British pop singer Mika releases debut album

Let’s face it: In the United States, pop music is a dead genre. Sure, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado have stormed the charts with no.1 hits, but what about traditional pop music? These days, the only way of being a pop star is to have a hip-hop beat in the background (Justin and Nelly make good use of that rule).Then, Mika arrives, a young, skinny British guy with a voice few can match besides Freddy Mercury. This year, he released his first album Life in Cartoon Motion, a power pop album that pays homage to just about every rock star and pop tart that’s graced the music industry. His first single, “Grace Kelly,” created much buzz due to its heavy rotation on MTV and its moderate success on the Billboard charts. Indeed, the vibe of the song is very reminiscent of Queen, with Mika even referencing deceased Queen frontman Freddy Mercury. Another song, “Big Girls (You Are Beautiful),” is an obvious ode to plus-size women inspired by Queen’s “Fat-Bottomed Girls.” Nevermind the skinny women you see in American fashion magazines: Mika’s all about girls that have meat on their bones.Much of the album centers on homage: Besides Queen, Mika also mixes the Scissor Sisters vibe with a little Prince (“Love Today”), channels his inner Bronski Beat (“Relax,” “Take It Easy”), messes around with a bit of Elton John (“Any Other World”), and even imitates the Jackson 5 “Lollipop”). Overall, Life in Cartoon Motion is a nice pop album that’s meant to take listeners out of their deepest ruts and get them to take a nice walk around the park. Why then has the album underperformed in the U.S.? While “Grace Kelly” had some success, “Love Today” was a flop and “Big Girls” doesn’t look like it’ll succeed either. Simply put, it doesn’t quite fit in with the U.S. market. Mika’s not the only UK star who has failed at grabbing the US. Robbie Williams is an international pop icon, yet he’s never had any major success in the United States. Kylie Minogue had a big hit song and album a few years back, yet hasn’t been able to have a proper hit since, leaving her as simply a dance music artist with a cult following while the rest of the world embraces her as a pop icon. Even New York City’s own Scissor Sisters have become major stars in the UK, yet can’t get past the dance charts in their home country.Judging by the poor performance of the album, it looks as if Mika might suffer the same fate. Still, he’s developed a cult following in the U.S., even performing in a recent collaboration with fellow indie music star Beth Ditto, lead singer of The Gossip. Despite their small numbers, at least Mika’s fans have seen Life in Cartoon Motion for what it is: a harmless, but fun pop album that’s hard to take out of your CD player.