MIKA @ Festival Mawazine in Morocco! 26 May 2013

[krysady]

 

Thank goodness I already know Italian somewhat! The French is still a HUGE challenge for me... Spanish a little easier. Yes, being a Mika fan definitely expands your horizons!

 

.........or kills your neurons

 

You can consider yourself lucky,2 from 3

[nenartus]

This looks like an interesting interview. I kinda understand what is it about. Do we have a translation somewhere?

[Dreamy_Queen]

 

Thank goodness I already know Italian somewhat! The French is still a HUGE challenge for me... Spanish a little easier. Yes, being a Mika fan definitely expands your horizons!

 

English +

Spanish +

Italian -

French --

 

Not bad

[lollipop161]

INTERVIEW

 

 

why they upload vids by wrong aspect ratio.

 

 

[YOUTUBE]IkexIi6y_P0[/YOUTUBE]

 

lol this one is sooo funny, with all the "dugri dugri", "shwaie shwaie" and "ish hayatak"... it's so familiar to me, like, we use all these words also in Hebrew:aah:

In 7:58 he says "bassa", does he mean the word in Arabic (=damn) or is it something in French?

[krysady]

This looks like an interesting interview. I kinda understand what is it about. Do we have a translation somewhere?

 

I don't think there's a translation of this one,but it is an interesting interview,indeed.And it's for the first time when I hear him saying that he's not half Lebanese but one quarter Lebanese,one quarter Syrian,and half American.

[Zimwana]

lol this one is sooo funny, with all the "dugri dugri", "shwaie shwaie" and "ish hayatak"... it's so familiar to me, like, we use all these words also in Hebrew:aah:

In 7:58 he says "bassa", does he mean the word in Arabic (=damn) or is it something in French?

 

I dont see what it could mean in French so it must br the word in Arabic

 

I don't think there's a translation of this one,but it is an interesting interview,indeed.And it's for the first time when I hear him saying that he's not half Lebanese but one quarter Lebanese,one quarter Syrian,and half American.

 

I f I remember correctly he mentionned it when he went to Star Académie in Montreal last year

[lollipop161]

I dont see what it could mean in French so it must br the word in Arabic

 

thanks

[krysady]

I f I remember correctly he mentionned it when he went to Star Académie in Montreal last year

 

Really? I don't know about Montreal,I know he said it on France @Téléthon,but he wasn't so clear as now.(@0.54)

 

[YOUTUBE]b3hsTBJ2TrU[/YOUTUBE]

[Alie]

In Star Academie in Quebec, he said that he was one quarter Lebanese, one quarter Syrian and half American because René Angelil (Celine Dion's husband) was there and he's syrian.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Alie

[Kumazzz]

 

I f I remember correctly he mentionned it when he went to Star Académie in Montreal last year

 

I can't speak French, but can listen "Syrian Lebanese" at 2:54

 

[YOUTUBE]i2xkcweIkw8[/YOUTUBE]

[krysady]

In Star Academie in Quebec, he said that he was one quarter Lebanese, one quarter Syrian and half American because René Angelil (Celine Dion's husband) was there and he's syrian.

 

I can't speak French, but can listen "Syrian Lebanese" at 2:54

 

[camille*]

This looks like an interesting interview. I kinda understand what is it about. Do we have a translation somewhere?

 

I've just watched it, I liked it, maybe not crucial info but I liked the whole context. I'll try to post a translation next week

[Christine]

He's been talking a lot about being Syrian the past year hasn't he? I thought Damascus was part of Greater Lebanon back in his grandfather's day so they are the same people I would imagine? Ethnicity is not decided by 21st century state borders and if his grandfather was also Maronite then I would think they consider themselves the same community. Just a guess though.

 

I just find it odd to say your American born mother is Lebanese and your Palestinian born father is American. Because it's really only birth/citizenship that makes you an American. It's not an ethnicity. If Mika's mother is Lebanese then his father is English (or whatever). That's how we see it in English Canada anyway.

[dcdeb]

I just find it odd to say your American born mother is Lebanese and your Palestinian born father is American. Because it's really only birth/citizenship that makes you an American. It's not an ethnicity. If Mika's mother is Lebanese then his father is English (or whatever). That's how we see it in English Canada anyway.

 

Yes, I know, and wonder about this as well. Years ago, when we had a chance to write in questions to Mika, I even asked about this. I'm American by birth -- I'm a US citizen and if you ask me, I'll tell you I'm an American. But if you any American what they "are" -- as in, what is their ethnic origin -- you'll get a hundred different answers. If you ask me what my "roots" are, they're Italian, Polish and Welsh. My father was born in this country, so he's American, but his parents were Italian and Polish. My mother, who was born and raised in England and considers herself English, is really Italian and Welsh. The only thing I can figure is that Mika's mother does not identify with being American for some reason -- she seems to prefer to identify with her Lebanese origins.

[Christine]

The only thing I can figure is that Mika's mother does not identify with being American for some reason -- she seems to prefer to identify with her Lebanese origins.

 

Yes that is clear I think. But then how is his dad American? My ethnicity is not Canadian. I might say my parents are Canadian or I might say my parents are of British descent, depending on whether we're talking about nationality or ethnicity. But I would never say my mother is Canadian but my father is British. You cannot mix and match in the same breath.

[smokesignal]

You cannot mix and match in the same breath.

 

Mika can, he does it all the time

[Christine]

Mika can, he does it all the time

 

I mean you can't mix and match and make any sense.

[Kumazzz]

Finally this user uploaded a CORRECT file.

 

[YOUTUBE]wYufS276HNQ[/YOUTUBE]

[smokesignal]

I mean you can't mix and match and make any sense.

 

Mikasense

[Soaring Simpson]

I don't think there's a translation of this one,but it is an interesting interview,indeed.And it's for the first time when I hear him saying that he's not half Lebanese but one quarter Lebanese,one quarter Syrian,and half American.

 

When he did that vlog from Damascus he talked about about having family who came from there at some point

 

Mind, when I was in Texas a waiter told me "My wife's English too- she's from Johannesburg"

[krysady]

When he did that vlog from Damascus he talked about about having family who came from there at some point

 

Mind, when I was in Texas a waiter told me "My wife's English too- she's from Johannesburg"

 

[crazyaboutmika]

This looks like an interesting interview. I kinda understand what is it about. Do we have a translation somewhere?

If there's isn't any I'll translate soon , hopefully tomorrow night. Stay tuned

[Kumazzz]

An INTERVIEW before the concert @ Rabat, Morocco

 

EDITING and UPLOADED by grace<3 @Ysa83 Merci beacoup Isa !!

 

ORIGINAL http://www.2m.ma/Programmes/Magazines/Talk-show/Ajial/Ajial-Dimanche-02-Juin

 

[YOUTUBE]M0iCmZtWx1Q[/YOUTUBE]

[krysady]

Thank you,Eriko and Isa!

[camille*]

This is the translation of the 'Mawazine L'émission' interview. I'm sorry I didn't think it would take me so long to finally post it.

 

It's the second time you are here at Mawazine, after 3 years, what happened in between? And then we'll talk about Mawazine. Did you decide to come back or were you contacted, why coming back?

 

I got invited. Of course. I don't say 'I want to go there!'

 

Some artists do this. Meaning 'it would be a pleasure to be there'

 

Absolutely, I think everybody knows I completely adored my experience here the last time, it's a very very beautiful festival, I think it's becoming one of the most important festivals of the Arabic world and so this year when they asked me, I said yes, absolutely. I'm doing Mawazine and I'm doing Jounieh, in Beirut. They are the only shows I'm doing in the Arabic world or North Africa.

 

You are half Lebanese.

 

No. I'm a quarter Lebanese, a quarter Syrian, and half American.

 

Why don't we see you speaking Arabic?

 

Because I'm rubbish. Because I'm a real disaster in the Arabic language (sorry I can't translate the Arabic parts!) I know '(insert Arabic word here )' because each time I'm asking for directions in Beirut, 100% of people answer this. Even if you're not supposed to go straight, they tell you this.

 

Do you know Moroccan cuisine a little bit?

 

Yes of course. Tagines... I love pigeon. The small pies.

What is it made of?

 

Bread, no, puff pastry.

 

Ah, pastilla. Puff pastry with pigeon, almonds, onions and so on.

 

And tagines. It's good. I love Morocco. On holidays I often come here. For example I love landing in Marrakesh, staying a few days there and then go to the Atlas mountains, next to Toubkal. I stay there in the Ourika Valley.

 

To recharge your batteries?

 

I go there to walk. I walk everywhere, 20km per day. And then I go to Casablanca, visiting friends, it's cool, it's a country that I love.

 

We have seen you recently in a duet with Karol Sakr.

 

It was for the Coke Project in Dubai, it was a fusion project, they cover songs from an artist with Arabic artists, they produce and record everything and so I did Relax with Karol Sakr, and her husband produced it. When they talked to me about it at first I thought 'meh.., I don't know what it's going to be like' I didn't want it to be a hotel remix, 1999 beach song. But it's not like that at all, it's great, everybody was completely into it and the result is great. If you haven't heard it yet.. You can buy it on I Tunes for example, and it gets radio airplay now. It's real, we can believe that the fusion is real.

 

Will we see you performing a duet of an Arabic song?

 

Maybe. Maybe not this year, but next year we'll see, it's something I really want to do. I grew up with Arabic music. I grew up with people speaking 3 different languages in the same sentence. Making an album or some songs mixing these languages, I love this idea.

 

Let's talk about clothes, are you wearing clothes from your collection now?

 

No it's not my collection, this is from a Japanese collection, because I was in Tokyo last week and of course in Tokyo you have to go shopping.

 

And the shoes are great, I'd like to switch mine with yours.

 

They are from Louboutin.

And so your collection?

 

I have just launched it in Belgium, with a company called JBC, it's for men, women and kids, there are quite a lot of pieces and I love this collection. It's available now in Belgium and also in a few weeks it will be available on the Internet for the rest of the world. It looks like what I'm wearing or what you are wearing, a blue vest, a shirt, it's always about finding a way to get dressed with fun. It's fun but it's classical, so you can hope to look at yourself in 10 years and think it was not just a fashion moment, it's as good 10 years later as it is now.

Is it a dream you are fulfilling?

 

I grew up with clothes around me. My mother was a dress maker so our flat was a clothes workshop, constantly, at 3am, we would get up to go to the toilets and we would see 2 people in the living room finishing something or my mother sewing with the machine. Because of this I grew up with a very negative attitude towards clothes, because if you grow up with clothes, just like if you grow up with music; for example if my parents were musicians, I would probably not be a musician.

 

Your mother and sister create your stage clothes.

 

Tonight I'll be wearing clothes made by my mother, and my musicians also will. But I'll also be wearing a jacket created by Christian Louboutin and Lesage.

 

Your last album was released in September, it took you 3 years, why?

 

Because it takes time to make an album, when you don't ask for somebody else to write it. It's about love, I thought the truth is most albums are about love, most songs existing in the world are about love and so I thought why not have this concept of 14 songs from my perspective, and also from the perspective of a 28 year old man or 27, I was 27 when I started this album

 

Nearly 30!

 

Thanks, thanks for saying it, everybody is completely obsessed with this concept. 30, 30, 30!

 

You don't look your age.

 

So I thought let's talk about this old concept in a very modern, funny, happy way but also with a devil's wink. I knew that if I was taking this concept again when I'm 38 instead of 28, it would be very different, that's why it was important to do it in this time of my life.

 

We have heard about a new song, Live Your Life.

 

'Vis ta vie'. It doesn't sound good. It sounds a bit like 'Vitamine'. Like a medicine. Like an energiser. 'Vitamine!'

 

Do rumours annoy you?

 

There are so many of them. What are the rumours today?

 

I've read that Mika's dog has been operated with success. You do have a dog?

The problem is I haven't talked to my friend who's taking care of my dog.

 

Do you want me to give you some updates on your dog?

 

If it's true it means she hasn't called me, something happened and so I have to get info soon.

 

She's called Snippy? They wrote 'Today, Snippy, Mika's Labrador, is in recovery'

 

This is completely ridiculous, Snippy, what's that? My dog isn't called Snippy, this is a ridiculous name, my dog is called Melachi. Melachi the Queen. No not the Queen, I call her Melachi the Witch. This is a real dog name. Snippy... Snoopy would be better.

What is the worse rumour you've heard that hurt you?

 

There are a lot.

The worse one?

 

I don't know. There are rumours about health, about my family, about even.. I saw something in Paris Match this week saying things about me in Jakarta, at X Factor

 

Yes I've seen that, Mika acting like a diva, is that true? I have the info I just didn't want to say it.

 

I don't even understand. When I read that, I wondered if it was a joke or if it was real. It sounds like I arrived and I did a whole thing, saying no I don't want that, I want this! Actually I arrived in Jakarta the day before, I was very jet lagged, I did a gig and after the gig I went to perform at X Factor. I was completely jet lagged. I arrived, they put me in a room and I started rehearsing with the contestants, I sang on stage and then I went away. They told me to go quickly because I hadn't slept for 48 hours. 2 weeks later I'm looking at Paris Match and there's a whole story about it, I don't understand anything. You just have to not take it in.

 

Mika, relax?

 

Not really I have some work tonight.

 

We'll finish with a little thing from you for the viewers, a message, a bit of a song?

 

No, I hate singing in a context like this... For example, I never sing in front of my friends. Yesterday, I was at my best friend's wedding, he got married to a girl we have known for many years and they asked me sing, I said no. They asked me to give a speech, I said no. They asked me to propose a toast, I said no. The truth is in normal life..

You are very shy.

 

I hate doing things like that. But when I go on stage, I can sing in front of 50000 people...

 

But it looks like a stage here doesn't it?

 

But it's your stage not mine.

 

But the stage is beautiful because you are here. So..

 

So.. See you tonight