Mika in Italian Press -- 2010-2015

[tiibet]

doing it for the money so he can finance his next album/promo makes sense to me. this quote doesn't. but i guess it might have been taken out of context, and/or lost in translation... the other article suggested he was doing it for the financial freedom. can't wait to hear that whole lecture! mika, stop confusing me!

 

Both X Factor and Voice are making his name (as an artist even he is a judge/coach) so known it's as much direct promotion to his music as it is a way to finance more promotion or recording... And we don't actually know any amounts how much he is paid. Rumors tell he is paid at least in Italy less than the other judges (don't know what is the truth).

[Christine]

Are you new here?

 

When someone said they didn't think Mika would ever spend his money frivolously I thought...have you ever met Mika?

 

As I have always said. Mika is not a reliable source for information about Mika.

[BiaIchihara]

Socio n. 60103 Associazione Italiana Dislessia

 

In occasione della partecipazione di Mika alla puntata di Che tempo che fa del 14 dicembre, una delegazione dell’Associazione italiana Dislessia in arrivo da Pordenone, ha consegnato al cantante la tessera di socio n. 60103. Un gesto simbolico per noi importantissimo ha detto il presidente dell’associazione Franco Botticelli. Mika, che è dislessico, parla spesso di questa sua caratteristica e lo ha fatto scherzando anche in trasmissione con Fabio Fazio. Mika rappresenta per i ragazzi dislessici – continua Botticelli – una enorme spinta positiva. Anche perché parla della dislessia come una normalità e non una malattia.

[Lucrezia]

Just finished the translation in the previous page

 

Socio n. 60103 Associazione Italiana Dislessia

 

In occasione della partecipazione di Mika alla puntata di Che tempo che fa del 14 dicembre, una delegazione dell’Associazione italiana Dislessia in arrivo da Pordenone, ha consegnato al cantante la tessera di socio n. 60103. Un gesto simbolico per noi importantissimo ha detto il presidente dell’associazione Franco Botticelli. Mika, che è dislessico, parla spesso di questa sua caratteristica e lo ha fatto scherzando anche in trasmissione con Fabio Fazio. Mika rappresenta per i ragazzi dislessici – continua Botticelli – una enorme spinta positiva. Anche perché parla della dislessia come una normalità e non una malattia.

 

On the occasion of the participation of Mika in the episode of Che tempo che fa on 14 December, a delegation of Italian Association Dyslexia, coming from Pordenone, gave to the singer a membership card no. 60103. A symbolic gesture very important to us said the president of the Franco Botticelli. Mika, who is dyslexic, often speak of this characteristic and he did it even during the transmission with Fabio Fazio. Mika is for dyslexic children - continues Botticelli - a huge positive boost. Also because he speaks of dyslexia as a normality and not a disease.

 

A very lovely gesture

[DerMoment1608]

tbh his quote surprises me, because while i never doubted he did it for his music, i thought - still think - it was mainly for earning money for his music. and now he says he did xfactor for raising awareness for his music? sure, it worked in italy... but wouldn't a bunch of tv shows where he actually performed his own music, like the one from last saturday, have done a better job with that? ok he surely has more options now because of xfactor. but well... i do find this quote surprising, and it makes me even more curious now to hear the whole lecture, as i'd love to know the whole context

 

Both X Factor and Voice are making his name (as an artist even he is a judge/coach) so known it's as much direct promotion to his music as it is a way to finance more promotion or recording...

 

I never thought he did it not because for this reasons as well. These shows are perfect for making people aware that you exist as an artist and that your single and CD are existing. For example the singer of Sunrise Avenue is doing The Voice Germany now. I don't watch it. Still I know that they have a new album because of that. Most of the promotion work is about people getting to know that you are there, to reach all the potential "casual" buyers. If they don't know an artists/album is existing, they won't go and buy it. This was the big problem of TOOL, not that it was bad, people just didn't know it existed.

 

And it's obviously working for Italy if you look at the sales of Stardust and the Songbook.

 

The problem is that he just can't go to a show like "Che tempo che fa" and say "look, I'm here, please let me play to show the people how good I am". A performance like this was only possible because of XF. And that he get's more airplay is also because of XF and so again more people get to know Stardust and him.

 

For the actual country it's a perfect possibility. Just not for all the other countries But we have discussed that detailed

[DerMoment1608]

A few years later the first success, Mika today looks with a mature eye the relationship with marketing. "For many years I have renounced at any association with any brand and any appearance on TV that was not linked to the promotion or of a specific single", he said, "I thought that this purist strategy would have preserved the eyes of the public and the media and it would give me more credibility. But I was wrong". The singer, in fact, realize that the risk of this approach is to see, however, manipulated the artistic image.

 

Here I really would like to know his actual text. Because the changing of the artistic image is what worries me about working with brands. Although I was happy that "Live your life" was successful in Spain I never liked that he is associated with a beer there now. With Underwater in the Swatch advertisement it's different, because it fits with him, but beer is not what represents him. And here I'm asking the question of the lecture to myself: "How far can you go (for making people getting to know your music)? How far will he go?"

[DerMoment1608]

We really need the original, here the texts are quoting the probably same sentence in a different way :

 

"I thought that this purist strategy would have preserved the eyes of the public and the media and it would give me more credibility. But I was wrong".

 

At the beginning of my career, I did the opposite of what you are supposed to do, I was very closed and I had my own vision of a purist marketing strategy, to preserve me from the eyes of the media and of the public, I thought that this was going to give me some kind of freedom. Now I’ve realized I was completely wrong, this isolation that I thought was protecting my music, actually came close to hurting me.

[chickadee]

Please, is there another thread with more of the information about the lecture? I had a bit of a hunt but couldn't find it. (And if it's somewhere really obvious, please forgive me. I'm old now, and practically blind and a bit senile. )

[Lucrezia]

We really need the original, here the texts are quoting the probably same sentence in a different way :

 

I never liked the things reported by the journalists because they always tend to change the words in each article. I really hope that the university will reply me soon

[NieNieBrown]

'What can you tell us about the new album?

It will not be electronic. It looks more like the songs that I wrote when I was 21 years old. "The Origin Of Love", my last album, was built and very intricate. Now I change everything.'

 

So exciting! I am intrigued because he keeps saying things like its going to be more scaled back, less produced, and yet then we here that peeps like Pharrell and Martin Solveig are going to be working on it with him! Intrigued ... Intrigued I tell you!

[DerMoment1608]

Please, is there another thread with more of the information about the lecture? I had a bit of a hunt but couldn't find it. (And if it's somewhere really obvious, please forgive me. I'm old now, and practically blind and a bit senile. )

 

I think it was in the twitter update thread some pages back. But maybe an own thread is a good idea, it so easily gets lost if it's discussed as part of other threads.

[DerMoment1608]

I really hope that the university will reply me soon

 

[Elwendin]

Just found out this: http://www.mondoerre.it/index.php?method=section&action=zoom&id=3534

 

Nonostante tutto il successo internazionale, in Italia non si è parlato così tanto di Mika come negli ultimi mesi. Motivo? La sua partecipazione come giudice al talent show canoro X Factor. Potenza della televisione, certamente, ma anche della sua simpatia e della sua estrosità.

 

Questo è un periodo d’oro per il cantautore britannico, che ha coronato il suo percorso italiano con una raccolta dei suoi brani più famosi, pescati dai tre album che ha registrato finora: l’ha intitolato Songbook Vol. 1 e vede la partecipazione di Chiara Galiazzo (vincitrice dell’edizione 2012 di X Factor), iMIKA cantanti e produttori Pharrell Williams e RedOne, la star emergente Ariana Grande. Ma un incontro con Mika non si può limitare a una chiacchierata sulla musica: si parla anche di tv e di Milano, città dove ha preso casa alcuni mesi fa.

 

L’intervista

Hai vissuto un periodo “italiano” pieno di impegni. Come ti sei trovato?

Bene, anche se ero un po’ stanco. Mi piace Milano, ma è una città difficile da capire. Ci sono gioielli d’arte incredibilmente nascosti, ma anche trattorie e piccoli ristoranti, altrettanto nascosti: sto imparando a scoprire questi posti e mi piacciono molto. In particolare, mi diverte la zona dei Navigli, così vivace. Quando devo scrivere per conto mio, però, cerco una trattoria aperta già alle 6 di sera: non c’è nessuno e lavoro bene.

 

Come valuti la tua esperienza a X Factor?

Sono stato fortunato ad avere la squadra delle ragazze, tutte e quattro bravissime. Ho potuto lavorare con loro lungo un percorso pop, ma interessante. Non mi sono impigrito pensando “hanno del potenziale, andranno avanti nel programma”. Mi sono impegnato a prepararle ad affrontare la strada che è iniziata non appena X Factor è finito, perché acquisissero un’identità precisa e sapessero portare avanti le loro idee musicali.

 

Ascoltando i successi di Songbook Vol. 1 è chiarissimo che la tua strada è pop.

Sì, le mie canzoni sono pop ma non sono commerciali al 100%. Anzi, io le considero strane: finora ho composto una famiglia di brani che è la mia versione di come dovrebbe essere un brano. Creo solo quello che mi dà felicità: è così che deve essere. Io scrivo per comunicare qualcosa con le mie canzoni, ma non penso mai a tavolino a come scriverle, sono molmikato istintivo. Il processo attraverso cui nasce ogni mio disco è diverso dagli altri, ma l’intenzione è sempre la stessa.

 

Se dovessi definire la tua musica, che parole useresti?

Direi che ha un’impronta molto forte: la mia. Se si ascoltano i miei brani insieme, come nel recente Songbook, si capisce chiaramente che sono tutti scritti da me. E questa è un’ottima cosa, sono contento che sia così. Quando arriverò a 50, 60 anni, mi piacerebbe aver registrato tanti cd che suonino come raccolte di piccole storie della mia vita. E magari, a 85 anni avrò fatto una seconda e una terza raccolta.

 

Con questo disco hai voluto chiudere un capitolo della tua carriera per ripartire?

No. Infatti il titolo del disco è Songbook Vol. 1, non Best of, proprio perché non c’è nessun punto, nessuna conclusione. Lo so che sono solo parole e il concetto che esprimono è praticamente lo stesso, ma ho preferito lo stesso usare il termine songmikabook (si può tradurre come “canzoniere”, nda). Mi fa un po’ paura vedere tutte queste canzoni lì, insieme, su cd. È come se rivedessi allo specchio otto anni della mia vita… Al tempo stesso, è bello avere una collezione delle mie canzoni: è un modo per far capire a chi le ascolta cosa mi piace fare.

 

Parliamo delle due ospiti femminili, Chiara Galiazzo e Ariana Grande: come ti sei trovato a lavorare con loro?

Benissimo. Con Chiara avevo cantato Stardust sul palco di X Factor e siamo riusciti a registrarlo solo l’estate scorsa. Con Ariana Grande (stella lanciata dal canale tv Nickelodeon) ci siamo parlati su Skype e mi è piaciuta: ha una bellissima voce e ha fatto un disco interessante (Yours truly, nda).

 

Che musica ti piace ascoltare?

Ascolto di tutto, tantissime canzoni ogni giorno. Apprezzo soprattutto quel pop “universale” che non è legato alle mode del momento: ci sono brani splendidi di decenni fa che restano intatti nel tempo, perché non esprimono i gusti e le tendenze di un momento. Cerco di fare una musica così.

[DerMoment1608]

Io scrivo per comunicare qualcosa con le mie canzoni, ma non penso mai a tavolino a come scriverle, sono molmikato istintivo.

 

How did the Mika did sneak in there?

 

Thank you for posting, elwendin

[Elwendin]

Ahahahah, I didn't noticed

That's not a typo of mine

I didn't translate it since it doesn't say anything we don't already know.

[Marilyn Mastin]

I never thought he did it not because for this reasons as well. These shows are perfect for making people aware that you exist as an artist and that your single and CD are existing. For example the singer of Sunrise Avenue is doing The Voice Germany now. I don't watch it. Still I know that they have a new album because of that. Most of the promotion work is about people getting to know that you are there, to reach all the potential "casual" buyers. If they don't know an artists/album is existing, they won't go and buy it. This was the big problem of TOOL, not that it was bad, people just didn't know it existed.

 

And it's obviously working for Italy if you look at the sales of Stardust and the Songbook.

 

The problem is that he just can't go to a show like "Che tempo che fa" and say "look, I'm here, please let me play to show the people how good I am". A performance like this was only possible because of XF. And that he get's more airplay is also because of XF and so again more people get to know Stardust and him.

 

For the actual country it's a perfect possibility. Just not for all the other countries But we have discussed that detailed

I am so happy he is realizing he needs to put himself on TV, but I hope he does something in the UK this year. It could work for him here, just like France or Italy.

I always thought it was a mistake for Mika to limit himself, as he did at first. It seemed like the noble thing to do, and his fans loved him for it. I did too, but I always wished he would put himself out there more, as I didn't want him to disappear, which is precisely what has happened in the UK.

I would sooner have this more commercial Mika who is getting his music played, than the exclusive Mika who no one knows is still alive and making music.

[RAK1]

I never thought he did it not because for this reasons as well. These shows are perfect for making people aware that you exist as an artist and that your single and CD are existing. For example the singer of Sunrise Avenue is doing The Voice Germany now. I don't watch it. Still I know that they have a new album because of that. Most of the promotion work is about people getting to know that you are there, to reach all the potential "casual" buyers. If they don't know an artists/album is existing, they won't go and buy it. This was the big problem of TOOL, not that it was bad, people just didn't know it existed.

 

And it's obviously working for Italy if you look at the sales of Stardust and the Songbook.

 

The problem is that he just can't go to a show like "Che tempo che fa" and say "look, I'm here, please let me play to show the people how good I am". A performance like this was only possible because of XF. And that he get's more airplay is also because of XF and so again more people get to know Stardust and him.

 

For the actual country it's a perfect possibility. Just not for all the other countries But we have discussed that detailed

 

Then how can other artists get on tv entertainment shows, without being judges on talent shows?

I'm sorry but you seem to be putting too much emphasis on the importance of these shows, when they aren't the be all and end all of an artists career.

[DerMoment1608]

Then how can other artists get on tv entertainment shows, without being judges on talent shows?

I'm sorry but you seem to be putting too much emphasis on the importance of these shows, when they aren't the be all and end all of an artists career.

 

Are you referring to this part?`

 

The problem is that he just can't go to a show like "Che tempo che fa" and say "look, I'm here, please let me play to show the people how good I am". A performance like this was only possible because of XF. And that he get's more airplay is also because of XF and so again more people get to know Stardust and him.

 

What I was trying to say was that they are a very good working way of promotion in the respective country because they (can) arouse so much awareness. The people who watched XF know him and I would claim nearly everybody in Italy who didn't watch XF and doesn't live totally behind the moon knows that Mika is an active artist right now and knows "Stardust". XF helped him to get into a "positive spiral" of being talked about, getting airplay etc.

 

Therefore he becomes an artist of interest and so he gets invited to these bigger shows. They don't invite a "no name", even if he is a thousand times better than a well known name. Of course other artists get invitations as well, but only if they are artists of interest, for whatever reason.

 

All of that doesn't mean that there aren't other ways, doesn't mean it's the favorite way (for me/others), but it's for sure a working way in the country of the show. The platinum Songbook is the best proof.

Edited January 2, 2014 by DerMoment1608

[Sherlocked]

 

All of that doesn't mean that there aren't other ways, doesn't mean it's the favorite way (for me/others), but it's for sure a working way in the country of the show. The platinum Songbook is the best proof.

 

 

I was really happy to know that Songbook is finally platinum

[Littlelady]

I was really happy to know that Songbook is finally platinum

 

 

Jepp, but I hope the new album will be sucessful, too. With or without shows, it would be great if the label does more. A good advertising campaign with spots on TV or radio?( I know it is expensive but they do nothing:sneaky2:) more pressure to radio stations to play songs. And maybe a signing session for the album at Saturn or so?

[Marilyn Mastin]

Are you referring to this part?`

 

 

 

What I was trying to say was that they are a very good working way of promotion in the respective country because they (can) arouse so much awareness. The people who watched XF know him and I would claim nearly everybody in Italy who didn't watch XF and doesn't live totally behind the moon knows that Mika is an active artist right now and knows "Stardust". XF helped him to get into a "positive spiral" of being talked about, getting airplay etc.

 

Therefore he becomes an artist of interest and so he gets invited to these bigger shows. They don't invite a "no name", even if he is a thousand times better than a well known name. Of course other artists get invitations as well, but only if they are artists of interest, for whatever reason.

 

All of that doesn't mean that there aren't other ways, doesn't mean it's the favorite way (for me/others), but it's for sure a working way in the country of the show. The platinum Songbook is the best proof.

Precisely. Those shows are a means to an end. A way to get people to know him. In Britain, for example, he used to be invited onto shows like Jools Holland and Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross. But that doesn't happen now, because he's not relevant in UK anymore. Top radio stations only play him rarely, and never the new stuff. He needs to do something which will wake up the UK again, and I hope he does.

[Elwendin]

Apparently Mika will be on an italian show on 17th: "Le Invasioni Barbariche"

[Alireine]

Apparently Mika will be on an italian show on 17th: "Le Invasioni Barbariche"

 

what kind of show is it? And is it live?

[DerMoment1608]

Apparently Mika will be on an italian show on 17th: "Le Invasioni Barbariche"

 

What is it for a show? The name sounds strange

[flavia110]

What is it for a show? The name sounds strange

 

It's an amazing show for me! Interviews last like for ever! I'm excited!