When it comes to writing love songs, artists tend to focus on the larger-than-life, grandiose aspects of infatuation. But pop star Mika, as per usual, is different — he wants to talk about the small moments that make falling head-over-heels so great.
On Friday (August 16), the singer revealed his new song "Tiny Love," an ode to the mundane side of love despite the track's grandiose production, sounding like an early-era Queen B-side. The song opens with the singer explaining what true love is not, including "a sunrise over canyons shaped like hearts," or "bursting into song in Central Park." Rather, he contends, it's "a 'still-there-Monday-morning' kind of love."
The video, directed by high-concept artist W.I.Z., takes a more exact approach to the song's title. It shows the singer in a confusing fun house apartment with his tall lover; throughout the surrealist video, Mika and his flame eat cherries, play piano and lounge around, before the star is shrunk down to fit in the palm of a hand. "You get me high on a tiny love," he sings to his enormous paramour.
In a statement released with the song, Mika said that he wanted to capture the idea that love can feel enormous, "yet at the same time it’s so tiny and imperceivable to others." He also shouted out director W.I.Z. for his work on the video. "From every detail in pre-production, to the art direction and casting, he has one thing in mind; to illustrate a complex narrative that he has written in his head," he said. "I am very proud of what he has made."
The new song comes as the second single off of Mika's forthcoming fifth studio album My Name is Michael Holbrook, due out on Oct. 4. In honor of the song, the artist will also head out on a short North American tour this fall, appropriately named the "Tiny Love Tiny Tour."
Check out Mika's new video for "Tiny Love" and his upcoming North American tour dates below:
September 12 & 13 — Brooklyn Steel, New York, NY
September 15 & 16 — Corona, Montreal, QC
September 18 — Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
September 21 — ACE, Los Angeles, CA
September 24 — Plaza Condesa, Mexico City, MX