Mika wants to set the bar for fantastical, 3 dimensional pop at his own height. Which is over 6’ and statuesquely sculptured, since you ask.
Welcome to his world: where some louche dilettante is throwing the greatest party in the universe and everyone is invited under his very own cherry moon. Mika is a songwriter, performer, producer and orchestrator and he’s ready to unleash his debut album to the world. Both astonishingly musical and profoundly thoughtful, his tunes combine a heady euphoric rush with darker unexpected elements: daytime melodramas and night-time tales of love, loss, abandonment, hope and happiness. They all jostle together for attention, each one a pure pop golden nugget.
Mika is a true young internationalist. Born in Beirut in the middle of the 80s, Mika’s family soon found themselves having to move to Paris at the height of the war. When his father was subsequently taken hostage and held at the American embassy in Kuwait the family eventually settled in London. An inevitably turbulent experience for our young hero, he found himself bereft, lost in the chasm of a displaced upbringing. ‘It was the combination of moving as well as a horrible time I had at school in the first few years of living in London that lead me to forget how to read and write, and stop talking for a little while. I was pulled out of school for over six months; in order to sort my self out and find a new school. This is when music really became important. It got me back on my feet.’ He says now that by the age of 9 he knew that songwriting was his destiny. The electric performances that would win over some of the most hardened musical ears on the planet would come later.
‘After I started singing as a boy I started to get jobs everywhere. With the help of a terrifyingly tough Russian singing teacher, I got to be really good at professional gigs. I did everything from recordings with the Royal Opera House to the Orbit Chewing gum jingle. I’ll never forget calling up British Airways to get a ticket, only to be placed in a line, listening to my own voice. That was a painful 8 minutes. I think the other main reason for getting so much work was that I was insanely cheap! My mother and I had no idea what i was supposed to get paid, and no one was in a hurry to educate us. Looking back on it, i think 45 quid for the Orbit chewing gum jingle, could have been a little too cheap.’
A self-taught piano virtuoso, gymnastic vocalist and born entertainer, Mika has music in his bones and at a prodigiously young age he was ready to show out and let go. Mika wasn’t hunched over a radio under his bedclothes or seduced by the glitz of "Top of the Pop’s" on the TV screen when he had his first performance awakenings. Instead, he was catapulted onto the stage of a Richard Strauss opera at 11. David Hockney was pottering around at rehearsals in the background, with models, designing the set (Mika still has the poster for the opera on his living room wall now, signed by Hockney). After near complete social exclusion at school – ‘I wish I could say I was a self-imposed loner but it was imposed on me’ – this was a life he fell in love with, instantly:
‘It was a magical world that you could live in. A parallel universe for people that is illusory and enchanting and amazing.’
For the last 12 years of his life he has followed his maxim of a parallel universe to its natural conclusion and is now about to present his dynamic, idiosyncratic and unashamedly personal debut album. Brimming with brightly-hued melody, engaging hooks and a distinct lyrical style that speaks exactly and distinctly of its moment, he has finally been given an outlet for his unique vision.
‘I grew up listening to every thing from Joan Baez and Dylan, to Serge Gainsbourg and Flamenco. My musical tastes have become more eclectic as I’ve got older, but I’m always going back to great artist songwriters, people who make great records to their own vision. Prince, Harry Nillson, Elton John, even Michael Jackson. These people make amazing pop records that couldn’t be performed by anybody else and that’s what I always wanted to do.’
www.mikasounds.com
SECRETARY GUTIERREZ DISCUSSES COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM AT SOUTHERN LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
US Fed News Service, Including US State News July 31, 2006 The U.S. Department of Commerce issued the following press release:
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today discussed the Bush administration’s proposals for comprehensive immigration reform and the critical role of immigration in the American economy in remarks delivered to members of the Southern Legislative Conference.
Gutierrez highlighted the Administration’s commitment to enacting comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border, enhances interior enforcement, creates a temporary worker program that rejects amnesty, and helps employers determine the legal status of the employees they hire. site immigration reform news
Gutierrez stressed that comprehensive immigration reform is a key to our future economic health as we compete in a global economy. T he creation of a temporary worker program would match willing workers with willing employers to perform jobs that Americans won’t do. This creates a legal avenue to meet the needs of the U.S. economy and relieves the pressure of illegal immigration on the border.
The Administration is working closely with Congress on comprehensive immigration reform to address these problems with real, long-term solutions.
Gutierrez and his family came to America from Cuba when he was six years old, and he became a naturalized citizen in 1966. He has recently visited numerous cities across America to hear from citizens and businesses about their thoughts on immigration and tell them about the Bush administration’s proposals.
Excerpts from Secretary Gutierrez’s speech to the Southern Legislative Conference:
“I believe immigration is the domestic social issue of our time – and a key to our future economic health.” “We are competing in a global economy.We have an incredible advantage. We can stand out from the pack by using our well-honed skills from 230 years of assimilating immigrants.” “We must deal with immigration as it is, not as we wish it were. We must work through the issues thoughtfully, and avoid letting emotion take over the debate.” “[President Bush's vision for comprehensive immigration reform]. . . recognizes the needs of a growing economy. Our economy is growing faster than any other large, industrialized nation. The reality is that we have jobs that American citizens either aren’t willing to do or aren’t available to do. Our unemployment rate is below the average of the past four decades. I continually hear from businesses that they are having difficulty finding workers. We need sources of labor from other countries to fill jobs that aren’t getting filled.” “We need effective interior enforcement. That may be the best way to secure our borders. Our system needs to be fixed.” “The rules must be clear enough to hold businesses accountable for hiring people with the proper documentation. With comprehensive reform, we will ensure that businesses have the tools they need to do this, and that we can hold them accountable.” “When we have a biometric system-and we have a temporary worker’s program-dynamics will change. Over time, it will become unlikely that people will risk their lives coming across the border illegally if it is well-known that unless you have the temporary worker’s permit, you will not find a job. This is one of the most consequential things we can do to make our borders more secure. And it demonstrates the wisdom of comprehensive immigration reform.” “The President does not support amnesty, and it’s not accurate or fair to call his solution amnesty. We’re talking about having a hard-earned path to legalization. . . .” “The President also understands that illegal immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals. It strains state and local budgets. These are real problems. The Administration is working closely with Congress on comprehensive immigration reform to address these problems with real, long-term solutions.” We are a nation of immigrants. And immigrants have helped make this country great. All of us here today-unless you are Native American-are immigrants or descendents of immigrants.” ” I came to this country in 1960 from Cuba. I was a six-year-old immigrant. On January 4, 1966, I formally became a U.S. citizen. To this day, my U.S. passport is my most valued material possession. I’m extremely grateful that people encouraged-even pushed me-to learn the language and assimilate. I’m also very thankful for the opportunities this country has given me. I believe that immigrants today just want an opportunity.” ” It is a false choice to think the immigration debate is a battle between America being a welcoming society and being a nation of laws. We can be both because we are both. Comprehensive immigration reform will make our country stronger, and I’m convinced that future generations will be proud of what we did.” here immigration reform news
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