Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr. is a Lebanese-British singer songwriter born in Beirut and raised in Paris. Michael, however, is better known under his stage name: MIKA. MIKA has been on the music scene for 9 years now, with his first ever single, ‘Relax (Take it Easy)’, being released back in 2006. He really broke into the industry in 2007, following the release of his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion, which saw the creation of some of the UK’s most memorable tracks like ‘Lollipop’, ‘Love Today’, not forgetting the worldwide smash hit ‘Grace Kelly’. Fast forward 8 years and MIKA has released another 2 albums, spawning more hits and memorable tracks; he’s a colourful force to be reckoned with. His most recent album, No Place in Heaven, was released in June, and it’s a bold leap into a blend of maturity and creativity.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvuOw8Z0Pwg&w=740&h=422]
MIKA kicked off this new era of music back in April, with the announcement of the album along with the brand new single ‘Last Party’; a tribute to Queen legend, Freddy Mercury. The track sees MIKA blend the bitterness of life with a joyful warmness, the song’s progression gets more intense and grand as it goes on as he proclaims “If it’s the end of the world let’s party, like it’s the end of the world let’s party”. This blend of bitterness and joy is a common theme throughout the record, particularly in tracks ‘Good Wife’ and ‘All She Wants’; whilst this is something MIKA can do almost effortlessly, to see an album with a theme as common as this is something different to his previous offerings.
Of course though, no MIKA album would be complete without the feel good pop anthems the pop mastermind is known for making. The second offering from the album, the official first single, was ‘Talk About You’ a track so good that it’s on par with ‘Grace Kelly’. The track’s main focuses are the infectious feel good guitar, the layered vocal harmonies and the instantly catchy hook; even though it has those timeless traditional pop elements, it still sounds fresh with an R&Bish vibe.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH30OyVXuK0&w=740&h=422]
Overall, MIKA has really taken his musical capabilities to a whole new level with No Place In Heaven. The most noticeable change within his music is the more mature approach to his lyrical content, and overall his sound is less bubblegum pop and more of an R&B Pop hybrid. It sounds dated, yet simultaneously fresh for radio play. Nonetheless, MIKA stays true to his catchy hooks whether it’s a slow paced or upbeat track. This album deserves success as it’s his boldest leap into music so far – it’s paid off big time.
8.5/10
Words by Connor Brown
@childishconbino