Kumazzz Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) TÊTU Mika en couverture du numéro d’été de TÊTU http://www.tetu.com/2015/07/02/le-magazine/mika-en-couverture-du-numero-dete-de-tetu/ Mika est en couverture du numéro de juillet-août de TÊTU (n°212), disponible dans les kiosques le samedi 4 juillet (et à partir du 6 juillet pour certains abonnés, en fonction des délais de la Poste). Pour TÊTU, le chanteur de 31 ans s’est mis littéralement à l’eau, lors d’un shooting exclusif (et mémorable !) à Molitor, à Paris. Dans la longue interview qu’il nous a accordée, Mika se livre sur sa jeunesse, ses amours, la genèse de son nouvel album No Place In Heaven, mais aussi son rapport à la religion. Extraits : « En écrivant ce disque, je me suis fait une promesse : oser être comme les héros gays de mon enfance ! » « J’ai toujours vu mon orientation sexuelle comme une évidence. Le dire dans une interview, c’était une formalité… mais une formalité importante ! » « Je suis obsédé par le nouveau pape. Je le trouve intellectuellement bluffant ». Sommaire complet de ce numéro à suivre sur TÊTU.com ! Photos : Arthur Delloye pour TÊTUInterview : Romain BurrelStylisme : Romain Vallos INTERVIEW : translated by crazyaboutmika #491 Mika's interview in Têtu in English is ready, enjoy Mika "Songs that make me dance also make me cry...it is the same with sex" Mika who is now 31 is a man who is appeased, freed from his ambiguities, and who is at ease all together with: his love story with Andy, his amazing looks and his "hybrid cultural background". For Têtu he speaks openly about his youth, his loves, the birth of his new album, No Place In Heaven, and he also says how he feels about religion. Interview: Romain Burrel Photo: Arthur Delloye for Têtu Styling: Romain Vallos Hairstyling/make up: Morgan Quere and Géraldine Fougerat He is a long stem with a huge smile dressed in a stripped sweater similar to the ones Daho (French singer) wore when he sang his song La Notte . A good 1,91 meter pop star who speaks in a cosmic and funny French, roughly translated from English. Michael Hoolbrook Penniman aka Mika opens for us the door of his eagle'snest (aerie) in the 16th discrict (arrondissement) in Paris , two foot steps away from Le Trocadéro. sprawling on a sofa, the singer is exhausted because of his hysterical promotional schedule. He spent his whole day giving interviews about his new album, No Place In Heaven, but also others for The Voice. That's because Mika likes to live several lives at the same time: pop singer, talent show coach-both in France and Italy- , muse for Valentino and Christian Louboutin.A wandering way of living, in between England, France and Italy which suits perfectly this nomadic heart, born in Beyrut, and who grew up between Paris and London. This is not the first time Têtu meets Mika, but this meeting is particularly important. The singer was regularly invited to express himself in Têtu since Grace Kelly tremendous success in 2007, but it's the first time we interview him again since his coming out. We had to wait till August 2012 for Mika who was promoting his third album, The Origin Of Love, to say to Instinct, the American magazine: "Yes, I'm gay".Prior to 2012, he prefered not to anwer questions about his sexual orientation and if they got too precise, he used to say he was bisexual, which was probably more confortable to assume for him as far as media were concerned. Yet, as early as in his first album, Life In Cartoon Motion, the singer had no hesitations whatsoever dealing with totally gay themes ( in the song Billy Brown) but his anwers weren't not ready at that point... "While writing that album I made a promise to myself: to dare to be as bold as my childhood gay heroes!" Têtu: We particularly noticed and paid attention to the lyrics of your song Good Guys. That is your tribute to gay heroes, isn't it? Mika: Exactly! It's a tribute to my childhood heroes. When it was time to start this record, I made a promise to myself, which was to be as daring as those enfants terribles. I told myself:" go and find those artists again, where are they in your life today? " Later, I realised that most of my heroes were gay...or honorary gay men. [Laughter] Men like Rimbeau, David Bowie or James Dean. All right, as far as he's concerned, there's still a debate....men who were free spirits. For some it had to terrible consequences. In the song I quote this sentence by Oscar Wilde: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars." He wrote it at a time he was in jail because of his sexuality. Têtu: Was that album easy to write? Mika: Yes, it was rather easy. The record looks like me: in between two languages and many different cultures. It's as if I had decided to put an end to the situation I ended up being trapped in three years ago: I was lost and unhappy. So I made a promise to myself that I would have fun finally. From now on I want to have fun moments, stop feeling complexed, take risks such as doing TV shows or writing in newspapers. I have always wanted to do this, but I was afraid. I wanted to link my private and my public life. Têtu: Your coming out in the gay American magazine Instinct was part of this need to being open? Mika: Of course! But I don't like those words: "coming out". What does that mean? Coming out of what? Of a closet? I wasn't a prisonner! I don't even know why I said it to Instinct. I was promoting my album in the United States. It happened naturally. My sexual orientation is something that I thought was obvious...most of my fans did as well, by the way. Saying it in an interview was more like a formality, but an important formality ! And it was the right time to talk about it. I had just gone through a breakup, I now entirely blame on myself. And that's after we got together again that I decided to talk about it. Sometimes one needs to provoke themselves with a big slap so blood gets up to one's head! Têtu: Before you said it, each of your interviews included at least one question about your sexuality. Was it something journalists tried to extract from you? Mika: It was very chocking. I can deal with questions from journalists, but I remember that a magazine had interviewed other gay artists in order to judge the way I talked about sexuality or rather about the way I did not. I told myself: those are such brutal ways. Harassment. And what about the artists who played that game, when all they got from it was two lines in a magazine? That's my life, my family's life and the person I live with 's life. I started working when I was very young. At the age of 23, I found myself with lots of questions the press was forcing on me and answers that weren't ready. But I must say that the gay community was never that way with me. They were patient. And I always got involved in favor of gay causes even before I said publicly that I was gay. Têtu: We saw you walk anonymously among the gay mariage demonstrators. Mika: Yes. I was there with Doriand my French lyricist. Yet, he is married to a woman! [Laughter] Gay marriage is something that is an evidence! There's nothing to negociate! When you see all the energy in action during such a demonstration: children, grand mothers, straight people, gay people...it is an evidence. I'm often asked if I want to get married. I answer: no. But, then I'm told: why do you want gay marriage? So I can have a choice! Têtu: Let's talk about the record. It is called No Place In Heaven. Do you think there's no place in heaven for you? Mika: I have a wierd belief like most people who grew up with religion like me. It is part of my culture, but I have decided to reject a big part of it so it could be compatible with my idea of tolerance. This tolerance with which I would like to be accepted with. Do I believe in the idea of heaven? No. Do I believe God multiplied breads for millions of people? I'm not stupid! Do I think the idea of heaven is valuable? Absolutely. Theology has nothing to do with miracles. But it's impossible not to be intrigued! 1983: birth in Beyrut (Lebanon) 2007: Life In Cartoon Motion, his first album sells more than a million copies in France 2008: Mika's concert in Parc Des Princes, in Paris 2012: Mika comes out as gay in the gay magazine Instinct 2014: Mika becomes a judge in The Voice season 3 Têtu: With the show The Voice, we got used to your let's say hybrid French! Mika: Blame it on my mother! She got married to my father in the middle of a wood in Vermont . She wanted us to grow up as cultural "hybrid"children. She didn't want us to be too tied up to one cultural background or one way of thinking. She wanted us to break the rules, and she shared with us her distrust of regarding materialism. My father is the son of a diplomat. He grew up a bit everywhere. My mother was an anthropologist before she became a seamstress. Her childhood was very posh. Her father was an emigrant who arrived at Ellis Island without any money and who became very rich once in the United States . Then, when she turned 18, her father died, and she lost everything in a krack of the US economic system. For her and her four sisters it was a catastrophic downfall. That is certainly the reason why she raised us so we'd be cautious and to distrust wealth. As a child I went from very bourgeois (upper middle class) moments to time periods when we had absolutely nothing. I grew up with bailiffs at the door and I was an expert for dealing with them. We knew the rules and what they could do or couldn't do. When we left Paris, we had lost everything. Têtu: You were born in Lebanon, you grew up in France, then in England. Where do you really feel at home? Mika: In London. Because it's a big airport. There are people from all around the world. My musical director is Autralian. My sound engineer is Spanish. Economically, it's less steep price than in France. I bought a little house that looks like Mary Poppins' house. I kept the facade and I rebuilt everything else with friends. That being said, I can not imagine my life without Paris. I also think London sold a bit its soul. Whereas if I sit in a café in Paris with a drink, I feel the same as when I was 17. Têtu: On the album, a song ; Les Baisers Perdus seems to be dedicated to Paris. It's a bit your Complainte de la Butte (French classic and nostalgic love song with Montmartre as the setting) (with English subtitles) Mika: This song is my ode to Paris! I wanted to write something cinematic. For me Paris is an extremely sexy and extremely melancholic. I think sex is very effective when it is melancholic. [Laughter] The songs that make me dance are also the ones that make me cry. But let me put your mind at rest , I don't cry during sex! Têtu: While we're on the subject of cinema, it is rumored that we'll see you soon on the big screen... Mika: I'll tell you everything: I'm going to ve in Zoolander 2. A small part in the movie and there's a big sequence with one of my songs. I even had to shave my arms and wear a moustache... but that's cool. I did the "blue steel" pose with Ben Stiller! [The "duckface" funny face that became very trendy with the first Zoolander in 2001] The first movie wasn't successful when it was first released , but it became a cult movie, after its DVD release. It makes fun of media and fashion clichés, softly. Têtu: In your album, there's a song in which you say:"For every love I had to hide, for every tears I had to cry....Did you often have to "hide a love"? Mika: Of course. During a time period in my life, I "hid love". I'm not ashamed to say it. Sometimes, I even tell myself it made my young age loves more intense. [laughter] You know, I grew up with religion, I went to church each Sunday. In England my teachers were priests! Incidentally, some of them were very very nice with me... Têtu: err..nice in what sense? Mika: Around the age of 14, I understood that many priests were hiding among the church because they were struggling against sexual tension that they couldn't deal with. That was obvious not only to me, but also for the other boys in my class. At that time I was an altar boy, can you imagine? Many unlikely people were. I had a deal with the school. I could miss 40 % of the school year to do my jobs, but I had to sing during the services. I remember I read an Almodovar interview in which he spoke of his love for church, of its ceremony, of mass. I totally understand what he means. The drama, the incense, the way the light is used...I find that very beautiful too. Even, if when I was younger, I felt rejected by the church. Têtu: What do you think that the church rejected in you? Mika: They were imposing rules that were not choices. It doesn't work that way. And I'm convinced that things are changing. That's the reason why I'm obsessed by the new pope. I find him intellectually impressive. He's at the same time tough and in a process of trying to make things evolve. He wants to change the idea that the church is against gays. He even said it publicly: "Who am I to judge?" That being said, it will take time. I think that he's aware of that. Têtu: Is pope Francis really that different? Did you see that he vetoed the appointment of a French ambassador in Vatican because he was gay? Mika: That is Vatican bureaucracy's decision, not the pope's! Well, maybe that's my optimism speaking....in Italy I write in Corriere Della Sera. Of course,there are people who don't like this newspaper because it very reactionary. But , as far as I'm concerned, I like it. That allows me to debate with people about politics. Têtu: You are very famous in Italy, you are a judge in XFactor and you were even on the cover of the Italian Vanity Fair , with a title saying: "Gay and father, why not?" What did you think about what the creators of D&G said about "traditional family"? Mika: It's hard for me to answer this question. Those creators are my neighbors in Italy... what I can say is that I chose my clothes designer cautiously. I wear Valentino because for me it means "amore" (love). Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who are the artistic directors of that brand, have a great sense of love. I like nice people, who are also modern and have a sense of fun and poetry, which isn't the case for everyone. Têtu: Do you want to have children? Mika: Loads! But when the moment has come. Têtu: As we were talking about fashion, something is totally obvious: with your flamboyant suits, you totally outshined Jenifer in The Voice! Mika: No! I haven't yet worn a Jean Paul Gautltier dress! [laughter] The guy in charge of my promotion often says to me: "Why don't you wear something a bit more sober?" And I answer to him: that is totally sober! Look : the shape the cut are absolutely classic. Têtu: Do you see yourself as a dandy? Mika: No. But you can take the liberty of doing many things if you behave like a dandy, even of I'm not one. A dandy is a punk who can secretly enter the party. Têtu: Are you happy in love? Mika: Yes. Even if it wasn't always easy for Andy...he is a very simple person .He's extremely true to himself and he hates what's complicated. So , it's difficult. Because my work often tends to endanger it all. Têtu: Etienne Daho explained to us that it was hard for him to have a steady relation with someone, because music is a lover that's too demanding. Can one be a pop singer and enjoy a stable love life? Mika: Yes, I'm convinced of that! But you have to be pragmatic. Andy and I , we have an extremely conventional relation. We are faithful. We went through a big crisis a few years ago. We split then we got back together again. I understood that one musn't squash the other. And give up trying to control the other. Often one is too carnivorous. Then one wonders why they don't love the other person anymore, but that's simply because that person was destroyed. Edited July 11, 2015 by Kumazzz 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mine Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thank you Eriko! can't wait to read the interview! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krysady Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 A short video : https://twitter.com/DidierJEAN/status/616617562193960960/video/1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks Eriko - love the new photos, especially the relaxed, and the one in water Look forward to read the interview... Love,love me 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 A short video : https://twitter.com/DidierJEAN/status/616617562193960960/video/1 Thanks a lot for posting !! They upload HD video on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/tetumag/videos/vb.9217671290/10153350295616291/?type=2&theater DIRECT video url : https://video.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xat1/v/t43.1792-2/11386033_10153350296096291_666156228_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjI1NzcsInJsYSI6MTAyNH0%3D&rl=2577&vabr=1718&oh=cbe8f820765f62b9ff3263e148345bbf&oe=5595CF9D RE-uploaded to YT 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 http://www.tetu.com/le-magazine/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 An article about the interview. Public.fr http://www.public.fr/News/Mika-J-ai-toujours-vu-mon-orientation-sexuelle-comme-une-evidence-780382#xtor=CS1-23 02/07/2015 18h20 Mika : "J’ai toujours vu mon orientation sexuelle comme une évidence" ! ( Mika: "I have always seen my sexual orientation as evidence!" ) Très classe, Mika pose en Une du nouveau numéro de Têtu spécial été. En 2012, Mika faisait son coming out dans le magazine américain Instinct. Il déclarait alors : "Si vous me demandez si je suis gay, je vous réponds oui. Est-ce que les chansons de mon nouvel album évoquent ma relation avec un homme ? Je réponds oui". Depuis, le coach de The Voice a évoqué sans détour ses envies. Récemment, il avouait vouloir "quatre ou cinq enfants" et espérait avoir trouvé l'amour de sa vie. Cet été, Mika revient en force. Avant le retour d’une saison 5 de The Voice, le coach emblématique a posé en couverture du magazine Têtu pour le numéro de l’été (en kiosques le 4 juillet prochain). Pour l’occasion, le chanteur de 31 ans a plongé dans le grand bain lors d’un shooting organisé à la piscine Molitor, à Paris. Toujours très chic, Mika prend ainsi la pose dans un costume bleu ciel, allongé sur une bouée géante et dorée, en forme de soleil ! Par ces temps de canicule, on l’aurait préféré en maillot de bain, mais tant pis ! En tous les cas, la star a encore une fois répondu à la curiosité de ses fans dans une longue interview. Jeunesse, amours, religion et nouvel album No Place in Heaven, il dit tout. D’ailleurs, Têtu a dévoilé quelques extraits de cet entretien. A propos de son nouvel opus, Mika confie : "En écrivant ce disque, je me suis fait une promesse : oser être comme les héros de mon enfance !". Et à un propos de son homosexualité, il explique : "J’ai toujours vu mon orientations sexuelle comme une évidence. Le dire dans une interview, c’était une formalité… mais une formalité importante !" L.P. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonc Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I love those pictures, I need to check who made them, the photographer has quite good eye for colours and composition! I need to beg my French friend to bring me the magazine from France, she's just about to come back for Holidays.Is that the only video that you could find from the photoshoot? I wonder if there's proper behind-the-scene video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 I guess this video has been taken at the same time. ORIGINAL ONLY Mika 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 RE-post. Thanks a million Eva !! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 https://twitter.com/sylvainzim/status/617379477560127488 Sylvain Zimmermann @sylvainzim Mes photos du shooting de la couv du nouveau @TETUmag avec @mikasounds @MLTRPARIS @MaisonBarclay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariposa Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Love this interview! Thanks for the scans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 The photographer's site. http://www.arthurdelloye.com/portfolio/portraits/tetu/mika?thumb-wall 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiaIchihara Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I shared this on MIKA BRASIL FB group, and someone noticed something in the left corner, about homossexuals in Brazil, can someone scan it, please??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathouzouf Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I shared this on MIKA BRASIL FB group, and someone noticed something in the left corner, about homossexuals in Brazil, can someone scan it, please??? I have the magazine at home, would be able to tell you in a few days 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 (edited) Here you are ! not scanned, taken by my camera. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/602/20647488481_4ebf8a7167_o.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/681/20452829880_b7d7348795_o.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/20454118309_d41783f975_o.jpg Edited August 17, 2015 by Kumazzz typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 I've missed a page ! :doh46: cropped ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiaIchihara Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Thanks Cath and Eriko :huglove: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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