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Corriere della Sera Style - Maggio 2021 ☛ PDF file ( 10 pages / 694 KB ) Corriere della Sera Style - Maggio 2021_Mika_Beirut.pdf Page 1 MIKA Beirut non deve morire Page 14 54 Libano. «Che cosa ne fai dei tuoi figli?» di Mika - foto di Gianmarco Maraviglia Page 16 HANNO INOLTRE COLLABORATO A QUESTO NUMERO: Marcello Arena, Silvano Belloni, Alberto Bernasconi, Pier Nicola Bruno, Giorgio Codazzi, Luciano Consolini, Enrico Maria Corno, Ornella D’Alessio, Marta D’Avenia, Enrico Dal Buono, Gianmarco Maraviglia, Andrea Marinelli, Chiara Meattelli, Mika, Cristina Piotti, Sara Porro, Carlos Solito, Diego Tamone, Toni Thorimbert Page 19 CONTRIBUTORS Mika Nel 2007 con Grace Kelly è diventato una pop star mondiale. Una notorietà che mette al servizio anche dell’impegno civile: l’esplosione a Beirut del 4 agosto 2020 l’ha spinto a concepire, produrre e realizzare I Love Beirut, un evento in streaming con il quale è riuscito a raccogliere un milione di euro per la Croce Rossa Libanese. Mika è stato anche insignito della Palma d’Argento dell’Ordine Nazionale Libanese al Merito. pag 54 Page 45 -- KEYWORD -- Coraggio MIKA «Libano, che cosa ne fai dei tuoi figli?». Un appello per Beirut Page 54, 55 IL J’ACCUSE DI MIKA «Libano, che cosa ne fai dei tuoi figli?» DI MIKA FOTO DI GIANMARCO MARAVIGLIA -- Dopo nove mesi dallo scoppio nel porto della capitale la pop star mondiale scrive per «Style» un vero atto di accusa contro la situazione politica del Paese in cui è nato. E lancia un appello ai libanesi e alla comunità internazionale: Beirut non deve morire e occorre impegnarsi insieme contro i predatori di questa terra straordinaria per trasformare l’attesa in una speranza -- Beirut, la vista del porto dopo l’eplosione del 4 agosto 2020 provocata dal deposito di 2.750 tonnellate di nitrato di ammonio. Il servizio fotografico è stato realizzato tra gennaio e febbraio 2021. Page 56 LIBANO che cosa ne fai dei tuoi figli? Una donna di spalle su una terrazza affacciata sul porto di Beirut. A testa bassa, distoglie lo sguardo dalle rovine che vede all’orizzonte. Dopo nove mesi dalla micidiale esplosione che ha seminato caos e desolazione nella mia città natale, questa foto di Gianmarco Maraviglia si comporta come un’allegoria del Libano. Questa donna distoglie lo sguardo per non vergognarsi. Come tanti altri, come a volte anch’io sono tentato di fare. Provo vergogna per questo Stato che porta alla rovina un paradiso, vergogna per i suoi capi. Provo vergogna in nome di queste donne, di questi bambini, di questi vecchi, di questi profughi traditi e abbandonati. All’indomani del 4 agosto 2020, il premier dimissionario (Hassan Diab, ndr) ha detto forte e chiaro: «I responsabili saranno tenuti a rendere conto». Invece, nove mesi dopo è lui che continua a gestire ancora gli affari quotidiani mentre il giudice istruttore incaricato delle indagini è stato rimosso. Questa parodia della giustizia è come una seconda esplosione, una seconda morte per le vittime e le loro famiglie. Il mio Paese sta morendo e i suoi figli si ritrovano tenuti in ostaggio, paralizzati dalla sfortuna, storditi dai disastri: il porto, il coronavirus e la crisi economica. Più di 200 morti e migliaia di feriti dopo l’«apocalisse», più di seimila morti a causa del Covid-19 nell’ultimo anno, un suicidio ogni due giorni e mezzo, una media che è aumentata a causa della disfatta economica. Dietro questi numeri ci sono donne, uomini con la loro storia, la loro forza e la loro debolezza. QUESTI SONO i miei fratelli che lottano solo per avere un posto dove vivere, mangiare, essere accuditi. La vista del porto dalla terrazza di un palazzo danneggiato dall’esplosione. Accanto: le rovine del Sursok Palace, un famoso hotel di Beirut costruito nel 1860; sotto, una volontaria della ong «Arcenciel» che distribuisce generi di prima necessità ai bisognosi. Page 58 La carestia incombe. Anche l’iconica focaccia al timo ha visto il suo prezzo moltiplicato per cinque mentre le etichette dei prezzi nei pochi negozi rimasti aperti cambiano più volte al giorno. Un impiegato statale che qualche mese fa guadagnava 1.450 euro oggi ne porta a casa solo 145 in più. Di fronte a questa realtà, le manifestazioni popolari dell’autunno 2019 appaiono distanti: quanto sono lontane... Certo, alcuni manifestanti coraggiosi continuano in certi giorni a bloccare le strade che portano a Beirut o a marciare innalzando cartelli di protesta. Non hanno più niente da perdere. Gli è stato portato via tutto, anche le loro lacrime, le loro risate, la loro dignità. Io sono lontano da loro e li ammiro. Ma un popolo in ginocchio non si rialza. E invece, per prima cosa deve levarsi in piedi, vedere la luce alla fine della sua oscura vita quotidiana per evitare che accada il peggio. IL MIO PAESE sta morendo e la comunità internazionale chiude un occhio. Emmanuel Macron nella sua visita a Beirut ha citato il poeta Arthur Rimbaud: «Non abbiamo il diritto di restare seduti», un proposito difficile da difendere in un Paese che non è suo contro l’inerzia di una classe dirigente corrotta troppo impegnata a contare le sue mazzette di biglietti verdi. Anche quando rimarranno solo le ceneri nel Paese dei cedri, loro saranno lì ancora a battersi solo per aumentare il loro bottino. Quando ero bambino mia madre continuava a dirmi che nonostante tutti gli sconvolgimenti avvenuti nella sua storia, per affrontare le ripetute agonie il Libano ha sempre fatto tutto quello che occorreva fare per apparire frivolo. Oggi ho paura che la mia terra e le mie radici siano andate via con lei. Lo ammetto, a volte dubito di questa profezia. Perché penso: e se dietro la paura e la rabbia, il coraggio e la resilienza non fossero più una cura miracolosa? E se «Beirut la magnifica» non riuscisse a vincere i suoi nemici che la divorano? Non riesco a rassegnarmi. Con questo testo vorrei trasformarmi in un modesto megafono per tutti coloro che non parlano più, per tutti coloro che non riusciamo più ad ascoltare. Invito gli abitanti del Libano, i politici del Paese e tutti coloro che lo amano, i libanesi che abitano nella diaspora, la comunità internazionale e le organizzazioni umanitarie ad agire al loro posto. Non lasciamo che un Paese muoia. Non lasciamo che i predatori vincano. È urgente cambiare il sistema politico, scrivere e firmare un nuovo contratto sociale. Assumiamocene la responsabilità noi che siamo i figli del Libano. I suoi figli cresciuti. Sopra, graffiti nella Piazza dei Martiri, già Al Burj o Piazza dei cannoni; sotto, il quartiere di Ashrafiye dove vive una buona parte della comunità cristiana di Beirut.

Congratulations!

Mika will be on Focus Junior the 21st of September 2019. From IG: 21356841893919940143084571749.mp4

GQ France May 2017 Photographer Van Mossevelde + N Van Mossevelde + N - ALLYOU.net Art direction by Firemanifest www.firemanifest.com/blog Styling by Jacqueline de Cossette http://jacquelinedecossette.com/ Taken at Le Studio Pin Up le studio PIN-UP Date of shooting 2017/03/28 Download PDF file ( 29.6 / a whole ) GQ_2017_05_.pdf Download PDF file ( 1.9 MB / a part of Mika ) GQ_France_June_2017-split_MIKA.pdf Instagram

PDF files Full Translation by @crazyaboutmika For the finale of The Voice Mika takes over Télé 7 jours. “Long life to variety shows !” « I wonder if variety shows are not dead As a rule variety shows stars do not exist any more. The Voice is a talent contest and a music show. Shows like the ones the Carpentier used to make or the Nat King Cole Show and the Elvis specials in the USA back in the 50's and the 60's… All that doesn't exist anymore, at least in Europe . And I miss it. In the USA, the talk shows were remodeled and now reminiscent of yesteryear programs. There are skits and comedy in The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon or The Late Late Show with James Corden. They revisit those european traditions and give music its true place. And that's … that's awesome ! I wish this trend were back in Europe as well. By the way, thats what I tried to do in Italy, in my show Casa Mika. Internet has changed our perspective. In the 50's and the 60's ,technology was so fast that possibilities were huge for television. Now, priority is given to the web, and we lost that ”evening gala" type of shows that existed on TV. And without it, how can there still be variety shows? "Creating is est essential for me " The curtain is about to be shut on the 6th season of The Voice. An opportunity to ask the symbolic coach of the show to recreate one Télé 7 Jours in his way . The result is a colorful and irrésistibly pop magazine, which looks like him . “No one knows who I am and actually I wonder if I know myself », is something you said in 2009. Do you know yourself today ? Mika: No, I'm still looking, like a dog looking after his bone! But that's a good thing , because the day when you stop searching, that's because you're dead. I'm not running after anything, but I always challenge myself. Recklessness is my biggest drive, for work as well as for love. Will people get to know you better through the way you designed this Télé 7 Jours ? It's the first time I do that type of things. I love the idea to be granted access to a magazine that is so popular, sacred in a way. It's a true gift to offer me this opportunity. I think it also represents well my philosophy about life : mixing popular with high level, crazyness… I find that awesome! That mix, that's a bit you, isn't it? Mika: Maybe, yes, even if it's not done consciously. I never wanted to build a character: I am myself. When you're curious, you enjoy having fun through things and people and no matter where they come from it shows in our attitude and behavior. One thing I'm sure of is that I am an anti-snob. I hate snobism and people who behave like snobs. Your universe has always been very colorful, very pop. Where does that come from? Mika: At school I already felt apart. Back then I already found color was very powerful. And that if you knew how to use it, then it became strong. It's the same for melody. If you want to give yourself a voice, to be heard, melody is essential. I also found out that in a pop song, you can talk about serious and dark things. A bit of color, a bit of crazyness makes everything easier to digest. I have often said it : if you want a serious message to be heard, you must do it without taking yourself seriously. Moreover my drawings have often been dark. For my first single, Grace Kelly,I had imagined a pop stars factory where the ones who were too used up ended up in a meat grinder and became meat for hamburgers. Not very funny, but with color and contrast, it changes everything! When did your taste for illustration appear in your life? Mika: I have always drawn. If I hadn't been a singer, I would have become an illustrator or a designer. My sister Yasmine and I, we always did that. In my bag, I keep a copybook, pencils and marker. Everything starts from there, to come to life later in my albums, on stage… or in Télé 7 Jours ! Creating is essential for me. I already needed to create as a kid. When I started in as a singer, and I was looking for a record company to sign me in, I was often told : « We don't know how to classify you nor which part of the market might be interested in you… » I decided to create my own world. Mine and mine alone. A visual universe, a logo, characters , a "cartoonized" version of life… All the critics I got were clues to help me find what I should do. And I did it. I hope to become an enfant terrible" What is creation for you? Mika : It's an amusing thing, a drug which also gives a feeling of strengh. It is rather odd. As a giant dose of endorphin.You feel Tu te sens « extraordinary », sexy and fragile. A bit as if you just made love to the man or the woman of your life. During creating process, you also feel less alone because you share it with a team. It is very pure. Is it harder to create when you are successful? Mika : No, because I have evolved. I never opened the door to too many people, and I never became too normal or too smooth. I'm still wierd and true to my principles. I never did anything with commercial success in mind. It happened and that's a good thing. I always followed my own ideas and I never took the easy way. And I am proud of this. Today what remains of the shy child you were? I gained confidence as far as my job is concerned but that's all. If not, I'm still the guy who jokes to hide his shyness. In the « Dream dinner » that you created for us (see pages12-13), you invite Cocteau, this « enfant terrible »… Mika : An "enfant terrible" , is someone who isn't snob, who loves, who hates, who changes his/her mind all the time, who is always able to marvel, who is not afraid of vulgarity nor of sex, who doesn't care about consequences and who gets involved for what he/she likes. An "enfant terrible", that's the opposite of boredom. I don't know if I am one. I think it comes with the years. You also told us you only cry when the doors are shut. However, during The Voice, after a song by Vincent, the visually impaired candidate in your team … Mika : Hush! (He laughs.) People who are in my team are real. And I don't care what happens, because those people stay themselves, even under pressure. I am proud of them and of the way they make me feel. Since we're talking about The Voice, will you be in season 7 ? Mika (Silence.) I don't know yet, it's too early to talk about it. Mika's dream dinner “I wanted to organize an imaginary feast, here, in Télé 7 Jours pages. So here are my guests, even though for some of them it will be difficult to join …” Jean Cocteau: One of the most talented "enfants terribles" : filmmaker, novelist , activist, romantic… A punk poet. Joséphine Baker: Dancer et pop star in the twenties, who conquered Paris and the world. Her life was full of contrasts. She didn't know a happy ending, but she was a true star. It's crazy how I find her fascinating when I watch her movies, although so much time has passed. That's how you know the real artists. Mariza: A fado star and one of the best singers in the world. I have been a fan of hers since many years. I was able to meet her in Lisboa last year, during a dinner. After the dinner, she had the restaurant shut and she offered us an hour long surprise concert d’une heure by the lights of candles. Incredible! Laurent Giraud-Dumas: The barman of the Harry’s Bar in Paris, is a gentleman. His cocktails are as good as our chats, in the great tradition of great barmen. (Photo of a true dinner prepared at my house, with my friend the chef Andreu Coma Roca) Karl Lagerfeld: I met him and I was surprized by his candor. He loves music, he is a living encyclopedia of fashion and art. I could have talked during hours with him. At the end he tapped on his head and a cloud of talcum powder filled the space between him and I… Fanny Ardant One of the most beautiful and most talented among the French actresses. She is as remarkable in life as on screen which is very rare. A strong and gifted woman, with style. Xavier Dolan This Quebec filmmaker is an example of what must be a young person, creative and courageous. His work is so His work is so personal and unique that it inspires other artists. He says what he thinks. He is like dynamite! Dorian A very good friend with whom I collaborate. He tells the truth, even when it's hard to hear it. But he also knows how to laugh and how to dream. George Saunders One of the greatest American author of our time period. An Hemingway of today , funny and modern. I have never met him, but I'm sure he would find some of the guests very entertaining. Especially those who are dead … Léa Seydoux A wonderful actress who represents very well my generation. Charles Trenet Another punk gentleman. He was brilliant and he wasn't afraid to be serious and light. On the music side... The Lebanese singer Fairuz, of course, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. Betty Boop A very strange character. To begin with, she was a mix between a human and a dog, then she became a pin up. What a funny evolution ! She was a bit ridiculous and represented in the worst way, the woman in the thirties and fourties. But I think she would have things to say for herself. Sandra Smith She was my piano teacher in London when I was a child. A person with an unbelievable patience. With me, she was tough and very sweet at the same time. She always knew I'd get a job in music even if being dyslexic didn't let me learn in a normal way. She helped me to do everything by ear. What mattered for her was for me to succeed, never mind the way. Melachi and Amira My dogs, two golden retrievers. In the USA and in the United Kingdom, my dogs can't go anywhere , whereas in France and in Italy, they are welcome. They are the only ones , apart from alcohol, who can make people smile and socialize. Christian Louboutin My great pal with whom I misbehave in Paris. He has the soul (and also often the behavior) of a child.He is so funny! He is also the worst Vespa driver I know of. He talks to people, he makes them laugh… and even dance ! About the food... A meal cooked by Marc Haeberlin, from L’Auberge de l’Ill, in Illhaeusern (68). I have never met a man who puts so much love into his cooking. Decor.. A pub, with flowers from the flower market where I go once a week at 5 AM , when I'm in London. A tradition that started when I was 8. I know everyone who works there. In London The place where I was in school and where I also started my artistic schooling. I was taught music by a Russian, a Scotish, an Italian, a French, a Portuguese and a Lebanese teacher. London diversity leads to excellence. I go to the Chinese district in the morning, I eat dumplings with tea , I take a walk in the royal parks. At night I head east to Shoreditch, in a pub, then we dance to French house music close to Hoxton till 4. We end up in a Lebanese restaurant of course. In France France is never boring. I think one likes Paris when one likes Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, Nantes… where I spent a good time. I love this pride of French culture. I walk everywhere in Paris. If you want to see me with my dogs, come to Montmartre. I sometimes have a drink there with Andy, my companion. People come and say hi, I like this respect. TV in Italy Italy is an extremely contrasted country, with crazyness and romantism. Italians people, like Lebanese people, are very much alive. Besides I moved there when I was a judge in X Factor, in 2013, and, now, I live during a part of the year in Milan. I'm always working. For CasMika show, that I host on Rai 2, we created a permanent set… and I even have a bed in my dressing room! “I'm finishing writing my autobiography, Diary of an accidental optimist. At the same time, I'm preparing a new album. I'm composing everything at the piano right now. That's what I had done for my first album. It will be pop, joyful, very colorful. ” “At the age of 19, the day when I left the London School of Economics. It was my first day in this prestigious school.I had bought all my books which costed 400 pounds (500 euros -journalist-). In the afternoon, we were being told about the sociologic geography course program. There was lots of blue in the room . I looked around me. No one was smiling. I told myself I absolutely had to get out of that place. I left my books on the table, I got up saying I was going to the bathroom and I left. I took the tube and I begged the director of the Royal College of Music to let me try a new audition. He accepted… and the next day. I was in !” “The origin of my style…” In the music world , his voice is recognizable among one thousand. As far as style goes, Mika is also different thanks his unique sense of fashion, developped long ago. Besides it became his second job. “I grew up with fashion. My mother was a stylist. I remember the threads and the pins that were scattered on the floor.… With my brother and my sisters, we were kids who danced a lot, we often got them under our feet ! And there was this very particular dust everywhere in the appartement, because of the yards and yards of cotton or silk material that got cut there. I also remember a smell that I loved, that I would associate with my grand mother's dresses. So I litterally breathed fashion. Not the handbags or the magazines' s fashion , but the one of the workshops, of the material supplier, of the patterns printers… When you grow up with that, you have a rather deep relationship with that particular world. » « I respect fashion creators who have that ability to survive trends. They are the ones who have a story to tell. A story that is linked with emotion, not with prices. Besides I started creating myself for lack of budget. I used to design my own tee-shirts for my photo shootings. I used to buy cheap or second hand ones. Then I used to get scraps of fabric in the west of London fashion houses like Burberry. Then I created embroidery, yokes and patches for my jackets and my teeshirts. It wasn't perfect, but I was proud of it. I always made a difference between style and fashion because I don't like the fashion industry. You can ask all my friends who work in it, all of them will say the same: it is a difficult environment. That being said, there are moments of grace. It is worth it. » « Right now, I work with professionals of fashion houses , like Valentino. It's not at all contradictory with what I'm saying. After several exchanges of ideas, they draw everything. They also follow what I do and suggest things to me that match my personality. Actually, it's almost an anti-fashion way to do things. They are among the best in the world and they create unique pieces for me. Those are the clothes I wear on The Voice, particularly. We tell a story, we don't sell a product. And that's how it becomes cool. My mother still designs my stage clothes and also my streetwear. With my sister Yasmine – we work together in my kitchen, like we did before in our mum's kitchen –,,we design watches, we collaborate with brands…We opened a designing studio, in which two people work for us. We draw and decide everything : the technical sketches, the instructions for production…It all comes from us ! » Before The Voice...” « About Florent, of course I knew his name, his character and his songs in particular "Savoir aimer". But I didn't know the man. We learned to know each other little by little and I made a friend. » “Florent already visited me in my Miami house” « Florent is always a bit everywhere around the world, like me. And he is curious, like me. He also knows how to have fun and he's a bit extreme. At the same time he is sweet and kind to me. And if he gets angry, he comes back and says he's sorry. If he sees that I'm sad he is the first one who comes to sit by my side and ask : « What's wrong? Tell me … » He is always the same as well, and that's something I like : he is the same in front of a camera and when we eat together during the breaks. Or also at my place , at home with our families. One day he was talking to my dad and it struck me how identical he is in daily life and in The Voice or on stage. Because , yes Florent already came to my house in Miami. He also lives there during a part of the year,we share lots of things. » “A memorable evening” « Florent makes me laugh. So much. We also share lots of memories of moments together. One night he took me out to dance. I found myself surrounded by people who were rather… uninteresting, with bottles that costed a fortune ! (He laughs.) I went to see him : « Frankly, Florent, are you having fun ? » He answered : « No. » I offered him to go somewhere else, et il a accepté, asking me to take him where I wanted. That was before the former Queen, in the Champs-Élysées, in Paris, was shut. Not without hesitation, he accepted to follow me to this famous night club. I called many friends and we all met outside. And once there … I see Florent Pagny, standing up on a sofa, with his hands up, dancing and singing. We have had fun like we were 16 years old. On that night, I told myself I would really like to be like him when I'll reach his age … » “We are Maître Gims fans” « With Florent, we have another commun point: we both go where we want to go. We do what we like, without calculating and without caring about what others might say about us. When I listen to his new single, Le Présent d’abord, composed by Maître Gims, I'm not even amazed by this collaboration. It's so much like him to do this ! Whatsmore I like Maître Gims a lot. In The Voice, I made my talents sing almost all his hits… » ******************************************** Mika tweets on June 1st, 2017

[EDIT: The last thread about Mika in the US press was started in 2013. I think it's time to start a new one, since the album is coming out SOON! So I've moved these posts to a new thread here -- dcdeb] MIKA in US Press - 2015 MAGAZINES Fugues June #1 BillBoard Magazine May 30, issue 127 #30 My Space May 27 #31 OUT magazine May 28 #20 NEXT Magazine NY June 12 #34 BlackBook Magazine #46 Metro US #48 Daily Xtra #56 OUT magazine #77 Rage Monthly Magazine July #72 #76 Smithonian.com Aug 13 #93 Wisconsin Gazette #107 #111 USPA News #126 REVIEWS SLATE #24 Frontiers Media #42 Unicorn Booty #43 HitFix #44 Pop Crush　#51 Pop matters #54 blogcritics #62 Washington Blade #65 David Atlanta #81 HiFi Magazine#118 VIDEOS Access Hollywood #32 ======================================================== Fugues juin 2015 The triumphant return of Mika SCANS http://www.fugues.com/242539-article-the-triumphant-return-of-mika.html ARTICLE

I wanted to post these ages ago, but my printer refused working so I had to wait until I fixed it to scan these. Poster of last week's Hitkrant Interview with Beth Ditto. Cosmogirl! Stars Magazine V Festival pics Will start translating them right now. Anyone interested in the entire Beth interview, not only the Mika part?