RAK1 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 They are two young Norwegian artists, who both do extremely well right now It's quite fun that both are from Bergen. Kygo is 24 y.o. he's playing electro house and pop. Started his USA tour "Cloud nine" in Jan.-16, did a great performance at Ellen show, then to NYC, San Francisco, Toronto Chicago etc. Totally 22 cities in US & Europe, sold out shows He'll perform at Heineken Hall, Amstedam 26 & 27.3. Aurora is 19 y.o. - she was a quest at Jimmy Fallon 2 days ago. Katy Perry is a fan of her You can google them, and watch a lot of stuff at youtube, if you're interested - they're both very clever, and seems to take the world by storm... Love, love me I think Aurora did a session on Jo Whileys show late last year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascale Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) They are two young Norwegian artists, who both do extremely well right now It's quite fun that both are from Bergen. Kygo is 24 y.o. he's playing electro house and pop. Started his USA tour "Cloud nine" in Jan.-16, did a great performance at Ellen show, then to NYC, San Francisco, Toronto Chicago etc. Totally 22 cities in US & Europe, sold out shows He'll perform at Heineken Hall, Amstedam 26 & 27.3. Aurora is 19 y.o. - she was a quest at Jimmy Fallon 2 days ago. Katy Perry is a fan of her You can google them, and watch a lot of stuff at youtube, if you're interested - they're both very clever, and seems to take the world by storm... Love, love me I like Kygo's At least we stole the show a lot. Weird but funny video. Good performance at Ellen's indeed. I hadn't seen it yet. He did an very good acoustic version in a Dutch tvshow ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHKnXZuMJs) . although I prefer the official version. The acoustic one is a bit too slow to my taste. Parson James has an incredibly strong life voice though, at least if they haven't tricked the recording in the shows. Edited March 17, 2016 by Pascale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babspanky Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I like a bit of Avicii myself 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I think Aurora did a session on Jo Whileys show late last year. Yes, Aurora played live at JW in June-15, and visited her again before Christmas ... Pascale: Maybe you now can hear Kygo live in A'dam 26 or 27th this month!? Love, love me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascale Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) I like a bit of Avicii myselfYes, me too, I'm a fan of Waiting for love. Last week, a duo sang a nice cover of that song at the auditions of Voice France. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NER4NvL4HMwI just read on wikipedia that Avicii is the 6th fastest growing compagny in Europe in 2016. It really is the scandinavian Era now. The vikings are back! Pascale: Maybe you now can hear Kygo live in A'dam 26 or 27th this month!? No, I'm not going. Would be nice but I'm saving money to visit Vilnius and Riga at the end of May to go to a concert of a certain Lebanese/English/French singer. Maybe not as modern as Kygo but a great performer and I'm curious to find out how the fans are in that part of the world. And how life is in the Baltic states. I want to go by boat if it isn't too expensive. Seems the right way to travel to those Hanze cities. Edited March 17, 2016 by Pascale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Yes, me too, I'm a fan of Waiting for love. Last week, a duo sang a nice cover of that song at the auditions of Voice France. I just read on wikipedia that Avicii is the 6th fastest growing compagny in Europe in 2016. It really is the scandinavian Era now. The vikings are back! No, I'm not going. Would be nice but I'm saving money to visit Vilnius and Riga at the end of May to go to a concert of a certain Lebanese/English/French singer. Maybe not as modern as Kygo but a great performer and I'm curious to find out how the fans are in that part of the world. And how life is in the Baltic states. I want to go by boat if it isn't too expensive. Seems the right way to travel to those Hanze cities. Yeah, "The Vikings are back" - it migh be really dangerous in the music world now, haha Btw, I fully support your gig-choice, think it's a wise one, to experience MIKA in the Baltic states... Love, love me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellody Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Only just finished reading all of this discussion, as I missed it last week due to my holiday. Just a few points I'd like to add: a) I'm sorry for Jemma. Usually I'm the first to jump in to Mika's defense, if he publicly gets hurt or something - but him publicly blaming a fan like that shocked me a lot more than Jemma's words did at the Adelphi. I might not agree with her opinion, but she didn't insult him, and actually already his introduction to the song sounded like he must have known that there are at least a few people in the crowd who think like this, so it shouldn't have shocked him like it did. Or like he claims now that it did. In fact, there's several exaggerations in this story - not just the "didn't talk much to the crowd anymore" bit, that has been mentioned, but also the 300 flags from China, Lebanon, etc. - it definitely wasn't 300 but probably less than 100 - and I'm not sure China and Lebanon was even among them. What I also found interesting is that in this story he seems to lump together all his fans (in the crowd), because he said "it just shows you should never judge too quickly" and in the end he concluded that "my fans are like me". He always says that his fans are like him, so what does that mean? That the incident made him doubt this during the show? That he realized that he falsefully judged the comment as intolerant, because Jemma as part of the fanclub is also part of this international community, thus one of the fans that are like him, and he only realized this at the end of the show? If we could discuss this story with him, I'm sure Mika could clear this up, and both sides would have a chance to understand each other's points of view - but as that isn't possible, I agree with those who said that Mika should've left the story at the Adelphi. b) about the question *why* this incident seemed to have hurt Mika so much - I have a feeling it might go back even further than to the beginning of his career, but to when he first came to London from France, and wasn't accepted. Getting bullied might leave scars for decades, and you might overreact to tiny triggers that remind you of the old humiliations. It was the same for me, and it took me over 20 years to get over it. Maybe he wants to prove a point somehow in trying to get his British audience to accept him singing in French... but I guess if he wants to get away with it, he has to provide a bit more to the Brits than just one or two gigs a year. c) About the subject matter, I think after reading this whole discussion, I finally understand better why many of the British fans want no French songs. It would probably be as if he didn't do a single French song at a regular French gig, and then as the encore played Stardust in Italian. I guess that wouldn't go down well with the French crowd either. One thing I didn't really get tho is the argument about not knowing the songs. That might be true for random gig-goers who might not even have all the albums, but they would only want to hear the hits, and this never will happen (luckily!), unless it's a "Best-of"-tour, and Mika is still too young for that! But talking about MFCers, I've never heard anyone complain about Mika singing a previously unknown song from his upcoming album at a gig, on the opposite, fans love hearing these first. So simply the fact that you don't *know* a song can't really be a reason for not wanting to hear it at a gig. Not liking it (for whatever reason) is something different, of course. I also would prefer to hear (for example) Pick up off the floor instead of Over my shoulder at any given time. But from what I gathered in this discussion, this doesn't seem to be the real, or the main reason anyway... I suppose if he did at least as many gigs in GB per year as he did in France, one or two French songs per gig wouldn't be such a big problem anymore. But as long as Mika doesn't manage to give the British fans the feeling that he loves them just as much as his French or Italian fans, but on the opposite makes negative comparisons like the examples that have been posted here, I don't think he can have much hope of getting more acceptance from the Brits in return. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascale Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) Only just finished reading all of this discussion, as I missed it last week due to my holiday. Just a few points I'd like to add: If we could discuss this story with him, I'm sure Mika could clear this up, and both sides would have a chance to understand each other's points of view - but as that isn't possible, I agree with those who said that Mika should've left the story at the Adelphi.: To be honest, I find it a bit disappointing that Mika hasn't reacted at all after the commotion about the interview and goes on twittering about Dita Von Teese as if nothing has happened. Probably it's too much to ask that he bothers about things like this. Maybe he doesn't even know. Or possibly he (probably rightly) thinks it's best for everyone not to say anything in public about it (yet) so the storm will blow over and more drama can be avoided. Or it could also be that he's still fine with what he said in the interview and sees no need to get back on it. Or.... Many possibilities. But since we don't know or hear anything, I feel kind of dissatified with the present outcome. However it's not that I know what would be the right solution. It's hardly any of my business anyway since I said myself that in the end this is between Mika and Jemma. But because it's all been so in the open and there has been so much discussion about it, it would be nice to see an openly happy ending or any ending at all. Weird thing this artist/fandom/social media thing. The conflicts are the same as in real life but there's an extra complicating element because of the involvement of so many people watching it all happening and commenting on it from the sideline. Edited March 18, 2016 by Pascale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 One thing I didn't really get tho is the argument about not knowing the songs. That might be true for random gig-goers who might not even have all the albums, but they would only want to hear the hits, and this never will happen (luckily!), unless it's a "Best-of"-tour, and Mika is still too young for that! But talking about MFCers, I've never heard anyone complain about Mika singing a previously unknown song from his upcoming album at a gig, on the opposite, fans love hearing these first. So simply the fact that you don't *know* a song can't really be a reason for not wanting to hear it at a gig. Not liking it (for whatever reason) is something different, of course. I also would prefer to hear (for example) Pick up off the floor instead of Over my shoulder at any given time. No one was trying to make the point that the audience would be disappointed to hear BBB because they are not familiar with the song. People were arguing that it was unfair to the audience to make a request to Mika to remove BBB from the setlist, but if the audience has never heard of this song they will not care if he removes it from the setlist. If you go to McDonald's you are not going to be disappointed that spaghetti is not on the menu because you went to McDonald's to get a hamburger. This may be an arguable point but I think if they have not heard of this song and he adds it to the setlist they are not likely to get much out of it since they don't even know what it's about. This was certainly my sense in NYC when people did not respond to BBB the way they do in Montreal. And they went completely mad for WAG which Mika did not even put on the setlist for London. In other words the downside of leaving BBB off the setlist is virtually non existent in a market where this song is not included on anyone's CD. The downside of adding it to the setlist is it's a wasted number that the audience doesn't connect with when most of them would love to hear Any Other World or WAG instead. But from what I gathered in this discussion, this doesn't seem to be the real, or the main reason anyway... I suppose if he did at least as many gigs in GB per year as he did in France, one or two French songs per gig wouldn't be such a big problem anymore. But as long as Mika doesn't manage to give the British fans the feeling that he loves them just as much as his French or Italian fans, but on the opposite makes negative comparisons like the examples that have been posted here, I don't think he can have much hope of getting more acceptance from the Brits in return. This is it and I don't understand why he is so oblivious to how he has made his hardcore UK fans feel excluded, especially when they are so vocal to him about it and have been complaining about it for many years. Yes the Brits as a society or the media or whatever rejected Mika first. But the individuals who are still going to his gigs 9 years later are not the people who rejected him. He is the one who abandoned them. He is making them pay for the sins of this larger group of fans of LICM who no longer buy his records. I understand that the lack of general success in the UK creates pragmatic problems. Obviously it's not worth his while to do an extensive tour of the UK every year. But there are things that he can easily control, like not making these negative comparisons in the media or putting his UK hit songs on his setlist instead of some random French song that is not even sold in the UK. To be honest, I find it a bit disappointing that Mika hasn't reacted at all after the commotion about the interview and goes on twittering about Dita Von Teese as if nothing has happened. Probably it's too much to ask that he bothers about things like this. Maybe he doesn't even know. I think Mika is completely out of touch with his fans and has been for years. Which is probably why he was so blindsided by everyone not adoring BBB. This is one of the reasons I am so mystified by the dramatic increase in fans endlessly praising and thanking Mika and showering him with extravagant gifts and surprises every day. I don't understand why people thank him just for performing his gigs for example. That is his job and you are paying him for it, it is not like he's doing his fans a generous personal favour! The disturbing thing is he's starting to believe this himself. I noticed in another Chinese interview he was apparently talking about fans responding (shouting out from the audience etc) and he said something like "this is my home, you will eat whatever I serve" (paraphrasing). Um no, it is not your home Mika. If you want to literally invite me to your home and not charge me an entry fee then yes of course I will sit quietly and be happy when you sing a Shakespearean sonnet in Japanese. But when you come to my city and charge me money then I am not a guest in your home. More like a customer in a restaurant who has every right to pick and choose what they prefer on the menu. He is just not living in reality anymore and I don't think he cares to know what his fans think unless it comes in the form of unconditional praise. He used to spend so much time talking to fans and having people who were close to him talk to fans. Now there is a huge moat around him and I think newer fans can't see this because they a) don't know what it was like before when he wasn't just blowing past fans on the way to his car and b) Mika creates an illusion of intimacy by being on TV all the time or spending 10 seconds tweeting when he gets a gift or surprise. This looks like a lot of attention to the larger fanbase but does not feel like it if you are actually waiting outside the venue and he leaves without stopping to give thanks in person. He does seem to have connected with his Chinese fans which is really nice to hear but my sense is that the novelty of his western fans wore off many years ago for him. He used to work hard at keeping them happy but now that his fans seem to be thrilled out of their minds at his mere existence, he doesn't have to do anything. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellody Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Christine, Mika's change in attitude towards his fans has been a topic on my mind for quite some time as well now. I just think it's too easy to say "he's spoilt, so he doesn't care anymore". I think it's more complicated. Two main reasons for that. a) Last year, I was lucky enough 2 times to meet Mika in a relaxed mood, without a mob of fans crowding around him, and there I could see the old Mika is still there, the one who's genuinely happy to see some of his old fans, meet them, and chat a bit. Well, that was 2 gigs out of 10 I went to (and from what I heard from others, there weren't many chances like this at other gigs either), it used to be the other way round. But it's still there. And b) while you could easily think the change came from the new fame he got by doing the TV shows, I think it was first the change, and then the TV shows. He *knew* most of his old fans would disapprove of him doing these shows, and still he did them. I think that's because at some point he decided not to care so much anymore about his fans' opinion, or not trying to please them anymore as much as he used to. I have a feeling it was a *decision*, rather than a development caused by his fame and fans spoiling him. You're certainly right about there being a change. Before the tour, I still could've thought I was imagining it, but during the autumn tour, it became really obvious. A few years ago, he used to come out to meet his fans after almost every gig, often staying to chat a bit - and even if he couldn't stop for some reason, he'd wave from the car or something, letting us know that he had left. On the last tour, it wasn't like that. He sometimes left through the back entrance without anyone noticing, and if he stopped, he was mainly signing autographs, not chatting. One reason for that surely are the amounts of fans that are waiting after every gig, and the way he gets mobbed, but it's not the only reason. His attitude has changed, he's becoming more and more like any other star, away from that very special relationship with his fans, that I used to love him for so much. The question is, why. I have my own theory about it and am curious about whether the future will show any of it to be true (like, hints in interviews etc.). I think he used to try to please his fans more than it was good for him - like, coming out to meet them when he already had a cold and barely could talk, spending money he didn't have on hot chocolate for the queue, champagne for meetups, and pub parties (well, *one* pub party...), stuff like that. And I wonder how much of that he did because he had the feeling he owed it to his fans in return for their admiration. As it had been said many times back then, he didn't owe us anything - we pay for a gig, we get a gig. Anything beyond it is a luxury. And maybe at some point he just realized this. He realized he doesn't owe us anything, except music if we pay for a CD or a performance if we pay for a show. He realized that he can't pay his debts from the nice presents he gets from us. And he realized that he can't please everyone, which I think he was trying to do. But if he did something to please fan (group) A, then fan (group) B would say "no, but I wanted something else" (if they were included) or "hey, but I want this, too!" (if they weren't). This goes from his setlist over M&G's to the clothes he's wearing or the songs he'd release as singles - whatever he did, he couldn't do it right, someone would always be unhappy with his choice. Which is just natural, with such an heterogenous and big group of fans. Mika used to care, he answered on Twitter, he used to read MFC, he listened to advice from his fans at M&G's - and he stopped all of this now. He's gone to the other extreme, because it got too much for him, or because he realized he couldn't fulful his own requirement to please everyone. Which gets me to another point, pressure. He recently mentioned it in an interview, that he runs from pressure as soon as he senses it. And I think he is a bit oversensitive to it now. In the interview, he talked about pressure from people wanting to make money out of him, but I'm sure the constant stream of moaning and demands by his fans put(s) pressure on him too. Just today, I remembered that Belgian festival I went to last summer. Me and other fans had continuously asked him on Twitter to play Promiseland there, since he had performed it in Cattolica for the first time shortly before. And I had made a banner for the festival, asking him to play it. It turned out that he didn't play it, and I didn't get any eye contact from him at this gig, until the very last song. Call me crazy, but I think there's a connection. He felt pressured to sing it, by the tweets, by the banner, and he made it clear to me that he didn't want this. Fast forward to London and the "we don't want french songs" - I think I had seen it mentioned here that fans were tweeting that to him in advance (I hadn't seen it on twitter, just from what I read here) - then take Jemma's comment during the show, and Mika's aversion against pressure, and I'm not surprised anymore why he got angry. That doesn't make his reaction right, of course. It's just something that crossed my mind, after reading this interview comment about pressure, combined with my experience from the Belgian festival. That it might not be about tolerance and bullying experiences and all that, but just about him being unable to deal with (what he feels is) pressure. I really hope that in his private life he isn't so oversensitive to it, because running from pressure can also mean running from responsibility. This is different from not being able to deal with criticism, though it overlaps. When he has the feeling that criticism is meant to pressure him into doing something he doesn't want (or not doing something he wants), that people *expect* something from him, instead of asking and leaving the choice to him, he runs. Or gets angry, if he can't run from it. Maybe he even does the opposite, on purpose. This is not a nice character trait, imo, but it IS rather a character trait than a development coming from being spoilt too much. It's a different way of dealing with pressure, than he had done before (which may have been swallowing it, or trying to give in by trying to please everyone, or whatever), and apparently one he is happier with. And we aren't. I just hope he eventually finds a way in the middle, between pleasing everyone and pleasing no one but himself. He certainly can't expect from us to stop asking him for things we would like. So I've talked a lot now and not sure if I even managed to get my point across, because it's more a feeling that is hard to express with words - and not even sure it's so different from what Christine said, tho my feeling tells me that I disagree with her point. But something in the end, that might make it a bit more tangible: Has anyone ever thought about Promiseland being (partly) about the fans, their demands, and his feeling to owe them something (second verse, in particular)? It's a thought that has crossed my mind and that fits to my theory. I might be completely wrong with that, but would be curious to know what others think. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 So I've talked a lot now and not sure if I even managed to get my point across, because it's more a feeling that is hard to express with words - and not even sure it's so different from what Christine said, tho my feeling tells me that I disagree with her point. But something in the end, that might make it a bit more tangible: Has anyone ever thought about Promiseland being (partly) about the fans, their demands, and his feeling to owe them something (second verse, in particular)? It's a thought that has crossed my mind and that fits to my theory. I might be completely wrong with that, but would be curious to know what others think. I interpret this song as a general moaning at the music industry. Perhaps that could encompass record buyers in general, but not Mika fans in particular. I always thought this was about his fans though. Everybody wanna live your life Everybody wanna talk like you Only wanna do the things you do 'Cause they always gonna turn out right Everybody wanna live your life It certainly illustrates what I think of some Mika fans, even if he doesn't I agree with a lot of what you say re Mika being more involved with his fans than may have been good for him. My response to Pascale was not a complaint, just an explanation for why one should not expect any kind of resolution or even awareness from Mika on what we have been talking about. The last time I spoke to Mika we inadvertently ended up in the same restaurant. We left him alone as he was busy with a journalist. He voluntarily came over before he left and had a nice chat. When we asked for the bill the waitress told us Mika had already paid. He is as kind and generous as ever but getting that kind of access to him now is blind luck rather than something fans could rely on fairly consistently. Again I am not even complaining about that. I am also a huge fan of Paolo Nutini and Adele but I do not expect to spend even 5 seconds with them after a gig because as you say nothing is owed. I pay for my ticket, they perform, everyone is happy. But I still think he has been spoiled by his fans of late. How could it not give someone an unrealistic perception of reality for hundreds of people to tell you you are perfect and that everything you do is proof of how amazing you are and what a genius you are? How could you not be spoiled when you turn up to do your job and hundreds of people are throwing gifts at you and planning elaborate surprises to make you smile for 30 seconds? And by spoiled I don't mean that he is not appreciative of these things. I think he is and I think it's the reason he does spend time with his fans when he does choose to do so. By spoiled I just mean that he expects everyone to embrace everything he does without question. To just happily follow him around (with no thought to how much money and time that requires and how few people can afford it), and not be discontent when he doesn't perform in the UK etc. His expectation that his fans be like him is bordering on narcissim and I don't think most of his fans actually are like him. I think they just tell him whatever he wants to hear and approve of everything he does whether it is inherently appealing to them or not. I know people are going to balk at that but can we be real? How many among us were spending our Saturday nights in 2010 watching talent shows? How many of us gave a flying f*ck about haute couture? How many of us wanted Mika to do a duet with an Italian rapper? His fans go along with whatever he's involved with and tell him it's amazing because that's what fans do, not because they have an inherent interest in these things. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellody Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Well yes, you're right, that fans see their star through rose-tinted glasses and tend to like everything he does. As you say, that's what fans do. But why shouldn't this have changed Mika's perspective in the first few years, but now suddenly it did? I think in 2007 he had just as many admiring fans around the world as he now does in Italy. I also don't think he expects all his fans to *like* everything he does. But he probably expects them to *accept* it, enjoy the parts they get, and just ignore the rest instead of moaning to him about it. In the context of the British fans, I don't think he even realizes what their real problem is, he just hears "no french songs in the UK", and isn't able to make the connection to them missing him and feeling betrayed and like he's rubbing it in when he sings a french song there. Every country says they miss him, even french fans say they miss him if he's not doing a gig there for a few months, it's all a question of perspective. And well, there again you're right, Mika's perspective is not the same as the fans' perspective - with all the admiration, but also all the demands he constantly gets, how is he supposed to know which fans have a good reason for what they wish for and which just do it because they can't get enough, or just enjoy voicing their opinion, or whatever? He can't, so what surprises me is that you seem to think that Mika should know how his british fans feel, when it took *me* reading 20 pages of MFC discussion to get a general idea of it, despite looking on it from a fan's perspective. Of course that doesn't solve the problem, I have no idea how to get such a complicated matter across to him. About Promiseland, what got me thinking right from the beginning is the line "kept on running from the devil but the devil was you" - who is "you"? The music industry people always were the devil to him, but in the past few years, he doesn't seem to avoid them that much anymore. So, he kept on running from them, thinking they were the devil, but in fact it was someone else whom he found responsible for his lack of success. Sure, not only his perspective on his fans has changed, but also he doesn't seem to work anymore with people who he has been working with from the start, like Greg Wells or Es Devlin. With all these changes, it's hard to say who he means with what in the song. It's just one idea that he's talking about fans who used to tell him do this and do that, and he did it (tried to do it), but then they abandoned him. Surely he's not talking about any fans in particular, just "fans" in general, of which the number has significantly decreased from 2007 on. That it might have been bad advice by music industry people / lack of promotion that led to this is a different issue, I'm just trying to understand Mika's perspective and his reasons to write these lines - that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. Live your life, well, I don't think he wrote it from a fan's perspective on himself, rather his perspective on people he admires, or popular people at his school, when he wasn't popular at all. But you're right that it also describes a fan's perspective on Mika. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) I have had some similar thoughts you wrote in your post, Karin. He is communicating/interacting with his fans much less than he used to a few years ago but maybe he never enjoyed it in that extension, maybe it was simply too much and now he has given himself a permission to do it on his own terms. Of course it's also more difficult now because there's often a big crowd waiting for him and people mob him but sometimes it looks he prefers it that way and that he actually likes it that it gives him a reason to leave quickly. I can understand his feelings towards pressure and people demanding him to do things in certain way. I often feel need to defend him in discussions because I don't like pressure and demanding myself (and not because I think he needs anyone to defend himself). I can't stand people telling me what to do and sometimes I do the opposite even it it's not even rational just to get the feeling I'm making my own decisions. Maybe that's why I've always loved most the Mika who does whatever he likes even it sometimes means he is not doing what I wanted. Not sure if this makes any sense? But I still think he has been spoiled by his fans of late. How could it not give someone an unrealistic perception of reality for hundreds of people to tell you you are perfect and that everything you do is proof of how amazing you are and what a genius you are? How could you not be spoiled when you turn up to do your job and hundreds of people are throwing gifts at you and planning elaborate surprises to make you smile for 30 seconds? And by spoiled I don't mean that he is not appreciative of these things. I think he is and I think it's the reason he does spend time with his fans when he does choose to do so. By spoiled I just mean that he expects everyone to embrace everything he does without question. To just happily follow him around (with no thought to how much money and time that requires and how few people can afford it), and not be discontent when he doesn't perform in the UK etc. He gets a lot of gifts indeed. People often give him gifts simply to have some contact with him. He doesn't look at people when he signs albums etc, not like he used to do. But he is so polite that he often looks at people who manage to give him a gift. And I guess fans like to surprise him during gigs for the same reason (for interaction) and just to make him happy and to see a positive reaction on his face. His life is so different than ours To be honest I don't think he has any idea what it means to see a lot of gigs around the world. He probably just thinks that people magically appear wherever he goes Last time I saw him I told him that I have a life (as an explanation to something) and he said "I know, I know" but I don't think he has ever even thought that his fans have lives (and what kind of effort it is to travel around both money and time wise). Edited March 21, 2016 by tiibet 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) Well yes, you're right, that fans see their star through rose-tinted glasses and tend to like everything he does. As you say, that's what fans do. But why shouldn't this have changed Mika's perspective in the first few years, but now suddenly it did? I think in 2007 he had just as many admiring fans around the world as he now does in Italy. Because it wasn't so cultish and extreme before. I mean you can't say anything that comes near to criticism about Mika now without fans completely losing their minds. Yes we always had disagreements on MFC but now people will launch a campaign of harassment and make up stories about how you are a bully etc. in order to shut down any dissent. The reaction to what he said about Jemma is a case in point. I really can't imagine people acting like that in 2007. People just tweet him non stop about how wonderful he is and agree with everything he says. There used to be reciprocity with the gifts (he would spend time with fans, send them hot chocolate, etc.) but now people give him gifts for no reason. They thank him when he hasn't done anything for them. I am sure he doesn't read any serious discussions about his music at this point, but just desperate cries for attention on Twitter using endless flattery. Andy is not going around interviewing fans about what they think of his shows anymore. Mikaland is now just an echo chamber of Mika thinking everything he does and likes and thinks is great and the whole world agreeing with him all the demands he constantly gets, how is he supposed to know which fans have a good reason for what they wish for and which just do it because they can't get enough, or just enjoy voicing their opinion, or whatever? He can't, so what surprises me is that you seem to think that Mika should know how his british fans feel, when it took *me* reading 20 pages of MFC discussion to get a general idea of it, despite looking on it from a fan's perspective. Of course that doesn't solve the problem, I have no idea how to get such a complicated matter across to him. I guess because I don't think it is complicated at all, it is just common sense. Maybe this is an unfathomable mystery for people who grew up in Italy or the Netherlands but Mika grew up in the UK. Mika doesn't need me to tell him that there are zero foreign songs on the UK music charts. He knows better than anyone that they don't sell in the UK since his record company won't even put them on the albums. You don't need to read 20 pages to figure out that one gig in 3 years is not going to make fans happy when they are used to multiple cross country tours. Their complaints of missing him are obviously not the same as someone from France where he just performed yesterday or someone from Florida who has never seen him before. I am not saying that Mika should be spending years of his life thinking about how his UK fans feel. I am just surprised that when he did take the time to think about it he managed to twist it all around to view it as nothing but intolerance. I can't believe he sees all these foreign flags in the UK as a desirable thing when he was just on Chinese TV saying how glad he is that 95% of the audience is Chinese and not foreign fans or ex-pats. He seems to be completely attuned to connecting with Chinese fans and how important that is, versus bringing a bunch of hardcores along with you to fill up a venue. But in the UK...? His life is so different than ours To be honest I don't think he has any idea what it means to see a lot of gigs around the world. He probably just thinks that people magically appear wherever he goes Last time I saw him I told him that I have a life (as an explanation to something) and he said "I know, I know" but I don't think he has ever even thought that his fans have lives (and what kind of effort it is to travel around both money and time wise). Yes exactly. I don't expect him to have any real empathy for our lives but he should at least be self-aware enough to know that we are living in totally different worlds and not have an expectation that all of us will be able to or want to follow him wherever he goes, either literally or artistically. Edited March 21, 2016 by Christine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Yes exactly. I don't expect him to have any real empathy for our lives but he should at least be self-aware enough to know that we are living in totally different worlds and not have an expectation that all of us will be able to or want to follow him wherever he goes, either literally or artistically. I don't actually feel any expectations. No one is asking me to do what I do. I do this because I love his music and traveling. I buy a concert ticket and get a concert. It's always been worth the money and time (even I don't think he can understand the effort we make because his life is so different). If I some day feel it's not worth it I will do less gigs or have some break or simply start doing something else. I don't feel any pressure to like everything he does either. Some songs are not originally my taste but I've seen so many gigs already that I know I will like even those songs when I hear them live (he does so many changes for live versions). For example I didn't like Ordinary Man until I heard a couple of fantastic live versions. Of course I always hope he wants to see his fans but it is what it is. I always think he is really nice just waving from his car if he doesn't want to meet people. Why make things more difficult or complicated than they are. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I don't actually feel any expectations. No one is asking me to do what I do. I do this because I love his music and traveling. I buy a concert ticket and get a concert. It's always been worth the money and time (even I don't think he can understand the effort we make because his life is so different). If I some day feel it's not worth it I will do less gigs or have some break or simply start doing something else. I feel like that expectation is there. I saw Andy in Ireland in February 2010 and then again in Japan in June. He asked if we were going to Lebanon in July and said we must go it will be special, etc. I thought it was kind of funny but also absurd. He knows I am Canadian so what kind of life circumstances do I need to have to go to 4 different continents in 5 months just to see a pop star? If I had that kind of money to throw away I would have a job that was so demanding I would not be able to take off all over the place on a moment's notice. Obviously some people can manage it since they are travelling around to see him like that now. But it is truly an extraordinary situation and just loving Mika a lot is not going to put one in a position to do this. For most people it would mean ruining their lives by putting themselves into debt, losing their job, upsetting family members, etc. This was almost 6 years ago and I think Mika is more out of touch with the real world than Andy, especially when people travel literally everywhere to see him now. I think there was an expectation for NA fans to go to his GMA show even though most of us don't live within commuting distance of NYC and hotels cost upwards of $350 a night. I certainly don't feel any "pressure" either but that's because I don't care about appearing like a supportive fan anymore. (I'm not saying you or anyone else does either but I would feel like I have to go to impossible lengths at this point to be a "good fan" as I liked to think of myself years ago.) About not feeling pressure to like everything he does. Well people should feel pressure to only give him positive reinforcement. Unless they want him to call them out on television! I mean the morale of that story was not that a fan was rudely interrupting his show, it was that someone did not like his choice of song on his setlist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) I feel like that expectation is there. I saw Andy in Ireland in February 2010 and then again in Japan in June. He asked if we were going to Lebanon in July and said we must go it will be special, etc. I thought it was kind of funny but also absurd. He knows I am Canadian so what kind of life circumstances do I need to have to go to 4 different continents in 5 months just to see a pop star? If I had that kind of money to throw away I would have a job that was so demanding I would not be able to take off all over the place on a moment's notice. Obviously some people can manage it since they are travelling around to see him like that now. But it is truly an extraordinary situation and just loving Mika a lot is not going to put one in a position to do this. For most people it would mean ruining their lives by putting themselves into debt, losing their job, upsetting family members, etc. I know what you mean. I don't feel any expectations myself, it's just me who likes doing this, but this is what I was referring to when I said he can't know what it means to travel around because his life is so different. How could he know. I wouldn't do things I can't afford etc but I need to make a lot of effort to keep things in balance. We don't have grandparents who live near and could help so my husband is the one who takes care of the kids when I travel (and he has a demanding job with a lot of traveling and schedules fixed long in advance). My kids and husband are on the top of my priority list (and even they have to be very patient with me) but Mika comes after them. I would be lying if I said something else. During the past 8 years I've spent more time at his gigs than I've spent with my parents. And I don't even count the traveling time, just the time I've spent at gigs/festivals. That's how it is. But as I said, it's a personal decision. I don't feel any outside expectations or pressure to anything. Edited March 21, 2016 by tiibet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I know what you mean. I don't feel any expectations myself, it's just me who likes doing this, but this is what I was referring to when I said he can't know what it means to travel around because his life is so different. How could he know. I wouldn't do things I can't afford etc but I need to make a lot of effort to keep things in balance. We don't have grandparents who live near and could help so my husband is the one who takes care of the kids when I travel (and he has a demanding job with a lot of traveling and schedules fixed long in advance). My kids and husband are on the top of my priority list (and even they have to be very patient with me) but Mika comes after them. I would be lying if I said something else. During the past 8 years I've spent more time at his gigs than I've spent with my parents. And I don't even count the traveling time, just the time I've spent at gigs/festivals. That's how it is. But as I said, it's a personal decision. I don't feel any outside expectations or pressure to anything. Expectations and feeling pressured are not the same thing. It doesn't matter why you go to gigs, I would bet anything Mika expects you to be there and would notice if you stopped going.There have been a couple of times he (or at least his team) got a rude awakening when fans weren't prepared to turn up at the last minute to support Mika in a tangible way. He has neglected his English speaking fans so long that almost everyone has moved on with their lives and are not prepared to drop everything in their lives to go from Scotland to London or from Toronto to NYC at great expense to see him on a TV show or something. I feel no pressure at all to do these things but they still want me (meaning fans like me, not me personally) to turn up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Expectations and feeling pressured are not the same thing. It doesn't matter why you go to gigs, I would bet anything Mika expects you to be there and would notice if you stopped going.There have been a couple of times he (or at least his team) got a rude awakening when fans weren't prepared to turn up at the last minute to support Mika in a tangible way. He has neglected his English speaking fans so long that almost everyone has moved on with their lives and are not prepared to drop everything in their lives to go from Scotland to London or from Toronto to NYC at great expense to see him on a TV show or something. I feel no pressure at all to do these things but they still want me (meaning fans like me, not me personally) to turn up. I live so far away that no one really expects me to be anywhere but I would be happy to feel welcome to TV recordings etc wherever they are. I can't see how that could be a bad thing? Usually the problem is getting tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I just have a little comment to what's said here, that MIKA can't know, or understand, what it's like to follow him and support him, because his life is so different from ours. Yes, now it is, because he has worked very hard over the last ten years, and gained fame, and maybe a bit of fortune. But I don't think for a minute that he has forgotten how it is to be an unknown and broken young man, who could hardly affort to buy himself a new mob.phone, or pay the bills to use it AND - he IS thankful for everything the fans do for him!! For those of us, being lucky enough to be in front of him, while he held his 3 minutes "thank you speech" in Montreal the 12th Febr. last year, we really ought to remember that!! I had to go back to youtube and watch it, so here's what he said for this part: "Thank you for your collaboration and your support, it means the world to me, thank you so much. I know it doesn't come without much time invested, without much financial invested, it comes from at lot of investment in many different ways, and I know what that takes, you know. And that makes it even more valuable, so thank you very much!" What more can we expect !?! I feel it's unfair to think that he doesn't understand, and appreciate, his fans, like he did, back in the days!! Because imho, he really still does! But to be a young musician, trying to build a music carriere, is totally different from being a superstar, like he's now, being loved in many parts of the world Now everybody wants a little piece of MIKA - and of course it's impossible for him to please everybody, wherever he goes, all the time... Love, love me 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Now everybody wants a little piece of MIKA - and of course it's impossible for him to please everybody, wherever he goes, all the time... It really is impossible to please everyone and he knows it now, all that he can do is to to focus on doing what he likes and wants Thanks for reminding us about the speech he did in Montreal, he was really sweet And I loved the cake! So beautiful. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 It really is impossible to please everyone and he knows it now, all that he can do is to to focus on doing what he likes and wants Thanks for reminding us about the speech he did in Montreal, he was really sweet And I loved the cake! So beautiful. Yes, MIKA was so nice and cute at this M&G ! I also love this: "...it gives me a lot of energy, you follow me at all these various adventures, I hope it's as exciting to you as it certainly is to me " And to order a birthday cake, and get it delivered to the MFC party, decorated excatly as the logo for the OSM concerts, also says a lot about how thankful he is! He didn't need to do this, nobody expected it - but while he did some sightseeing in the city, together with the TV team, and also did rehearsals with the OSM, he wanted to show us that he appreciates the MFC, and everything that's done there, to unit us, and share some nice time together It was his part of the great celebration - these magic days... Imo, MIKA was, is, and always will be, happy and thankful, for having his fans - it's part of his nice and kind personality. The last time we could watch it, was while sending happy holidays greeting for the last Christmas celebration... Love, love me 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I live so far away that no one really expects me to be anywhere but I would be happy to feel welcome to TV recordings etc wherever they are. I can't see how that could be a bad thing? Usually the problem is getting tickets. What I am saying is that most people in the UK and US are not willing to do this anymore and it causes logistical problems when they need a good crowd to turn up to support Mika. Even for actual gigs there was a panic on because the US gigs were not selling out. Even Brooklyn which was only 400 capacity or something did not sell out until very close to the gig. It wasn't until they got some press in the Metro or one of those daily commuter rags. There are not enough hardcore Mika fans in North America anymore to sell out even a small club show via word of mouth (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) That's why I found the whole line of discussion re him playing BBB in New York so Yang could hear it so silly. If Mika ignores his English fans any more than he's done already there aren't going to be any gigs in NYC in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I feel it's unfair to think that he doesn't understand, and appreciate, his fans, like he did, back in the days!! I didn't say that. Like I said, he bought me lunch last year. He was sitting right by the door and we purposely sat farther into the restaurant so as not to disturb him because he was busy. He could have easily left without talking to us and obviously did not have to pay for our meal. He did exacty what he did for an MFCer in June of 2007 so as I said, I think he is as kind and generous as ever. All I am saying is that he is not in touch with his fans on a regular basis the way he used to be so don't expect him to do anything because of the upset caused regarding what he said about the Adelphi incident. Yes he was very aware and prepared for everyone coming to Montreal because his staff informed him via Deb. But in the old days fans who were at the gigs were talking to his tour manager and his partner every single day. I am not complaining about it or criticising Mika, just explaining the situation and how it has changed from earlier in Mika's career when his whole career revolved around touring and therefore staying in close touch with his fans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascale Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 He does seem to have connected with his Chinese fans which is really nice to hear but my sense is that the novelty of his western fans wore off many years ago for him. He used to work hard at keeping them happy but now that his fans seem to be thrilled out of their minds at his mere existence, he doesn't have to do anything. He's gone to the other extreme, because it got too much for him, or because he realized he couldn't fulful his own requirement to please everyone. I think it's a bit of everything. I don't believe that his meeting his fans and talking to them was originally done only to to please the fans and make them happy. I wasn't there but from what I read and watched on this forum I think he really liked most of the interaction and he liked inventing ways to keep the fans involved. And as said in several posts, he still enjoys it and does it once in a while. I also believe he realizes very well that he as an musician and performer will always need a public for his music and performances, not just for the money but because it inspires him and gives him energy. So he probably is still grateful even now as he said in Montreal. However of course the novelty of this interaction wears off after a few years especially when you like changes and exploring new things like Mika does. In the beginning it probably felt very natural and enjoyable to him to please fans and most of the the time not hard work at all to make them happy. But without the curiosity and excitement from the new experiences in the beginning I can very well imagine that, after so many years, gradually something he once liked is starting to be more demanding and he is beginning to feel obligation and pressure instead of enjoyment. Not because he rationally doesn't appreciate the gifts and favours of fans anymore or wouldn't like to meet any of them anymore but because he has seen and done it all a thousand times before. Then indeed it becomes too much not because he doesn't want (or feel the need) to please others anymore but because there's too little in it to please himself too. Except for special moments like in Montreal. I don't have the feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that so many fans nowadays are thrilled out about him anyway so he doesn't have to work hard to keep them. But who knows: it may be a factor as well. He said his new Chinese fans gave him new energy. That probably says it all even without understanding how this all works for him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now