Remember back when Mika was still closeted in that Kevin Spacey way where he insisted on taking the high road by not responding to questions about his sexuality except in nebulous, deflective answers? It was way back in 2006 before people like Lady Gaga and Ryan Murphy had discovered that alienated gay teenagers were an as-yet largely untapped demographic of angst and quasi-drag expression-based product compliance. Oh, what a strangely free time it was.
Fast forward to today and Mika’s out of the closet, he’s received the French Knight Order of Arts and Letters, and he’s got a new single out; a remixed duet of the song “Popular” from the musical Wicked.
Check this out:
Isn’t that the gayest, most jarringly addictive pop thing you’ve heard in at least the last hour? Like, addictive but also, without question, jarringly so? You don’t get that kind of cultural specificity in a song unless you’re aiming for it, and it’s clear here that Mika is at least aiming for a guest spot on Glee if not a potentially sizable chunk of the Gaga/Ryan Murphy brand gay teen angst goldmine.
After all, there’s the cutesy original song “Popular” from the musical Wicked, and then you layer on some thick slices of seriously produced pop with ego placating bass, set it in a high school, give it a bit of plastic, soulless Tim Burton outsider realness and then make it about being “true to you” and getting even with bullies. It basically IS an episode of Glee complete with Mini Cooper product placement.
Still, it’s good Mika’s doing things. I also freely admit that while I feel like I may be dissociating, I’ve listened to the song 16 times today, and I can’t decide whether I want to slam my head against a wall or play it again. Maybe I’ll just do both.
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Mika is awesome and hot. I actually like his pop sound… grace kelly was a good ditty.
His current ‘stripped down’ tour in the US is amazing!
ott… way ott. not good, can’t finish the vid.