Mika in French Press - 2014

[Littlelady]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

 

 

Florent has a lot of very active fans, I've met them. It's same in Finland. Many judges are singers with a good, long career and still doing well. I think it's still different here though, the markets are so small they all do also other projects than singing and need to promote every album well.

 

I guess that's why I'm used to see that singers do different projects. My favorite local singer does small television projects (not talent shows but actually really good quality ones), writes and does a lot of little collaborations with other artists. Before his latest album (which was a big success and got a lot of radio play) he clearly told how much he wants to concentrate on music/be a singer/perform but that he can do only that many concerts as he is asked and that after paying all costs touring doesn't give him much living at all.

 

And it's probably same for Mika. Some projects, like television shows, corporate gigs and commercial projects earn him more money and that way he is able to take other, more interesting but not so productive projects and now it looks he needs to finance his new album promoting as well As long as he does his work well and lets people see he is a professional, thoughtful and an honest judge he gives a good image. He is charming and fresh in his role, it looks to me people are impressed.

 

 

 

True words, Nina. I totally agree

[mamiam]

I share your thoughts in a lot of points, Nina

 

Can I ask what the name of your favorite local singer is?

 

And so do I Nina - you have lots of good points here!! Btw, also the judges in our The Voice are highly respected artists, with their own carrieres to take care of! And I've never heard, or read anywhere, that being a judge in this program is something to be embarresed about! Rather the opposite - I think it's much appreciated that they take their time, to share their knowlegde from their own experiences in the music world - and that they are willing to guide the young ones, into the right paths ...

 

Love,love

me

[IngievV]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

I would, if I were a Pharrell fan. If Katy would decide to become a judge now on whatever talent show, I would be hella pissed too. It's not just because it is Mika. It's because the show is really bad (in my humble opinion).

 

Also Pharrell is famous around the world. Mika is not anymore, which means Pharrell can afford to do more in one territory than Mika can when wanting to maintain popularity. But if it is Mika's goal to become a celebrity in Italy and France, he can be my guest. But every action has a consequence, in this case, fame in Italy, but the rest of the world will forget about him if they haven't already. I don't say that to be mean. I say that because it is the truth.

 

So have I changed my mind about X-factor? No. Because I did not become a fan of Mika to stare at his pretty face. I give zero f*cks about that. I am still here because of the music and the performances. And we could all hallelujah about X-factor, but the longer these talent shows go on, the longer it will take for new music and a tour to happen.

 

So basically I feel like this:

 

[crazyaboutmika]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

 

 

Florent has a lot of very active fans, I've met them. It's same in Finland. Many judges are singers with a good, long career and still doing well. I think it's still different here though, the markets are so small they all do also other projects than singing and need to promote every album well.

 

I guess that's why I'm used to see that singers do different projects. My favorite local singer does small television projects (not talent shows but actually really good quality ones), writes and does a lot of little collaborations with other artists. Before his latest album (which was a big success and got a lot of radio play) he clearly told how much he wants to concentrate on music/be a singer/perform but that he can do only that many concerts as he is asked and that after paying all costs touring doesn't give him much living at all.

 

And it's probably same for Mika. Some projects, like television shows, corporate gigs and commercial projects earn him more money and that way he is able to take other, more interesting but not so productive projects and now it looks he needs to finance his new album promoting as well As long as he does his work well and lets people see he is a professional, thoughtful and an honest judge he gives a good image. He is charming and fresh in his role, it looks to me people are impressed.

 

Thanks Nina

I was posting something similar and my phone crashed

[tiibet]

I share your thoughts in a lot of points, Nina

 

Can I ask what the name of your favorite local singer is?

 

Thanks! And sent you a couple of tweets to avoid being OT here.

 

So have I changed my mind about X-factor? No. Because I did not become a fan of Mika to stare at his pretty face. I give zero f*cks about that. I am still here because of the music and the performances. And we could all hallelujah about X-factor, but the longer these talent shows go on, the longer it will take for new music and a tour to happen.

 

Well I didn't become a fan of his to stare at his face either I think most long time fans are here for music. But I think that instead of just showing his pretty face on television he is making a good impression many other ways as well and it's good that people learn to know him.

[IngievV]

Thanks! And sent you a couple of tweets to avoid being OT here.

 

 

 

Well I didn't become a fan of his to stare at his face either I think most long time fans are here for music. But I think that instead of just showing his pretty face on television he is making a good impression many other ways as well and it's good that people learn to know him.

 

They got to know him the previous season. And it still does nothing for his international career. And then they know him, but no tour so no way to see him live doing what he does best, so he will just be another celebrity. I don't see the advantage of another season.

[IngievV]

But you know, his life and his choice etc. I don't care enoughto really be bothered. I am just a bit tired of all the excuses as to why this is a fabulous idea while before this was announced, everybody was hoping it wouldn't happen.

[RAK1]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

 

 

Florent has a lot of very active fans, I've met them. It's same in Finland. Many judges are singers with a good, long career and still doing well. I think it's still different here though, the markets are so small they all do also other projects than singing and need to promote every album well.

 

I guess that's why I'm used to see that singers do different projects. My favorite local singer does small television projects (not talent shows but actually really good quality ones), writes and does a lot of little collaborations with other artists. Before his latest album (which was a big success and got a lot of radio play) he clearly told how much he wants to concentrate on music/be a singer/perform but that he can do only that many concerts as he is asked and that after paying all costs touring doesn't give him much living at all.

 

And it's probably same for Mika. Some projects, like television shows, corporate gigs and commercial projects earn him more money and that way he is able to take other, more interesting but not so productive projects and now it looks he needs to finance his new album promoting as well As long as he does his work well and lets people see he is a professional, thoughtful and an honest judge he gives a good image. He is charming and fresh in his role, it looks to me people are impressed.

 

Anyone who judges on these shows does it for the money, it doesn't matter how rich and popular they are. I think Mariah Carey was doing American Idol for quite a substantial amount of cash. They aren't going to do it for nothing.

And I daresay all the judges on all these shows have a certain amount of their fanbases who aren't keen on these talent shows either, so probably sound off on their own forums about how they feel.

[RAK1]

And so do I Nina - you have lots of good points here!! Btw, also the judges in our The Voice are highly respected artists, with their own carrieres to take care of! And I've never heard, or read anywhere, that being a judge in this program is something to be embarresed about! Rather the opposite - I think it's much appreciated that they take their time, to share their knowlegde from their own experiences in the music world - and that they are willing to guide the young ones, into the right paths ...

 

Love,love

me

 

Like I just said to Nina, these shows aren't loved by everyone, and I'm sure a percentage of each judges fanbase are amongst them. Unless you go to the forums of all the artists and read through all the posts about the shows they get involved in, you can't say that no one has a problem with the individual artists being on the shows.

[Christine]

They got to know him the previous season. And it still does nothing for his international career. And then they know him, but no tour so no way to see him live doing what he does best, so he will just be another celebrity. I don't see the advantage of another season.

 

It does nothing for his career in Italy either. Unless his career now is being paid to sell mobile phones. Let's face it no one is here for the music anymore. Because there isn't any music anymore. The entire fanbase is either going to or wishing they could go hear 10 songs in Montreal in 2015 because the only thing else he will have done in 2 years is appear on TV. It is too little too late for me and unless and until he comes back one day with a proper album (not one written by a French lyricist) and a proper tour I will no longer call myself a Mika fan. Because right now Mika is a celebrity, not a respectable musician.

 

Pharrell is a mercenary. Mika said it himself. He wouldn't even meet with him without a $100,000 advance. Maybe the people on these TV shows are not has-beens but they are not the kind of "artists" I have any respect for either. Paolo Nutini just came back from a long hiatus and said if his album/tours don't sell he'll become a carpenter. We all need to earn a living. But when someone "needs" 4 multi-million-dollar houses and a 5-star-plus hotel room at the same time you are talking about a whole different set of values that has absolutely nothing at all to do with a desire to continue making music.

 

If you want to believe this is the same boy who wrote songs for the sole purpose of expressing himself on an ancient chipboard piano in his parents' one-bedroom basement apartment be my guest. But I can't listen to these rationalizations anymore. They do not correlate with anything at all that Mika is doing. You can only judge people by their actions, not some nonsense they talk in interviews with the media.

[guylainem123]

But you know, his life and his choice etc. I don't care enoughto really be bothered. I am just a bit tired of all the excuses as to why this is a fabulous idea while before this was announced, everybody was hoping it wouldn't happen.

 

The fact that people aren't going "I agree" "I was just going to say that" "you took the words out of my mouth" or simply ":thumb_yello:" on your posts, does not mean nobody agrees with you.

 

I've simply given up expressing my feelings about these shows.

 

But when fans wonder/whine why he isn't popular around the world, why his albums are not selling well in country X or country Y, why there isn't enough fans to tour in country Z & they have to travel to see him live, i may post links to the XF & Ze Voice threads as a reminder

 

Don't get me wrong, even if i hate XF, i do enjoy The Voice.... but it has nothing to do with seeing Mika on it.

[mamiam]

Like I just said to Nina, these shows aren't loved by everyone, and I'm sure a percentage of each judges fanbase are amongst them. Unless you go to the forums of all the artists and read through all the posts about the shows they get involved in, you can't say that no one has a problem with the individual artists being on the shows.

 

Of course these shows are not loved by everyone - that would be very strange!!

I'm not among, and don't know the fanbase, of our famous artists, who are now judges. So I have no idea of what they think about it, and in fact I don't care about it either When I say I think their work is appreciated, I mean amongst the public in general, and surely most among the people taking part in the competion - those who want to create their own carriere...

 

Love,love

me

[dcdeb]

I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware.

 

YES. THIS.

 

This is what bothers me the most about another season of XF8. Who really DOES pay any attention to these shows outside their own country -- if you even care about this sort of show at all? I'm afraid it will be another year when the only people who will even be aware that Mika is still alive will be us, who are already his most loyal fans, and people who watch the show in Italy. That's it. To everyone else, he won't exist. Oh well.

[Log lady]

We all need to earn a living. But when someone "needs" 4 multi-million-dollar houses and a 5-star-plus hotel room at the same time you are talking about a whole different set of values that has absolutely nothing at all to do with a desire to continue making music.

 

If you want to believe this is the same boy who wrote songs for the sole purpose of expressing himself on an ancient chipboard piano in his parents' one-bedroom basement apartment be my guest.

 

To everyone else, he won't exist. Oh well.

 

This is so depressing. I wish I could say that it isn't true, but to be honest I've had the same thoughts, multiple times.

I like reading all the positive comments, though, because they remind me of all the good things about him and I just don't want to give up hope for new good music and concerts. Call me a fool, but if this is the price to pay for more music that makes me feel so good, I'm willing to accept the "changed musician/celebrity Mika", for it wouldn't be possible any other way for me.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Log lady

[tiibet]

They got to know him the previous season. And it still does nothing for his international career. And then they know him, but no tour so no way to see him live doing what he does best, so he will just be another celebrity. I don't see the advantage of another season.

 

Yes, I agree with this, he already got that benefit with his first season. So I assume they pay him well.

 

Anyone who judges on these shows does it for the money, it doesn't matter how rich and popular they are. I think Mariah Carey was doing American Idol for quite a substantial amount of cash. They aren't going to do it for nothing.

And I daresay all the judges on all these shows have a certain amount of their fanbases who aren't keen on these talent shows either, so probably sound off on their own forums about how they feel.

 

I'm sure they all have fans who aren't keen on this kind of shows. Just wondering if people in general (big audience) are curious about their motives. It's a job so of course it's a way to earn money. And I think it's not that some of them need that money but more that the amount of money offered tells them their "value".

 

It's a horrible thought, isn't it, I have very mixed feelings about it. I hope XF pays him well because he totally deserves it (and I think they underestimated the value of his part in the show last time), but at the same time I really hope he can understand that his value can't be measured in money. Money should be just a tool but to be honest I have no idea how people with a lot of money see it

 

And Deb, read your comment (but later so didn't quote it) and I think you are totally right. People in other countries are probably not even aware of his talent show work. Well a friend of mine was excited and curious about Mika for the first time when he did XF Italy (even she had known I'm a fan for years) but only because she loves Italy and just bought a house there and follows Italian news/television...

[mamiam]

YES. THIS.

 

This is what bothers me the most about another season of XF8. Who really DOES pay any attention to these shows outside their own country -- if you even care about this sort of show at all? I'm afraid it will be another year when the only people who will even be aware that Mika is still alive will be us, who are already his most loyal fans, and people who watch the show in Italy. That's it. To everyone else, he won't exist. Oh well.

 

MIKA will prove he still exists - when his new alb. is out, and probably promoted properly! After all it's still only 1,5 year since TOOL was out. The huge failure then is that almost no country got to know about it !!! As far as I can see, the difference between TBWKTM, TOOL and this upcoming alb.is that MIKA now has done tons of other things, after his last alb. and got a lots of attention!! If he's forgotten, this happened before the TV shows, and not after, imo ...

 

Love,love

me

[RAK1]

YES. THIS.

 

This is what bothers me the most about another season of XF8. Who really DOES pay any attention to these shows outside their own country -- if you even care about this sort of show at all? I'm afraid it will be another year when the only people who will even be aware that Mika is still alive will be us, who are already his most loyal fans, and people who watch the show in Italy. That's it. To everyone else, he won't exist. Oh well.

 

Indeed.

This is what breaks my heart. We know here that he is a great artist, but the longer he shies away from getting back out on the road and touring, the more likely it will be that people who think he has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Like Ingie said earlier, the next album is going to need to be outstanding, and he is going to have to go flat out on promoting it, to get people in countries that haven't seen him in a while, interested again.

[RAK1]

MIKA will prove he still exists - when his new alb. is out, and probably promoted properly! After all it's still only 1,5 year since TOOL was out. The huge failure then is that almost no country got to know about it !!! As far as I can see, the difference between TBWKTM, TOOL and this upcoming alb.is that MIKA now has done tons of other things, after his last alb. and got a lots of attention!! If he's forgotten, this happened before the TV shows, and not after, imo ...

 

Love,love

me

 

The point is the only places he has got lots of attention is in France and Italy because of the tv shows. He may have got minimal attention in Belgium for the clothing project, but outside of those places he hasn't been seen since around the time of the last album release, which did marginally better in mainland Europe, Japan and Korea, than it did in the rest of the world. But at least people were still aware of him outside of those two countries.

At the moment, he could pretty much walk down the street in most places, and people wouldn't have a clue who he was, he's been away so long.

[crazyaboutmika]

Bump!

This is supposed to be the thread for scans and translations so just in case you're interested in this I'm posting it again

I enjoyed reading and translating it and the end is sweet in my opinion because he talks about love

And I will always love him and his gorgeous voice and songs

I remember I was mad at Pierre Bellemare who used to tell suspense stories (and sold them in books) when he introduced home shopping shows on French TV...but one day I heard him in an interview saying his books weren't selling anymore and it was the idea he had found so the people who worked for him would still have a job. So he had a good reason to do this. Mika needed more media coverage , he has more now and the money is earning now will enable him to have more artistic freedom in his shows and maybe a certain peace of mind...TBWKTM and TOOL however good didn't sold as much as LICM

I hope his next album will be fabulous and that he can tour all around the world again, I will really miss him this summer but when I love I always love unconditionally and I like to watch him on TV too

Anyway here is my translation if you guys still want to hear da man ...

http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4003800&postcount=595

[cathouzouf]

Bump!

This is supposed to be the thread for scans and translations so just in case you're interested in this I'm posting it again

I enjoyed reading and translating it and the end is sweet in my opinion because he talks about love

And I will always love him and his gorgeous voice and songs

I remember I was mad at Pierre Bellemare who used to tell suspense stories (and sold them in books) when he introduced home shopping shows on French TV...but one day I heard him in an interview saying his books weren't selling anymore and it was the idea he had found so the people who worked for him would still have a job. So he had a good reason to do this. Mika needed more media coverage , he has more now and the money is earning now will enable him to have more artistic freedom in his shows and maybe a certain peace of mind...TBWKTM and TOOL however good didn't sold as much as LICM

I hope his next album will be fabulous and that he can tour all around the world again, I will really miss him this summer but when I love I always love unconditionally and I like to watch him on TV too

Anyway here is my translation if you guys still want to hear da man ...

http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4003800&postcount=595

 

Great translation job Anne!

[ceebs]

they aren't has beens over here. Florent's been singing for decades and has released a new album.

 

From what I heard from Florent, he seems to have sort of a timeless talent and style that will never get old. I love his voice, and Garou's too. I haven't heard Jenifer's preformance on The Voice yet, so I can't say.

[Marilyn Mastin]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

 

 

Florent has a lot of very active fans, I've met them. It's same in Finland. Many judges are singers with a good, long career and still doing well. I think it's still different here though, the markets are so small they all do also other projects than singing and need to promote every album well.

 

I guess that's why I'm used to see that singers do different projects. My favorite local singer does small television projects (not talent shows but actually really good quality ones), writes and does a lot of little collaborations with other artists. Before his latest album (which was a big success and got a lot of radio play) he clearly told how much he wants to concentrate on music/be a singer/perform but that he can do only that many concerts as he is asked and that after paying all costs touring doesn't give him much living at all.

 

And it's probably same for Mika. Some projects, like television shows, corporate gigs and commercial projects earn him more money and that way he is able to take other, more interesting but not so productive projects and now it looks he needs to finance his new album promoting as well As long as he does his work well and lets people see he is a professional, thoughtful and an honest judge he gives a good image. He is charming and fresh in his role, it looks to me people are impressed.

I agree, especially the last paragraph. Mika needs to earn money, not just to have a good lifestyle, but also to finance his own publicity machine. It could be that he has to finance ads in UK when his album comes out. Judging by the last time, Universal won't do it.

I also read that Mika financed the Popular Song video, and that has, not only got millions of hits on YouTube, it's also (hopefully) got him a Disney Radio award!

If these talent shows have helped with the financing, then they are well worth it.

It's just sad that his record company are not supporting him, so he could concentrate more on his music. But they are not, so he needs these side projects if he wants to keep his career going strong.

[ceebs]

Pharrel Williams will be a judge? I don't follow castings in other countries unless I happen to read news about it so I wasn't aware. He is super popular, I can't imagine him doing it for money. Do people judge him for taking a job like that?

 

 

 

Florent has a lot of very active fans, I've met them. It's same in Finland. Many judges are singers with a good, long career and still doing well. I think it's still different here though, the markets are so small they all do also other projects than singing and need to promote every album well.

 

I guess that's why I'm used to see that singers do different projects. My favorite local singer does small television projects (not talent shows but actually really good quality ones), writes and does a lot of little collaborations with other artists. Before his latest album (which was a big success and got a lot of radio play) he clearly told how much he wants to concentrate on music/be a singer/perform but that he can do only that many concerts as he is asked and that after paying all costs touring doesn't give him much living at all.

 

And it's probably same for Mika. Some projects, like television shows, corporate gigs and commercial projects earn him more money and that way he is able to take other, more interesting but not so productive projects and now it looks he needs to finance his new album promoting as well As long as he does his work well and lets people see he is a professional, thoughtful and an honest judge he gives a good image. He is charming and fresh in his role, it looks to me people are impressed.

 

No, I haven't heard any criticism of Pharrell for taking the job. I'm not sure how the rest of my fellow Yankees see it, but I don't sense any negative backlash for singers taking these jobs. I think fans actually like it, because you can see the singers you like on a weekly basis and get to know them as a personalty better. That's just my opinion. I stopped watching Idol years ago, and I know it's really not doing well anymore, but The Voice is very popular now. Personally, I don't think there's stigma in the US for taking these jobs.

[Log lady]

Bump!

This is supposed to be the thread for scans and translations so just in case you're interested in this I'm posting it again

I enjoyed reading and translating it and the end is sweet in my opinion because he talks about love

And I will always love him and his gorgeous voice and songs

 

Thank you for the translation

[Marta.]

MIKA will prove he still exists - when his new alb. is out, and probably promoted properly!

 

i agree, for me it's all quite simple... step by step ...I continue not to see any problems in doing that kind of television: XFItaly and TheVoice France are decent shows, they are not rubbish, they have a dignity.

Nowadays doings many different things is almost a rule for an artist (for many reasons, not only to have money to buy a new house or a new car)... and for Mika is simply the same...he is not a strange creature from another world....

I do not know, maybe I have a different point of view because I did the reverse path: from the "Mika of today", I went back up to his early works. Well, it's hard for me to recognize him as he was in the past. Now I see him so differently, he is an adult, those things were his beginnings, the young and rebellious boy who made dance all over the world does not exist any more ... Mika's huge international success is strongly linked to his early work but past do not return back...years after years things have changed ... and the public has not accepted so well the "adult Mika" mainly because they did not know who he really was....that remains the real problem for me

IMO, it is good and wise for him to change strategy in some ways, to search for new audience, to find ways to make himself known, to have the courage to restart his career in different ways and from different places. To risk everything again. To continue to fight.

He has all my respect for this.

We will see his choices with the new album. That will be the point, obviously.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Marta.