05/29/2007
Mika's Gay Fanbase Missing in Action?
Is pop star Mika's refusal to answer questions about his own sexuality rubbing one segment of his potential fanbase the wrong way? The singer has reportedly been wondering why he's not as popular among gay people as he feels he should be: "I don't understand it. I've never taken sides on any gender. I like to confuse people but it would appear that the gay scene hasn't embraced my sound, or indeed, my look. I just hope all that can change in the future."
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Posted 1:15 PM EST by Andy in Mika, Music, News | Permalink
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More importantly: how is it Mika is this famous pop star, and Towelroad is the only place I ever see anything about him?
Posted by: ohmy | May 29, 2007 1:21:58 PM
He's mentioned on VH1 as those artists on the rise.
How about embracing your sexuality, Mika, and then the gay fans will love you? It's an idea.
Posted by: Allen | May 29, 2007 1:30:35 PM
Don't search too deep Mika, it's just that your music sucks.
Posted by: Michael | May 29, 2007 1:33:52 PM
His coyness seems very dated in 2007. We've had, what, three former Idol contestants come out of the closet in the past year? Also, how popular can he be when his big promoter is Perez Hilton?
Posted by: anon | May 29, 2007 1:39:28 PM
This is the only place I've heard of this guy...Andy likes him, and he can have him because it doesn't seem like anyone else wants him.
Posted by: Wayne | May 29, 2007 1:40:36 PM
How about we are really, really over the coy sh*t.
Posted by: chandler in hollywood | May 29, 2007 1:41:06 PM
I have listened to this guy Mika's latest CD from start to finish. The song that was used for the music video is tolerable but not worth listening to more than once. (He stole his sound from Freddy Mercury start to finish.) Most of the rest of the songs on the CD are simply terrible. I think this will be another example of someone who makes it big in U.K. but doesn't get anywhere in the U.S. Much ado about nothing. (Except for the people trying to promote him as the next best thing for his record label...all hype.)
Posted by: tonytonytony | May 29, 2007 1:55:23 PM
Oh, you're kinda queeny looking (and Queen sounding) and we're supposed to get ga ga over it and hug you for nothing sounding like Linkin Park? Please.
Having said that, I own the album. It's very good.
Posted by: Marco | May 29, 2007 1:57:34 PM
This guy is a loser. Move on.
Posted by: Anita Woodward | May 29, 2007 2:00:51 PM
Oh How Terribly *Ironic*~! He hides his homo-gay-ness to sell more records and he ends up... selling fewer records. Boo-hoo, cry me a river. Get the balls to come out and we'll start buying your records, bitch~!
Posted by: stony_curtis | May 29, 2007 2:05:54 PM
when it comes to talented closeted pop stars, i prefer freddie mercury.
Posted by: Lito S | May 29, 2007 2:21:21 PM
Mika ie...Clay Aiken, I don't care if you're gay, just make better music!
Posted by: Mike | May 29, 2007 2:37:20 PM
Gay audiences are supposed to love you because you may or may not play on their team? It doesn't work that way Mika. Try being authentic, and then perhaps your fan base will expand greatly-gay or straight.
Posted by: Jason | May 29, 2007 2:40:39 PM
This isn't the only place talking about Mika; he's gotten a lot of press as a star on the rise.
But that said, maybe we gays are secretly huge fans of Mika's music...we just prefer not to identify as such so as to, you know, keep him guessing.
Posted by: Matthew Rettenmund | May 29, 2007 2:41:02 PM
Whether he's gay or not, the whole i don't specify gender i think people get annoyed because they sense you're looking for the gay dollar, but still want to be marketable and mainstream; which for gay people i think once again puts them into second class citzen status... like its okay for gays to think i'm cool and buy my records, but its the straight people that i want to accept me.
Posted by: Rose Nylan | May 29, 2007 2:49:31 PM
gay or straight makes no dif, just make some great music man and we shall follow. I know very few people who make their music decisions based on sexuality.
Posted by: secretagentman | May 29, 2007 2:53:35 PM
The boy is no different than any other. He sounds just like Scissor Sisters to me.
I think everyone was taking in by Perez Hilton's having pumped this singer up when he hasn't done anything to really deserve a larger fan base.
Besides, boys with long curls look like my sister circ. late 70's.
Posted by: Man | May 29, 2007 3:02:31 PM
MATTHEW RETTENMUND: perfect retort! lol
This kind of coyness worked a bit for Morrissey like, what, 20 years ago??!! If Mika is that out of touch with the gay community, then he doesn't deserve our support.
Confusion is the last thing we need when we're striving for equality, so why would we embrace a confusing singer?
That said, I love the album and own it. But the more I hear him complain, the less I wish I liked him. Keep going, Mika, and you'll alienate EVERYBODY.
As JASON said - try being authentic.
Posted by: Gregg | May 29, 2007 4:03:24 PM
His album is fun, infectious pop - nothing more but certainly nothing less so not sure why all the haters want to jump in the pool but I wouldn't thrash about too much if I were him.
Mika's had a number one song all over the world (except the U.S but top 40 ain't bad) a hit album in his own country and the rest of europe so if the gays, who are notoriously fickle and not exactly known for their um... challenging taste in music, are slow to catch on so be it - being out is not going to increase album sales - just ask the scissor sisters - being yourself however will make you a better artist - as his hit song attests. If you build it they will come and if they don't - fuck 'em.
Posted by: Giovanni | May 29, 2007 4:12:34 PM
realistically not acknowledging him is like the loser kids in higgh school who stop liking a band who made it cause they "sold out" You like music and message endd story if you liked them you'd want the best for them which includes commercial sucess. Furthermore you know he's not gonna chage anything he;s not hot it would take someone bigger than timberlake so him coming out will end hos career he'll be ypecasted and slowly let down middle of second album so no one seems homophobic
Posted by: sasha | May 29, 2007 4:27:35 PM
funny. I had just posted something on my own blog about how Ill finally admit that his music isn't bad but the guy annoys the hell out of me somehow and I think this article (and a similar one on AfterElton) point it all out, that Mika is trying to win both gays and straights by being coy and its losing both audiences instead.
Posted by: Vance | May 29, 2007 4:37:33 PM
I have nothing against him, I just don't like his music.
Posted by: Ridwah | May 29, 2007 5:01:53 PM
just a week ago he was complaining that he shouldn't have to say if he's gay or not because he wanted mainstream popularity and now he's bitching that the homos aren't flocking to him ?? puh-leeze. and jake shears is pulling the same crap.. whiny don't-know-what-the-hell-they-want bitches.
Posted by: el polacko | May 29, 2007 5:20:03 PM
Maybe because his music is largely mediocre and a fair number of gays have good taste?
Not meaning to bash him or anyone who likes his stuff. It's okay, IMO. But "word of mouth" is the best marketing available, and I just can't see that many people shouting out to all their friends about how they have to check out Mika. "Hey I just got this kinda bland album with a few kinda catchy tunes and some so-so filler and the singer is sorta gay but doesn't like to talk about it. You should check it out!!"
Posted by: Michael M. | May 29, 2007 5:41:56 PM
I hear about him all the time and love his music. I haven't been as excited about new music since The Scissor Sisters. Love Mika.
Posted by: phil | May 29, 2007 6:04:34 PM
I just think he sounds horrible. It's funny, because when I heard that he was gay, I was like "let's give him a chance." I honestly don't care if he doesn't publicly embrace his sexuality. His music just doesn't...uh...connect with me at all. It's sort of annoying, actually. Just the music I don't like.
Posted by: Ryan | May 29, 2007 6:07:59 PM
I bought his album this weekend.. and I like it. But, then again, I like Scissor Sisters too (who he borrows from almost to the point of embarassment).
But the truth is we don't often support male singers. And if so, it generally is music that is lasting and, though it's fun, Mika's music is pretty much fluff.
If he wants a gay following he has to come out (whichever way), sit down and listen to George Michael, Elton John, and Queen at the height of their careers and see if he can identify what makes good music good.
Or get a sex change and wear scandalous outfits and get excellent dance mixes. We like us our divas.
Posted by: Timothy | May 29, 2007 6:13:57 PM
This he says he doesn't want his sexuality to be made public but he sure does a terrible job of hiding it...Did anyone hear him on Radio 1 a couple weeks ago when he was flirting with openly gay DJ Scott Mills?
Posted by: Mac | May 29, 2007 6:15:30 PM
I made the mistake of buying the CD. Grace Kelly was catchy enough, but the CD is a piece of trash.
Posted by: Mike Haddad | May 29, 2007 6:19:50 PM
gay men have not taken to him because he's not hot. typical.
Posted by: stephen garey | May 29, 2007 6:35:32 PM
WOW what a bunch of bitchy Fags get a grip Robbie Williams and many other have tried and failed to break into the US market. Listen to "Happy Ending" for a bit of euro gospel. it is very good, love it
Posted by: Richie | May 29, 2007 7:12:59 PM
I CAN'T STAND HOW GAY MEN TRASH THEIR OWN.
Here you guys will take any scrap you can get from a straight man yet having Mika reaching out to you on a constant basis is not good enough. Unfortunately he is BOUND BY CIRCUMSTANCE. There is a lot of prejudice against gay people. It would no doubt damage his career with the public and within the music industry. Can you give the man a chance, it's goddamn hard enough being a celebrity let alone a gay one?
Posted by: Jack! | May 29, 2007 7:25:27 PM
Even Grace Kelly is just a nonsensical barrage of hooks start to finish. Anyone who compares him to Freddy Mercury is insulting Freddy. Freddy wrote some of the most enduring lyrics in pop music to date.
To make it big with any audience--straight or gay--you need an album that is brilliant from start to finish. All of Mika's songs sound the same and most of the stuff on his album is just awful.
Posted by: action jackson | May 29, 2007 7:28:33 PM
Mika is HUGE in Europe.
I would be spending a fortune on his CD's if he would just utter the magic words "I am gay" and then GET ON WITH IT!!
I know he's Lebanese but come on... just say you're gay and be done with it! This coy routine is such an insult it's a HUGE turn-off. NO straight musician has EVER refused to say "I'm straight."
Posted by: Hephaestion | May 29, 2007 7:44:24 PM
I just can't care about him, and not because of his sexuality, but because his music is completely and totally uninteresting. Even if he were out, I wouldn't buy his album just cause he's gay. That Rufus Wainwright is gay is a plus, but I just buy his albums because I like his music. Lance Bass is gay and out, and it wouldn't matter if he got a pink triangle tattooed on his forehead, I still wouldn't buy that shite.
Posted by: Gitai | May 29, 2007 7:45:46 PM
Giovanni--are you suggesting that Mika's music is challenging?
Posted by: jmg | May 29, 2007 8:40:42 PM
Well, at least Jake Shears has never been coy about being gay, so if he is also complaining about not having a huge gay fanbase I'm willing to be more forgiving with him than with Mika.
After getting famous for wanting to be like Grace Kelly does the guy really expect to have any credibility as a tombeur de femmes? Please.
Posted by: Paolo Colonna | May 29, 2007 8:44:55 PM
Haphaestion said: "I would be spending a fortune on his CDs if..."
Hasn't this guy only had one CD?
Posted by: action jackson | May 29, 2007 9:18:50 PM
i don't know anyone who isn't gay who listens to him...straight people make fun of him...but he does have fans so someone is lying about who they are...
Posted by: dan | May 29, 2007 9:29:58 PM
Jake Shears has never complained about not having gay fans. He's got tons. And he's always been exactly who he is. He seems a bit nonplussed about the Sisters being huge in Europe and pretty much ignored in the USA, his home. But he doesn't come across as bitter -- my God, have you seen one of his shows? That's not a bitter queen up there jumping around in those outfits.
As for Mika? I find it hard to enjoy his music when he's being so annoyingly coy. It makes it even harder that so many of his lyrics are about being true to who you are and being yourself no matter the consequences. It's not the closet, it's the hypocrisy.
Oh, and I think he's scorching hot.
Posted by: Philip | May 29, 2007 9:49:40 PM
You either like the music or you don't. Gone are the days of embracing a pop star because of their sexuality. I liked Erasure in the 80s along with other bands like Depeche Mode, not because they were gay, but because that's what I liked back then. I like Mika's CD. But...
I also think the days of remaining closeted (or ambiguous) when everyone who listens to your music knows you're gay, are also gone.
AND...to complain about the lack of a fan base when you don't even acknowledge your own sexuality is outright hypocrisy. I can understand people's struggle with coming out, but let's face it, "I like to confuse people" doesn't sound like he's struggling too much.
Another Anderson Cooper perhaps.
Posted by: anthony | May 29, 2007 11:50:06 PM
i don't have his cd, but i like "grace kelly." plus, i think he's really pretty. i'd tap that.
Posted by: nic | May 30, 2007 2:50:20 AM
Mika, the gay community just isn't into you! LOL
I bought the CD and like it, but it does sound like Freddie Mercury smashed with the Scissor Sisters...not everyone's taste.
Lets not forget this: Female singers have to amp up their sex appeal to sell records...to both men and women, whereas male singers don't....unless they are trying to market to Gay men!
Men are men period. If you were more 'f*ckable' you'd sell more records, sorry the US is just that shallow and so are gay men.
Posted by: qjersey | May 30, 2007 6:17:54 AM
"gay men have not taken to him because he's not hot. typical."
Sweeping generalization won't win you any arguments. I'm not the least bit attracted to George Michael, Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, or the Pet Shop Boys, but I think their music is infinitely better than Mika's.
I tried to like his music, and after a while, I have to agree, it's grating and annoying. It's just my personal taste. While some point to his coyness over his sexuality, most here seem to be saying that the music doesn't appeal to them.
I'm happy for fans who dig him. I think he's a good performer and he can make music, but it's just not music I want to listen to. I'm all for supporting gay artists but they to bring the art, not just bring the gay.
Posted by: mark m | May 30, 2007 10:44:14 AM