Mika on Italian magazine "L'Espresso" August 2009

[mari62]

Only text: post #2

Translation: post #4

 

 

Edited September 25, 2009 by mari62

[mari62]

Il pop ha il suo boy

 

di Leonardo Clausi

 

Faccio musica pop, punto. E non me ne vergogno, dice orgogliosamente Mika, ossia l'uomo che molti pensano sarà il Freddie Mercury del Terzo millennio.

 

Lo fa alla vigilia dell'uscita del suo nuovo album, col quale si appresta a conquistare il mondo. Dopo tutto, determinazione e indipendenza sono sempre state un tratto fondamentale della sua personalità.

 

Prima che la Universal mettesse il 26enne Michael Holbrook Penniman (questo il suo vero nome) sotto contratto, nel 2006, molte case discografiche avevano cercato di modellare il suo sound, quando non di stravolgerlo: lo consideravano troppo "fuori moda", poco commerciale, volevano somigliasse a Robbie Williams.

 

Lui ha voluto fare di testa sua, scommettendo su due assi nella manica: la propria voce, appunto, e la capacità di scrivere canzoni molto orecchiabili. E ha avuto ragione. Nel 2007, subito dopo essere esploso come una supernova nelle radio e nelle classifiche inglesi col suo primo album, "Life in Cartoon Motion", disse: «Sono un artista Marmite e ho fatto un album Marmite: mi aspettavo delle forti reazioni».

 

La Marmite è l'omologo britannico della Nutella: una crema spalmabile che da generazioni è alla base dell'alimentazione dei giovani britannici, come la crema al cacao lo è degli italiani. Ma con una differenza. La Nutella è dolce e piace a (quasi) tutti; la Marmite, a base di estratto di lievito di birra, è salata, e ha un sapore particolare, polarizza le opinioni: chi la ama e chi la odia. Tanto da aver basato la propria campagna pubblicitaria su questo odio-amore.

 

Con questa metafora Mika definiva il mix di critiche, esaltate e feroci, suscitate dal suo esordio, un disco capace di ergersi a nuovo manifesto pop britannico, policromo e infarcito di camp, il cui singolo, "Grace Kelly", ha dominato le classifiche e ha venduto sei milioni di copie.

 

A quei tempi erano anche (come si addice a una vera star) fioccate le speculazioni sulla sua sessualità: ci si chiedeva come mai un artista che trasuda femminilità e pesca a piene mani in un consolidato repertorio culturale gay, non abbia fatto outing.

 

Lui non commenta. Ora che il suo ritorno con "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" è previsto per la fine di settembre, l'attesa per vedere se la Marmite si trasformerà in Nutella è spasmodica. "The Observer" e "Les Inrockuptibles", riviste che in materia di musica non esaltano mai fenomeni "troppo commerciali", gli hanno dedicato molto spazio.

 

Perché sono tanti a condividere la convinzione che questo ragazzo, figlio di una libanese e di un americano, naturalizzato britannico, cresciuto tra Parigi e le zone posh di West London, abbia davvero i numeri per diventare una megastar del calibro di George Michael, Freddie Mercury, appunto, o addirittura Prince.

 

Infatti le sue canzoni, del passato, e del disco che sta per uscire, sono zeppe di citazioni di questi artisti: falsetto, euforia, esuberanza, arrangiamenti debordanti e teatro.

 

In più Mika è un buon cantante (ha un apprendistato lirico), scrive tutti i propri pezzi, e ha costruito meticolosamente la propria carriera: tutti ingredienti necessari per un'ascesa globale.

 

Mika rientra in una corrente di repêchage degli anni Ottanta, quella che tra Little Boots, La Roux, LadyHawke, ha rimpiazzato nelle classifiche le cosiddette indie band (dal suono basato sulla chitarra elettrica: Keane, Franz Ferdinand).

 

Lo chiamano "wonky pop": pop sbilenco, termine coniato proprio dal manager di Mika, Iain Watt, che ne ha pure depositato il marchio. Il wonky pop offre canzoni accattivanti com'erano ad esempio quelle di Boy George , che trasmettono una sensazione di spensieratezza e di leggerezza.

 

Il nuovo album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (fino a qualche giorno fa si intitolava "We Are Golden", dal primo singolo in programmazione nelle radio britanniche dalla fine di luglio), registrato tra Londra e Los Angeles, sarà imperniato sull'adolescenza.

 

Come per il precedente, la copertina è disegnata da sua sorella Yasmine (nome d'arte DaWack), è coloratissima e si ispira ai libri illustrati per bambini degli anni Quaranta e Settanta.

 

E la dimensione familiare (Mika ha tre sorelle e due fratelli) della sua vita e del lavoro si riflette costantemente: oltre a collaborare con la sorella, il cantante vive ancora dai suoi. Sarà solo pop, sarà ancora in famiglia, ma Mika si considera un grande: «Tra i miei musicisti preferiti c'è Harry Nilsson (songwriter degli anni Sessanta): autore molto amato dai Beatles e molto amico di John Lennon e Paul McCartney.

 

E poi mi piace Prince, perché è un genio ed è al polo opposto: mentre Nilsson era fragile e introspettivo, Prince è una superstar, un uomo di bassa statura capace di dominare uno stadio», ha detto. È chiaro che lui, Mika, ambisce a entrambe le qualità dei suoi eroi.

[mikalollipop_karla]

Grazie mille mari che bello:wub2:

[Nezza]

It's not going to be the greatest translation in the world this one

 

Pop Has its Boy

 

I make pop music, end of. And I'm not embarassed, proudly says Mika - the man who many think will be the Freddie Mercury of the third millennium.

 

He does this in the lead up to the release of his new album, which he's preparing to take over the world with. After all, determination and independence have always been a fundemental part of his personality.

 

Before the 26 year old Michael Holbrook Penniman (this is his real name) had signed to Universal in 2006, many record labels had tried to shape his sound, at the same time without upsetting him - they considered him to be too "unfashionable", and not commercial. They wanted him to be like Robbie Williams.

 

He wanted to do things his way, knowing that he had two aces up his sleeve - his voice, and his ability to write very catchy songs. And he was right. In 2007, straight after he had exploded like a supernova on the radio and in the English charts with his first album Life in Cartoon Motion, he said "I'm a Marmite artist and I've made a Marmite album - I expected strong reactions."

 

Marmite is the British counterpart of Nutella: a spreadable cream which has been the base of young Brits' nutrition for generations; as the chocolate spread has been for Italians. But there is a difference. Nutella is sweet and (almost) everyone likes it; and Marmite contains yeast, is savoury, and has a particular taste. It splits opinion - people who love it and those who hate it. So much so for them to have based their publicity campaign on this love-hate divide.

 

Mika used this metaphor to describe the mix of reviews - the positive and negative - created by the release of his debut, a record capable of re-creating a new British pop manifest, colourful, and full of camp. The first single from it, Grace Kelly, dominated the charts and the album sold six million copies.

 

At that time many people were also speculating about his sexuality (as they often do with true stars) - people asked how come a singer who oozed femininity and drew from such a consolidated gay repertory, hadn't come out.

 

He didn't comment. Now that his return with The Boy Who Knew Too Much is expected for September, the wait to see if Marmite will transform itself into Nutella is nerve-racking. Two magazines, The Observer and Les Inrockuptibles, which never rave about phenomenons which are "too commercial", have written a lot about him.

 

Because many share the opinion that this boy, the son of a Lebanese woman and and American man, naturalised British, and grown up in Paris and the posh areas of West London, has the talent to become a megastar such as George Michael, Freddie Mercury, or even Prince.

 

In fact, his previous songs, and ones on the new album, are packed with references to these artists - falsetto, euphoria, exuberance, overflowing arrangements and theatrics.

 

Additionally, Mika is a good singer (he has had a lyrical training), he writes all of his own songs, and has meticulously constructed his own career - all necessary ingredients for a global rise.

 

Mika returns at a time of a reviving of the 80s sound, with artists such as Little Boots, La Roux, LadyHawke who have replaced the so-called indie bands (such as Keane and Franz Ferdinand, whose sound is based on the electric guitar) in the charts.

 

It's called "wonky pop" - a term coined by Mika's manager Iain Watt, who has even trademarked the phrase. Wonky pop offers captivating songs, such as George Michael's for example, which create a feeling of lightheartedness.

 

The new album The Boy Who Knew Too Much - up until a few days ago it was called "We Are Golden" after the first single, which has been played by British radio since the end of July - was recorded in London and Los Angeles, focuses on his adolescence.

 

As with the previous album, the cover has been designed by his sister Yasmine (penname DaWack). It's very colourful and is inspired by illustrated children's books from the 40s and 70s.

 

And the familial (he has three sisters and two (!) brothers) and professional sides of Mika's life reflect on each other constantly: in addition to collaborating with his sister, the singer still lives with his parents. It's only pop music, he still lives with his family, but Mika considers himself to be a great artist, "Amongst my favourite musicians there is Harry Nilsson (a songwriter from the 70s), a writer who was loved by the Beatles and a good friend of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

 

And then I like Prince, because he is a genius; and he's the complete polar opposite - whilst Nilsson was fragile and introspective, Prince is a superstar, a man of small stature who is capable of dominating a stadium", he said. It's clear that Mika strives to achieve the qualities of both of his heroes.

[RAK1]

T4P:thumb_yello:

 

Any translation?

Ha ha, there it is.

Edited September 25, 2009 by RAK1

[mari62]

T4P:thumb_yello:

Any translation?

see post above

[Kodes100]

Thank you mari62 for posting.

Thanks you Nezza for the translation.

Another interesting & revealing article about Mika!

This is so much fun after so long with nothing.

There are so many articles recently.

I love how much we are learning.

It is all so interesting & makes you love the guy even more.

You are a sweet & talented soul Mika!

[OhMyMika!!]

i'm glad someone put a decent description about Marmite in an article...i would have never known

T4P!

[laura*]

What beautiful recent photos!

 

 

The article about Roberto Prosseda is actually very interesting.

Thanks for posting that, too.

[silver]

Nice article T4P - and for translating

[tiibet]

Thanks for posting and translating

 

Marmite sounds so interesting... and horrible

[willywonka]

I liked the Wonky pop bit, dunno why... lol

[inbar_assaf]

i was hell sure marmite was australian or new-zealand, thanks!

 

isnt Lexpress the one he did modelling in a theatre for? cant see the pics (still loading)

[laura*]

i was hell sure marmite was australian or new-zealand, thanks!

 

isnt Lexpress the one he did modelling in a theatre for? cant see the pics (still loading)

 

Nope, it's not the same. This is an Italian magazine, not French.

[inbar_assaf]

Nope, it's not the same. This is an Italian magazine, not French.

 

so they are both named the same?

 

EDIT: sorry, its the hour, just realised this magazine is named L'espresso, not L'express...

Edited September 25, 2009 by inbar_assaf

[Louiza]

really nice article! thanks marina and nezza!

[Lil'Violet]

thank you for posting the scans!!

 

i don't buy magazines and i miss everything of course!! fortunately there is the mfc posse!!!!