amneris

It's really an incredible article, an awesome interview! I had to pause a little while from reading since I needed to collect and re-elaborate all the informations and messages he hinted.

I suggest to post the article after the Mika's one, by Roberto Cotroneo, it's an interesting reflection on talent shows pros and cons and Mika is quoted too.

Just for the records:

a more "professional" article has been posted here

http://www.rete-news.it/xfactor8-cronaca-delle-audizioni-bologna/

with a short review of the other day of auditions. Short since I had no chance to be there, unfortunately.

Still not able to translate myself, but in case, the few lines at the bottom are the worthy ones.

Thank you for the huge translation work you've done on my article. I was thinking of translating it myself but had hard time working on my next future issues and didn't.

I am moved that somone has took into consideration my silly and excited words. I was able to see my "Muse" from a few meters of distance and had been a great experience to me.

thank you so muck

I'm so honored.

a.

I think we all agree on the meaning of "Quand toi et moi on fait boum boum boum"...Am I right ???

yes he says so.

great article!

pure a me!

Avete letto l'articolo dove dice che praticamente si è messo a scrivere il nuovo album soltanto da quando è andato a LA?

 

 

Avete letto l'articolo? Sembra che stia lavorando bene e che sia contento...

No, quale articolo?

Anyhow, this magazine is totally garbage.

The article is not complete, but in the last part it says that, perhaps, Bova was so nervous on the set of the ad because he's divorcing from his wife after 16 years of marriage and 3 kids. I think the story about the height is a sort of excuse to gossip about Bova, his wife and....his new...ehm...girlfriend, a young and beautiful girl.

Also because Raul Bova's mother-in-law is the sharpest and strongest divorce specialized lawyer in italy. Must not be very easy to get out from that without all bones broken...

Yes I respect it and I have no need whatsoever to see a pic of the two of them. I just get the sense that there is some fear there and it's unwarranted. It might make life easier for them, that's all. But obviously it's their choice.

I totally agree.

It's one of the most inspiring melody and lyrics for me this one.

I love it sooo much!

pure poetry.

a.

Mi inserisco "brutalmente" in questa discussione per venire a salutare anche qui: sono Giovanna, vivo a Padova, mi sono iscritta al forum da pochi giorni e sono certa che mi divertirò parecchio con voi!

ciao Giovanna!

Benvenuta!

conosco un po' di gente a Padova!

chissà Mika e Ariana insieme a Sanremo?

ahimè, dalle ultime notizie sembrerebbe proprio di no...

ma no, non credo risulti tonto, anzi! secondo me è evidente che è sveglio, intelligente, simpatico e il fatto che sia geniale ma allo stesso tempo semplice, umile e alla mano conquista tutti

parlo di lui e condivido i suoi video, le sue foto e scrivo post sul mio blog e sul mio facebook da più di un anno. prima mi prendevano tutti in giro. Mika chi? Oggi mi scrivono persino privatamente dicendomi che "avevo ragione. Mika è bravissimo e simpatico, competente ed elegante, geniale e umile".

Che sia intelligente e geniale lo ha dimostrato.

E le vendite del suo album e del Songbook vol.1 in Italia credo abbia dimostrato che in qualche modo le sue scelte lo stanno ripagando. Per lo meno stanno permettendogli di non finire nel dimenticatoio della propria casa discografica...

 

AMEN

e così sia!

I know they do it for continuity but the price is too high. If they want to mix it up so you can't see they chose Garou 6 times in a row then just mix it up. I'd rather see them in different outfits from one singer to the next than to see them wearing the same things for weeks on end. Before the Voice even started airing I was thinking that Mika has been wearing that blue suit every single day since October. And that was before it was on for 3 weeks.

quite agree

I'm a language freak, although I'm terribly in French, the only foreign language I know except English. btw my native is Mandarin Chinese and I learn all English and french in this country, never live oversea.

 

For a language freak, Mika is always an interesting topic.

 

My questions is his french accent. it's sounds to me very french french! But I found on a Chinese website that a French teacher of some Chinese student says his french has british accent actually.

 

Are there any native speakers? what's ur opinion? becuse I'm a french beginner and I don't want to be misled.

 

And what about his spanish? I read on our FAQ that he speaks english and french and has knowledge in spanish. But in wiki it says he speaks both french and spanish fluently. And it is also in this interview

 

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Magic-Mika-Singer-talks-Twitter-bullying-and-drinks/42139.html

 

So I guess he speak spanish?

Hi, nice topic this one! I love it!

I am italian mother tongue but I studied English & French at high school, I used to work with languages in my early "office" days, & then I spent some years in my native country, Brasil, when I was 25 ys old (I went back to Italy with my family when I was only 11 month of age, so I didn't learn portuguese at that time) and obvioulsy I learnt to speak portuguese fluently.

French has always been my favourite language. I loved to speak, to study it although its grammar is difficult (even for a neo-latin spoken mother tongue language) and I always had to be very keen and attentive to some of its rules, but I gave to French a special devotion to it. And when I learnt portuguese, which is a gorgeous language, it gives you enormous satisfaction either to understand it or to speak it, well, it happened the same thins as to Mika with italian and spanish: portugues kicked off french from my brain and I completely lost it. This happened almost 20 years ago. The nice thing is that when listening to Mika's interviews in french, his songs in french and reading all articles in that language, French came back in a quite consistent way and now I have both, portuguese and french in my mind again.

I cannot tell you how Mika's speaking French because to me he speaks beautifully, but I can tell you how he speaks italian: he's great. He almost does not have an accent, at least he has not the typical accent of british people speaking italian: 3 of my children's professors are british, and they all speak the same, with same accent which is very charming, I must say, I love it, but Mika has not. Of course he makes mistakes, but they are very charming mistakes italian people start to love and to imitate.

I think that since he has such a good hear to music and languages are preeminently a question of intonation and musicality (grammar too, of course) he has a natural predisposition to learn them and to pronounce them practically without accent and using the correct intonation.

Then I'm pretty sure he'll launch one in Italian. If not, I'll be bloody jealous

I'm with you.

Here the translation of the article by Unità news paper: (work in progress, italic sentences are mine)

Mika, pop icon that everybody loves.

In order to decipher the Mika character, the success that accompanies him and whips like cream, it's enough to go on youtube. Look for a vid, read the comments. Alessandra loves him, Marcella loves him, Giulia loves him. But so do Mario, Eugenio and Stefano. It's all pretty simple. They write it, add emoticons, smiles, “like”. To do coming out without embarassment, in a simple way, even with mirth. Yay, then: we love Mika. And this is a minor thing in a homophobic country like our. The puristi (sorry, I don't know how to translate that), the teachers with the red pen, will explain to us that the awareness takes origin elsewhere, that it's a deep process, that he, Mika, is just a Tv carachter, and so he's generated, so virtual. Yet Mario, Eugenio and Stefano are real. They sign in in a real social network, they stand up for it. The express themselves, they expose themselves. And they lovvano (a slang word spread among teeangers which means to love) Mika (it's said also that way, don't get scandalized).

More, there's more. Loving Mika nowadays is almost a tend cause in the boredom of talent shows, reality shows, docu fictions, hence of the tv, this stateless dude (born 1983 in beirut, libanese mother, american father, school in France and Great Britain) is so pop that he can't not to be liked. So even moms, grannies, girls and boys love him. He, on the other hand, doesn't act misteriously (meaning he doesn't try to hide something). He's gay, he's brilliant, he's hot, he's funny. He's successful, he's very much liked. If Italy needed a little easy and effective lesson, here it got it. Mika represents the normality of being gay.He reverse the fronts with a disarming spontaneity. We love Mika.

You don't know who Mika is? He's one of the Xfactor7 judges, the Sky show tha search for voices to have them on the top of the charts, extension of the music business and music labels, counterpart vaguely more educated than Amici. An already funded talent show, even dull between the toxic Morgan's disguises, the Simona Ventura's wrath, and the Elio's slippers, the less “tense stories” (the name of his band) the more retired genius, perhaps also fault of penguins torments (I think that was about an ad for a mobile company ) But then, at a certain moment, he came to take off on Arisa, official profession: musician, real name: Michael Holbrook Pennyman jr.

Mika is a guy who knows better about music: he took over the world hit parades with his single Grace Kelly, got 4 Music Awards in 2007 with his first album Life In A Cartoon Movie (not my mistake), writes light catchy songs which yet talk about gay love, for instance Toy Boy, and no one protests.

Not even in China, where the censorship is a way more strict. “They may not have understood”, he explains, astonished. A few xfactor episodes were enough for him to be “lovvato” by half italy. He tells Ventura to **** off and the whole country applauds, he talks a comic strip language based on «willy willy», «choosare», has a team of girl singers who never make mistakes, he laughs a lot but he also gets touched, has a mischievous Lucignolo face, he picks his clothes according to the top trend, dances, sings and applauds. He looks real, Mika. He may be. In a television based on appearances and grotesque, he rocks that way. Ironic and polite. He says: “ You ask me if I'm gay, and I answer yes. You ask me if my songs talk about men-men relationships? I tell you yes. And it's just through my music that I found the strenght to deal with my sexuality beyond the topic of my lyrics. This is my real life. “ Chapeau.

There are whole generations who wait by their stars a word, a little solace, to feel less different, to be reassured somehow by strengthened models. A scared and lonely teenager needs probably even this. And suddenly here Mika is, unlikely star in the italian unconscious.

A bit impuden, a bit proud, a bit fallen on earth from who knows what planet, to teach us civics and english. “So, listen, the word “camp” means.... “ And he opens wide his eyes, and gesticulates, adn laughs so much. He was dyslexic, now he looks like a train, he goes fast and talks fast. He sings fast.

More than 2 million people follow him on facebook, every post on twitter cause a standing ovation. The french people, who aren't dumb, will have him for the 2014 The Voice edition.Mika is Mika. He's not a prophet, a bit beyoing the sole virtual product, a little skeletonkey in this country where someone kills himself out of fear.

I miss the "like" botton in the forums. great reminder and translation.

I am not proscribing rules for how Mika must create an album.

 

He was not starring on TV shows.

He was not doing promo for previous albums.

He was not doing autograph sessions.

He was not interacting with fans.

He was not publishing stories about his 6 week holidays with his family.

He did not even Tweet.

 

 

Sorry, I misunderstood the long list of "Mika wasn'ts" you made before. I thought you were making a list of rules on how Mika's albums were made.

I am not saying it is impossible for him to change. I am just describing what has happened in the past for the people who were not around while he was making his previous albums. Whether Mika will change his process and not hide this time remains to be seen because at the moment there is no evidence for it whatsoever. As we always seem to do in these discussions we turn to some vague hypotheticals instead of talking about what we know to be happening.

I don't even try to think whether he can change or not. I don't even want to or am interested in it. Mika, to me, does it always right. Even he decides to go into a soap opera and play a part in it. If this makes him good and gives him inspiration, to me it's ok. Or if he doesn't need to chance, it's ok either.

Mika has already gone from saying in the media that he is half finished to telling fans that he is 20% finished. To me this means he really has not even started yet and has no clear direction on where it's going.

That's your call. And you were saying you're not trying to emprison him on a list of rules?

We are all speculating here and won't know how this album is going to take shape until it's done.

very true

But my thoughts on the matter are based on what we know about Mika and his history and what we can see happening in his career right now. Not on some general notions about creativity that may or may not apply to Mika and his current circumstances.

since we are talking about Art (music, painting, writing, acting are form of art) and not Science, your form of research is quite reductive.

It all just sounds like excuses to me for why he's not in a studio right now as he said he would be.

Mika fb profile already confirmed he's in a studio right now doing what has to be done to release this album.

And please note I am not the one telling Mika to go into a studio. He is the one who said that is where he is going to make his album.

I do too think an Album must be recorded in a studio. What I only was saying is that before recording an album one must have written lyrics and music, and to do so, maybe (I underline "maybe" word) Mika had to go through other channels of inspiration, to feed his creativity (which may be not a talent but is a quite difficult thing to manage and to keep on growing)

Whilst on the topic of creativity, I wrote a blog about it and I strongly suggest watching the video of John Cleese explaining what is needed to be creative: http://ingridchant.blogspot.nl/2013/12/creativity-is-not-talent.html

I don't see where I may have mentioned that creativity is a talent or what's the point of it...

Anyhow, creativity may not be a talent but it's not everybody's prerogative.

Mika was in complete and total hiding while he was making TOOL. As Rose said I think there is a misunderstanding about what I meant about being in hiding. What I mean is that he completely walls himself off from the public and public commitments. He said that even Paloma was upset with him for buggering off to make an album. He was so immersed in what he was doing he couldn't even stay by his sister's bedside while she was recovering.

 

He was not starring on TV shows.

He was not doing promo for previous albums.

He was not doing autograph sessions.

He was not interacting with fans.

He was not publishing stories about his 6 week holidays with his family.

He did not even Tweet.

 

When Mika is "in hiding" the only evidence we will have that he's still alive is that people he is collaborating with will start leaking info via social media. Engineers will say he's in their studio. Songwriters and producers will say they are spending time with him. Greg Wells will start gushing that Mika is the most amazing musical genius on the planet and wind everyone up about how great things are sounding.

 

And after weeks and months fans will be moaning that they haven't heard anything from Mika in so long they can't stand it. So he will finally say (for real this time and not some BS he has told every single time he has ever been asked whether he is working on new music since 2007) that he is completely engrossed in a new album and please be patient because it is necessary for him to hide.

 

Can this change? Can Mika find a way to create an album while he is committed to other projects and interacting with fans and media on a regular basis? Maybe, only Mika knows whether he can or wants to work on an album this way. But we've seen zero evidence of this happening at the moment so I find zero reason to believe it at this point.

 

And yes, no one expects Mika to make an album without inspiration, etc. He is not a machine. But he also needs to allot some kind of time to do it or it can't possibly happen. I don't think he is writing songs in his sleep or recording them on his almost daily shuttles between Paris and Milan. It's just not realistic.

Creativity is anarchic by definition. Sometimes it explodes through suggestions and constant stimulation, exposure to open air and living among the people, while others requires absolute silence and isolation. It is not always the same, it is never possible to harness it in a method or a regulation.

Yesterday Mika may have needed to withdraw into himself and hide and write, but today, perhaps, he needs to have a life at supersonic speed . One thing, however, is essential for creativity: it needs lifeblood, "nourishment " . For a writer it means listening to the stories of others, to observe reality, to study people behaviour, to absorb life. For a musician , I guess, it may be to receive stimulation/suggestions from other melodies , musical experiences to treasure noises , rhythms, even just voices.

I believe - but it is only my personal feeling since I consider him both a writer and a musician - that Mika has given and is giving plenty of himself to programs like Xfactor and The Voice , but he's also taking a lot: voices, sounds , rhythms, even a dispassionate comparison of ideas and visions of different music and melody . A total immersion in a reality he perceives as close to him but not too well known. He's taking stories, life, experiences, feelings, sorrows, joy, jokes, funny moments and so on. All this will be put into his lyrics one day.

Maybe Mika will hide, and sooner or later write , reworking everything he has experienced so far, and will draw from this his melodies .

Or maybe this is the time of sharing and total expenditure, even in writing.

Moreover, it also happens to writers : JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter , at least the first of the seven books of the entire saga in a café in Edinburgh, completely dived into the crowd and noise of everyday life . Then, for Casual Vacancy she isolated herself, because she already was popular and needed privacy. The third book , she even published under a nickname, and had to reveal to the world that she was the author or the book would have sunk into nothing.

The requirements change depending on how it changes the life of an artist and especially the living conditions of the same . Mika can be that way. I reckon that LICM was written in a totally different way from TBWKTM and TOOL too, was written in another totally different way and conditions of life.

I think that trying to trace rules for Mika's creativity is not a correct way to proceed and does not give him the credit he deserves.

I appreciate your insider point of view, sincerely. Thanks!

 

Nevertheless....the article appeals to my 'dark' side of the moon because I've been reading too much 'pink' garbage so far

I can see your point, I'd appreciate it too, when not offensive. In these lines there's too much intention to offend rather than criticize. IMO. But anyhow, I laughed too, when first read it this morning. As a matter of fact, it's only Excite not L'Unità, where he was described with so beautiful words.

When I first read that article I laughed, not because what it is written in it is funny or ironic, but just because it is garbage. Excite a good site? It is an old website aggregator from the early internet age, now depressingly disappearing and willing to get a last, glamorous "dance of the swan".

It's gossip most of the time because this makes good access to the website. I used to write and work for websites like this, I know well how it works.

An article of these, if you are lucky enough can make thousands of access and if it shared on facebook, thousands over thousands.

Obviously if you make scandal, you get more views and visits.

And the tone of this article is the one of searching flames and indignated comments.

I imagine how happy and proud is the man who wrote that... I cannot even define it. Not "article" for sure. Garbage. That's it.

It's not a devotion "issue". I am not so devoted to Mika. If there's issues to criticize, I do it. But in a correct way. Not just to attract visibility or harmful will. This "paper" does right this. IMO.

Is that baby the next surprise for Mika?

The first one was Dario Fo, the second one the Platinum Record.

Don't think there will be another one afterwards...

I can't believe what I've seen! Wonderful!

 

Mika, another time, has shown his intelligence, his culture and his deep respect for the country in which is. And his great sensibility, in his eyes and in the way he was watching the old Dario.

Franco who sings The Origin of Love!

And Mika who sings in the dialect spoken in Milan, "Ho visto un re"( I've seen a king), the most famous and original song of Dario.

For an italian this will remain an unforgettable moment. Believe in me

Huge, cannot say anything more than this. He's Huge.

As a matter of fact, Dario Fo said Mika has two brains.

He's not only clever, intelligent, smart. He's a genius. And he demonstrate it all the time!