Que Ta Tête Fleurisse Toujours - Mika's French album, out December 1st, 2023

[mellody]

Mika's new album will be called "Que ta tête fleurisse toujours" (May your head always bloom) and is out on December 1st, 2023.

 

 

 

CD and Vinyls available on Mika's shop: https://mika.store/?utm_campaign=nav&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=yomika.com

 

The tracklist:

 

1. Bougez 
2. Jane Birkin
3. Sweetie banana
4. Apocalypse calypso
5. 30 secondes
6. C’est la vie
7. Moi, Andy et Paris
8. Je sais que je t’aime
9. Doucement
10. Touche Touche
11. Amour pirate
12. Passager

[emilynxlan]

Are both vinyl records sold out on the UK store? And can we not get the signed one from the French store in the UK?

[jord1012]

7 minutes ago, emilynxlan said:

Are both vinyl records sold out on the UK store? And can we not get the signed one from the French store in the UK?

yeh i’m also having this problem? can’t seem to order anything:( 

[emilynxlan]

28 minutes ago, jord1012 said:

yeh i’m also having this problem? can’t seem to order anything:( 

They won't ship the signed ones to Northern Ireland or Britain but will ship to the Republic but none of my friends are replying so I'm scared of missing out 😭😭 It doesn't seem to be on HMV either

 

EDIT: I got one on the French store!! Shoutout to my friend in Dublin. Now I've got a signed Mika album on my way 🙏🏻

Edited October 17, 2023 by emilynxlan

[linzijay]

I'm surprised I was able to smoothly make an order in the US, but it seems to have gone through. The shipping price was terrifying, but I'll probably never make another purchase like this, so it will be okay 

[mellody]

1 hour ago, emilynxlan said:

Are both vinyl records sold out on the UK store? And can we not get the signed one from the French store in the UK?

 

52 minutes ago, jord1012 said:

yeh i’m also having this problem? can’t seem to order anything:( 

 

Seems to work fine for me. They said I'm on the German store, but it was all in French. Maybe the website was busy when you first tried, or they hadn't fully updated the site yet? Or it's a problem with the UK store... have you tried again?

[jord1012]

1 minute ago, mellody said:

Or it's a problem with the UK store... have you tried again?

yeh the uk store just seemed to sell out of the vinyl instantly- i partly think there’s an issue with it as no one i’ve spoken to has been able to actually get one?? i’ve tried a few times and still nothing unfortunately:(

[Hero]

3 minutes ago, linzijay said:

 I'll probably never make another purchase like this, so it will be okay 

Until the next album.. ?  

[mellody]

I've opened an extra thread for the merch & store, so we can keep this for talking about the album.

 

 

[dcdeb]

I know @mellody has opened a special thread for the new merch, but since some of you UK peeps have asked here, it seems that you will need to order from the main store: https://mika.store/

 

As you can see, there's more merch there and you should be able to order everything from there.

[mellody]

The new song titles make me curious.

 

Je sais que je t’aime
Doucement
Touche Touche
Amour pirate

 

Je sais que je t'aime (I know that I love you) right after Moi, Andy et Paris - hmm, now is that a love declaration to Andy, or to Paris? 😅 or to both?

Touche Touche makes me think of Touches You. Amour pirate, hmm - someone stealing love? 

 

The cover has a nice look in general, but somehow I'm a bit sceptical about Mika sitting on a cloud like a God. 🙈 It's probably not how he meant it, so I hope he'll explain his inspiration for the cover at some point.

Love those rainbow flowers!

[Hero]

10 minutes ago, mellody said:

like a God

Funny, I don't see it that way at all.  To me it's like he's floating his way through life on his fluffy cloud, trying to make sense of things, maybe feeling some destabilisation when forced to question all you thought you knew about the universe, what came before, what comes after, quite ethereal... And the pose and colours remind me of trance and meditation, reflecting inner soul searching to seek peace and find the way forward. It has a 'what now' feeling to it. 

 

Yeah, I can read a lot into one image. Watch it be completely wrong!  

[dcdeb]

22 minutes ago, Hero said:

Funny, I don't see it that way at all.  To me it's like he's floating his way through life on his fluffy cloud, trying to make sense of things, maybe feeling some destabilisation when forced to question all you thought you knew about the universe, what came before, what comes after, quite ethereal... And the pose and colours remind me of trance and meditation, reflecting inner soul searching to seek peace and find the way forward. It has a 'what now' feeling to it. 

 

Yeah, I can read a lot into one image. Watch it be completely wrong!  

 

I got the same feeling as you from the cover.  I didn't take it like he was supposed to be a god. My immediate thought was the phrase "head in the clouds". Or someone who's floating high with the clouds. I feel like that's the idea it's trying to convey. Your idea of meditation though -- that seems right, also. Sort of dreamy and reflective.

 

And I love the album title - so appropriate and meaningful.

 

[mellody]

48 minutes ago, Hero said:

Funny, I don't see it that way at all.  To me it's like he's floating his way through life on his fluffy cloud, trying to make sense of things, maybe feeling some destabilisation when forced to question all you thought you knew about the universe, what came before, what comes after, quite ethereal... And the pose and colours remind me of trance and meditation, reflecting inner soul searching to seek peace and find the way forward. It has a 'what now' feeling to it. 

 

Yeah, I can read a lot into one image. Watch it be completely wrong!  

 

27 minutes ago, dcdeb said:

 

I got the same feeling as you from the cover.  I didn't take it like he was supposed to be a god. My immediate thought was the phrase "head in the clouds". Or someone who's floating high with the clouds. I feel like that's the idea it's trying to convey. Your idea of meditation though -- that seems right, also. Sort of dreamy and reflective.

 

 

I think if his face expression was like , I'd agree, but he looks very serious. Maybe you're right about meditation. My immediate thought was something like an angel or god. Tho, as I said, I'm sure that's not how he meant it.

 

29 minutes ago, dcdeb said:

And I love the album title - so appropriate and meaningful.

 

Yes, agree!

[CharlotteL]

Same I'm so intrigued by some of these titles!!
Amour pirate is gonna be my fave, I can feel it

 

In my mind Je sais que je t'aime could be the follow up or conclusion to Moi, Andy et Paris: The first song being kinda mean but then concluding with "We don't make it easy for each other sometimes but despite everything I always know that I love you". That is obviously cheesy and not very Mika at all but until the 1st of december I can pretend 

 

[Hero]

8 minutes ago, mellody said:

 

 

I think if his face expression was like , I'd agree, but he looks very serious. Maybe you're right about meditation. My immediate thought was something like an angel or god. Tho, as I said, I'm sure that's not how he meant it.

Well yes, it would be serious. His world has been rocked, he's trying to find his way forwards through the grief. There's also a sense of impermanence and isolation in the picture, with his world condensed into an unstable cloud and the great unknown surrounding him. Lost in the clouds, looking for his anchor. Or his rock. We can tell all is not right - the lines are hazy not solid, the colours are bright yet somehow muted, as if not being seen clearly.  The colours and flowers are life, inspiration, everything he needs to bloom, and he's putting on a good show, but he's seeking to reconnect with them. 

 

In some ways I'm reminded again of Le Petit Prince, alone on his little world, seeking to comprehend the universe. 

 

But again, that's just my interpretation.  Be interesting to hear his explanation, if we get one. 

-------------------

 

 

Joke answer, and reverting to type: with the yellow glow behind him, maybe he's telling us the sun really does shine out of his . 

[mellody]

Btw, something else I notice is that this is the first album cover that shows him in colour (not counting the Versailles album and the singles). He has always insisted that on his covers the photos of him are in black-and-white, with the colours just around him, so this is a significant change.

[dcdeb]

7 minutes ago, mellody said:

Btw, something else I notice is that this is the first album cover that shows him in colour (not counting the Versailles album and the singles). He has always insisted that on his covers the photos of him are in black-and-white, with the colours just around him, so this is a significant change.

 

That is a good observation. "Changing the color of my skin..." isn't that what that little bit of a song we heard so long ago said?

[mellody]

2 minutes ago, dcdeb said:

 

That is a good observation. "Changing the color of my skin..." isn't that what that little bit of a song we heard so long ago said?

 

Ah, good point, I hadn't thought of that! I wonder if we'll ever hear that one again...

[TinyLove_CJ]

I love the different variations of Mika's logo within the album. With this one below it kinda makes me think of an egg that's just been cracked open and Mika's logo has spilled out! 

 

 

The part above the 'I' looks like an egg shell and the rest of MIKA is the yoke!

[CharlotteL]

15 minutes ago, mellody said:

He has always insisted that on his covers the photos of him are in black-and-white, with the colours just around him, so this is a significant change.

That's a really interesting observation! I didn't have many thoughts on the cover art at all until you said that and now it's unlocked something.
I always felt the colorful illustrations (like in the first two albums) represent his expressive side, his creations, him as an artist. While the black and white represents him as a person. Which is why I think tool album was basically all black and white, he wanted to show more of his "real" self. The fourth and fifth albums combine both but they're still separated in a way.
Here it feels like everything is softly blending together, he's part of his surroundings. And his skin color is actually the strongest tone with the other colors almost seeming to come from him and the flowers attached to him.

So maybe it's a representation of him being more in control and able to unite these different sides of him, expressing that his creations do come from him as a person.

[CharlotteL]

"All these colors

that surround me

all these places

only drown me"

 

Guys it's coming together in my head I think I'm onto something

[mellody]

46 minutes ago, TinyLove_CJ said:

I love the different variations of Mika's logo within the album. With this one below it kinda makes me think of an egg that's just been cracked open and Mika's logo has spilled out! 

 

 

The part above the 'I' looks like an egg shell and the rest of MIKA is the yoke!

 

Interesting... My impression of this version of the logo is that it's melting, like ice cream.  But also, it's kind of coming out of his head, so maybe it can be seen from bottom to top, that the chaos is turning into something solid.

 

Edit: and the dot on the "i" reminds me of a jellyfish.

[holdingyourdrink]

When I first saw the album cover I felt it was both beautiful as it made me feel uneasy, because it’s inviting yet provoking. 

 

I’m glad to read I am not the only one! 
 

I agree with @Herothat there is something very destabilized in there, I also find @mellody’s observation and @CharlotteL’s interpretation a very good one with the colours. And @TinyLove_CJyou and the yoke just made me laugh out loud. “Am I a yoke to you!?!?” 
 

Spoiler

(Little side note, although I don’t think it is meant that way: biblical reference, Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” However, this implies that he is our leader and that he shall direct us. I really doubt he assumes this superiority, because I personally think he is an artist sharing his journey and letting us have a peek in his artistic world.)

There are a lot of contrasts in this album cover. The first thing I noticed are the colours: around him it’s pastel and he himself is portrayed in harsher and stronger colours. Showcasing a broader colour palette. Showing different colours of him, a side of him that is very much part of him. It’s symbolic form of honestly. 
When I compare the portraits I have made from the beginning until now, I have noticed that I have expanded my colour palette and also have added more nuances, as I familiarize myself more with his work and partly what he shows us of himself. I think it’s a metaphor he is using as well.

 

The logo going from solid to liquid, then him sitting on a cloud in the sky and well, @Hero’s reference to the sun shining out of his… : what if they are the elements? Earth, water, wind and he is fire (and no, I did not say “FIYAAA” in my head, no I didn’t… okay maybe I did! ). Going back to the basics (basic elements), something grounding.

 

Also him in the sky is a separation, from him to the world or the world to him. As a citizen of the world you can’t be defined by one place, culture or language, is my personal experience. You don’t really belong, but that is okay. Because you belong where your heart is. And maybe it is a reference that his heart is now between heaven and earth. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by holdingyourdrink

[QueenBigFat]

Ohmygod he looks so deadly serious. As several of you point out.

Then I went back to look at previous releases and on virtually all of the ones that show his face, no matter what the context, no matter what colors or patterns are swirling around him, he always looks very very serious—and here, a little shocky.

 

Shock shock me. He.

Edited October 18, 2023 by QueenBigFat