2007 - Article from a lebanese paper

[sunshine931]

The article is written in french... I'll translate later today...It's from "L'Orient le Jour"

 

SUCCESS STORY - La nouvelle coqueluche libano-américaine de Londres

Mika, ou l’ode à la vie

 

 

À vingt-trois ans, il caracole au hit-parade de la chanson internationale. Avec lui, un véritable phénomène musical souffle sur la blonde Albion. Ses disques sont en tête des ventes depuis plus de trois semaines en Angleterre et ses concerts font salle comble. Vous l’avez sans doute reconnu car ses clips, délurés et touchés par une certaine grâce enfantine, ont déjà envahi tous les petits écrans. Il s’agit de Mika, la star libano-américaine qui casse littéralement la baraque et dont le tube Grace Kelly inonde toutes les ondes de radios. Un tube aux notes légères comme une myriade de bulles de savons ; un tube que tout le monde fredonne entre jovialité retrouvée et bonne humeur contagieuse…Une ode à la vie !

Cheveux châtains ébouriffés comme les archanges du Caravage, la bouche pulpeuse, le regard noisette, mince comme un fil avec une tendance à faire le clown ou le jongleur avec des bretelles apparentes, Mika, symbole aujourd’hui de la jeunesse, est bien la voix d’une nouvelle génération. Une génération qui n’a pas froid aux yeux, qui a du talent et qui ne s’encombre ni de conventions ni de tabous…

Une voix qui sort des chemins battus, avec des vocalises et des modulations époustouflantes. Une voix qui ne craint pas de monter dans l’aigu, quitte à affronter les voix de tête ou de fausset en toute sérénité, sans fausse note ! Car il y a, c’est sûr, derrière toutes ces fantaisistes et extravagantes entourloupes vocales à la Bee Gees ou Fred Mercury, un beau talent de compositeur, de chanteur et d’interprète.

Né à Beyrouth en 1984, Mika est de mère libanaise et de père américain. Et son prénom n’est que la désignation finnoise de Michel. Petite confidence du chanteur qui devait épouser une carrière lyrique mais qui, en flirtant outrageusement avec la pop music, a opéré un heureux virage : « À Beyrouth, on écoutait autant Feyrouz et Oum Kalsoum que Serge Gainsbourg et Nina Simone… » Est-ce là le secret de mélanger si adroitement les genres ? Mêler cordes, chœurs, gospel et accords de piano ? En fait de piano, Mika est de ces artistes pour qui les touches d’ivoire n’ont pas de secret ; d’ailleurs on s’en rend compte dès que ses doigts effleurent le clavier car on réalise que Bach et Fauré ont généreusement fait partie de ses heures de loisirs…

De couche sociale aisée, Mika quitte Beyrouth avec ses parents pour Paris, pour s’installer par la suite à Londres. Là, études au Royal College of Music tout en s’apprêtant d’être chanteur au Royal Opera House. Mais le destin en a décidé autrement. Ses premiers trois singles (Relax, Take it Easy et Grace Kelly), il les écrit sous l’impulsion d’une inspiration alliant dynamisme, humour et poésie. Le tout cimenté par un formidable sens du rythme, de la fantaisie et une certaine sophistication très anglo-saxonne, très « british ». Et c’est le succès fulgurant. Les critiques et la presse se saisissent du phénomène et l’apparentent au Scissor Sisters, à Prince, à Michael Jackson. Excusez du peu ! Et le train vers le chemin de la gloire démarre avec son premier album qui cartonne partout : Life in Cartoon Motion. Et il s’agit encore d’une toute jeune carrière, plus que prometteuse… Une musique haute en couleur, comme le personnage qui l’incarne…

Avec Mika aux commandes des notes, c’est du superdynamique. Un vrai bain moussant. Cela donne envie de bouger, de claquer des doigts, de taper des pieds, de danser, de chanter…Beau mélange de rock et de pop, tout en accusant les origines classiques d’un jeune homme qui, de toute évidence, sait que la musique est l’affaire de sa vie…

 

Edgar DAVIDIAN

[Lana86]

times like this where i wish i stuck through with french as a second language

[Sou]

Hmm...that seemed way too complex for me to translate

 

It's a very, very nice article though! I'm not surprised

 

The journalist made a mistake though:

 

"Ses premiers trois singles (Relax, Take it Easy et Grace Kelly)"

 

He wrote that Mika's first three singles are, "Relax, Take it Easy and Grace Kelly" when in fact Relax, Take it Easy is one and the same (uh-oh, somebody didn't do all their homework ).

 

"Une musique haute en couleur, comme le personnage qui l'incarne…" I liked this line a lot

 

Thanks for the article Sunshine

[alpenliebe]

o.O Eeee... translation needed!!!! Somebody help!

[johnny06]

Nice article but thinking Relax, Take It Easy and Grace Kelly are three songs... quite a STUPID! mistake to make when writing a review:naughty: Shame on that journalist!

[Sou]

Nice article but thinking Relax, Take It Easy and Grace Kelly are three songs... quite a STUPID! mistake to make when writing a review:naughty: Shame on that journalist!

 

That's exactly what I thought!! They didn't do their homework hehe

[johnny06]

Imagine if he wrote that review without even listening to the album which is what I suppose:thumbdown: I guess he only knows his single Grace kelly and copied the rest from other articles:bleh:

[CazGirl]

unless it was a typo. He may have accidentally written three and not two?

[ohwowitsnicka]

[...]

Né à Beyrouth en 1984, Mika est de mère libanaise et de père américain.

Wasnt he born in 1983 ? idk lol just pointing that out.

 

But i loved the article pretty good.

[Sou]

unless it was a typo. He may have accidentally written three and not two?

 

But if he wrote "three" accidentally, why's there a comma right after relax and not brackets around 'take it easy'?

 

They journalist didn't research well, tsk, tsk

 

Wasnt he born in 1983 ? idk lol just pointing that out.

 

But i loved the article pretty good.

 

He was born in '83, but for some reason, most of the journalists and tv presenters say he was born in 84, *sigh* At least we know what's right!!

[ohwowitsnicka]

But if he wrote "three" accidentally, why's there a comma right after relax and not brackets around 'take it easy'?

 

They journalist didn't research well, tsk, tsk

 

 

 

He was born in '83, but for some reason, most of the journalists and tv presenters say he was born in 84, *sigh* At least we know what's right!!

 

yuup and that's what counts.

[AshleyMiranda]

*waits for translation* sometimes wish I knew a 2nd language!

[violet_sky]

"la bouche pulpeuse, le regard noisette", yep, no confusion possible, that's Mika

[ziema]

I have studied French for almost five years, but I didn't understand much of that ... Shame on me

[violet_sky]

tried a quick translation (though ist wasn't that easy for neither french nor english is my mothertongue - so it is a little like french-grammar-lousy-english-trial) ...

 

it is only the first part....

 

 

SUCCESS STORY – London’s new lebano-american heartthrob

Mika, or the ode to life

 

At the age of 23 years he disports himself in the international charts. With him a real musical phenomenon blows over the blond Albion. His records have been on top of sales for more than three weeks in the UK and his concerts are sold out. Without any doubt you have spotted him for his smart clips touched by a certain infantile grace have already conquered the TV screens. We are talking about Mika, the Lebano-american star who is literally breaking through all barricades at the moment (hope I got the sense ;o); his tune Grace Kelly is flooding the radio stations. It is a tune of light notes like a myriad of soap bubbles, a tune hummed by everybody in regained joy and contagiously good mood – an ode to life.

 

Brown tousled haired like Caravage’s archangels with voluminous lips and hazel eyes, skinny like a string, always tending to give the clown or the juggler in braces, today Mika represents the symbol of youth and at the same time the voice of a new generation. A couraged, talented generation not caring about conventions or taboos…

A voice leaving beaten paths, full of coloratura and astonishing modulations. A voice without fear of climbing heights, imperturbably leaving behind head voice as well as falsetto all in tune! Without any doubt there is a very talented compositian, singer and entertainer behind those unconventional and extraordinary vocal Tricks due to the Bee Gees or Freddy Mercury.

 

Born in Beirut in 1984, Mika has a lebanese mother and an americain father. And his first name is nothing but the Finnish version of Michael…

[violet_sky]

part two: something like that:

 

 

The singer was supposed to start an opera career but while flirting outrageously with pop music his life took a lucky turn. He confesses: “In Beirut we were listening to Feyrouz and Oum Kalsoun as well as to Serge Gainsbourg and Nina Simone… »

Is that the key of his success, to meddle the genres in such a clever way? Mixing lines, choirs, gospel and piano chords ? As far as the piano is concerned, Mika is one of those artists knowing all the secrets of the ivory keys ; at the latest we become aware of the fact that Bach and Fauré were part of his leisure time as soon as his fingers tap the keyboard…

Coming from a well-off social class, Mika leaves Beirut with his parents to move to Paris and later to London. Studying there at College of Music should prepare him for a singing career at the Opera House. But fate made another decision. His first three ( ?) singles (Relax, Take it Easy et Grace Kelly), were influenced by an impulsive inspiration, dynamic humour and poetry. All of that held together by an impressive sense of rhythm, imagination and a certain, “very british” sophistication.

And it is a frantic success. Critics and the press get hold of that phenomenon and compare it to the Scissor Sisters, Prince and Michael Jackson, to mention only some. And the train on the way to glory is launching with his first album succeeding everywhere: Life in Cartoon Motion. And it is still a very young career, very promising… Highly colored music, just like the person embodying it…

With Mika ruling over the tunes, it is just superdynamic. A real bubble bath. It makes us feel like moving, clicking our fingers, tapping our feet, dancing and singing… A beautiful mix of rock and pop, all accusing the classical background of the young man who obviously knows very well that music is his life…

[violet_sky]

er, maybe next time we should ask mika himself to translate, his french is awesome

 

aaand, while translating he could correct the errors in the articles concerning content (birth date, number of singles released...)

[Sou]

How many language do you speak?!!! lol

 

Good job though!! I tried to translate it but it was just way too hard for me this time *sigh*

 

Thank VS!

[titania]

Thanks so much for the translation Violet sky:biggrin2:

[daisylou]

Thanks for the translation!

Its so good having multilingual people on this forum to help us out!! I only understood the basics so to read the full article makes all the difference.

Wonder how many languages MIKA speaks/reads?

xx

[Emanuelle]

Nice but not comprehensive article, 'cause there was nothing new:) However, it's was interesting to read. Thanks translator:D:)*

[luna]

thanks for the translation!

[Sity]

And his first name is nothing but the Finnish version of Michael…

Whaat?

The Finnish version of Michael would be Mikael...

So Mika is Mika.

And our Mika's nothing to do with Finnish names I think...

[violet_sky]

...journalists....

 

I guess the author thought about Mika Hakkinen who is from Finland.... and just had the idea that the origin of that name must be there....

[sunshine931]

thank you violet sky... there are a few articles I need to translate and I'm very busy these days... but tomorrow I'll translate everything I posted that hasn't been translated yet... sorry all for the delay !