual level it just means you have a different tolerance for your children's imperfections than those of strangers.

 

I definitely make exceptions for people I am in a romantic relationship with. Things that would annoy me not only in other people but even in men that I am no longer involved with...you just interpret things differently because of how you feel about the person in that moment.

 

In my book, of all the musicians that I love, Mika is in a category of its own. Can't explain it with words, but there is something in his music, his voice that amazes me every single time I hear him sing. Those who come close to him do have something in common: they may not have the best voice technically (on that matter, I think no one beats Celine Dion, even though I don't even like her much, the woman CAN sing) but they are able to carry emotions through their singing.

 

I would put Adele ALMOST in both categories. I find her just as appealing as Mika, she can actually convey emotions even better (from my perspective anyway, this is not something you can judge objectively). I wouldn't say she is quite as technically perfect as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey but she is very close.

[cathouzouf]

I don't think it's brainless I just think it's biased. Let's get off the topic of Mika for a minute since it seems everyone is too sensitive about that and let's talk about children. Don't people think their children are funny, cute, etc. even when they are doing things that would annoy you if it were someone else's child and not your own? It doesn't mean you think they are perfect on an intellectual level it just means you have a different tolerance for your children's imperfections than those of strangers.

 

I definitely make exceptions for people I am in a romantic relationship with. Things that would annoy me not only in other people but even in men that I am no longer involved with...you just interpret things differently because of how you feel about the person in that moment.

 

 

 

I would put Adele ALMOST in both categories. I find her just as appealing as Mika, she can actually convey emotions even better (from my perspective anyway, this is not something you can judge objectively). I wouldn't say she is quite as technically perfect as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey but she is very close.

 

My answer to that is : NO WAY:naughty: If my kids behave annoyingly, I would be the first to tell them to stop.

 

I like Adele a lot (we listen to her a lot in the car as it,s one of the few singers hubby and I both like) and you're right, she's pretty high in both categories:thumb_yello: