VIP Lounge – Mika (Interview to Passport Magazine) 24.06.2013

[BiaIchihara]

There’s something wicked about 29-year-old, openly gay, UK pop star Mika. His peppy single, “Popular Song,” culled from 2012’s The Origin of Love, sampled the contagious chorus of musical Wicked’s “Popular” (originally performed by Kristin Chenoweth). Yet beyond riffs on and from musical theater, Mika evinces a similar lyrical cheek and musical bounce to The Scissor Sisters, with soaring Freddie Mercury–esque vocals and a wall-of-sound, melody-rich production.

 

Half Lebanese and half American, Mika was born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr. in Beirut and raised from age nine-onward in the UK. His debut album, 2007’s Life in Cartoon Motion, made a major splash with its irresistible, Elton John-esque single, “Grace Kelly,” while the album’s colorful cover was illustrated by sister Yasmine, a.k.a. “DaWack,” ultimately led to Coca-Cola commissioning a limited-edition Mika “Happiness Bottle” and display box that benefited several charities.

 

The year 2009 saw the release of his second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, an international hit single, “We Are Golden,” and the video of an underwear-clad Mika dancing in his bedroom. After much speculation and many ambiguous interview answers, Mika officially came out in a 2012 Instinct Magazine feature. Having just concluded a USA tour for Origin (his most recent single from that CD, the insanely catchy Daft Punk–sounding electro-pop ditty, “Celebrate,” features Pharrell Williams), Mika sat down in our VIP Lounge to talk show tunes, being out, and, of course, travel.

 

Which cities would you want to stop in during a USA tour just to hang out and enjoy?

Portland, Oregon, New York City, San Francisco. One of the wildest times I’ve had was in Salt Lake City, Utah. People were so nice and invited me places and to their houses, and we got snowed in and it was fun. In Portland, I would hang out and drink Oregon Pinot and be cool like that.

 

The chorus of “Popular Song” is taken from the stage musical Wicked. Would you call yourself a showtune queen?

(Laughs!) Bastard, I wouldn’t. But the problem is I have an encyclopedic knowledge of that stuff. People are like, who are your favorite songwriters? Well, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Beck, Harry Nilsson, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter. You get Beck next to Cole Porter and to me they are as valid as each other. Cole Porter was one of the finest songwriters who ever worked. He got away with this wicked sense of humor because he packaged it so cleverly that people didn’t mind. From sex to politics to references to drugs, it’s all there in his songs. Musical theater, to me, is certainly not a dirty word. It’s quite amazing. But like anything, just because a song is in a show doesn’t mean it’s good. There’s so much garbage musical theater. Just like there’s so much garbage pop.

 

What are some of the best shows you have seen on Broadway or the West End?

Wicked, which I felt was the most brilliantly engineered piece of writing—the story never stops, the cogs are always turning. Kiss Me Kate has to be one of the best musicals ever written. There’s a show in London and now also in New York called Matilda, which theatrically is one of the best. It’s so simple, so sweet. The music’s not great, but the show is amazing. I still think Avenue Q is brilliant and Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of the best musicals of the past 15 years and underrated, really. Just look at some of those songs and they’re really stunning. I have an obsession with an unknown musical called Lady in the Dark written by Kurt Weill [and Ira Gershwin]. It’s basically a little like Ugly Betty. It’s about this woman who runs a fashion magazine and has a nervous breakdown. It’s an unusual subject but quite amazing. A couple of great, great songs in there.

 

Now that you’re officially out, do you wish you said you were gay sooner? Was it an anti-climactic event?

There was no intention of a climax or even a reveal. It was just a bit of punctuation—is how I saw it. I’ve never been hidden or wore a beard. I lived my life, and I’m discreet as a person, but I’m not deceiving and I’ve never pretended to be something I’m not. It’s always been there, especially in my music and lyrics. But it got to a point of directly answering the question as opposed to saying ‘read my lyrics, look at me, do you need more?’ Sexuality, which is such a huge part of your life especially when growing up, for it to be so reduced and inevitably politicized, which is what labels do, I used to see it as such a big thing. But through my work and independence and music, I realized it was nothing more than that. A label. I got to a point where it’s a label and doesn’t change anything about me, and actually it’s an important thing to do because I’m happy and live my own happy life. And you know what, I’d like to talk to the 14-year-old version of myself and say that. It’s something that has to be done, but from a position of joy and feeling secure. So I got to that point. I always shied away from labels and now I don’t have to. But it was never going to be anti-climactic, because I was never expecting anything.

 

You can have your last meal in any restaurant, where would it be and what would you eat?

Probably in this little trattoria I know in Alba, Italy—it’s the same place where the white truffles come from. They make this homemade Italian pasta, which they serve with a bit of salt, butter, and they shave mushrooms on top. It’s the most delicious, obvious, indisputable thing you can ever eat. You can have shaved truffles, depending on how much money is in your pocket. For ten euros, mushrooms. For 25, the truffles.

 

What is your number-one travel tip?

Don’t be afraid to be on your own. Sometimes that’s when you see the most. My most incredible travel experiences were the ones where I was stuck in a city, or waiting for people to come join me, and I’ve had an evening on my own. People actually talk to you. You discover so much more. What’s the point of traveling and taking your own home world with you everywhere? It’s amazing what you see alone.

 

Source: http://www.passportmagazine.com/vip-lounge-mika/

[cubitus]

T4P BiaIchihara ! Interesting interview

[nas]

T4P! lovely little interview..I agree Hedwig is so underrated - it has brilliant songs! and agree abt the seeing places alone...and want to go to the trattatoria

[mellody]

What is your number-one travel tip?

Don’t be afraid to be on your own. Sometimes that’s when you see the most.

 

i agree with that. tho i wonder whether he means that you see/discover more on your own as in the amount of things you see, because that for me isn't true (i get up much earlier if i'm in a group and have to... ) - but i discover the most special things when i'm on my own. if you do sightseeing in a group, it's mostly just the most famous sights you notice, and you don't have time to for example turn into a small alley and discover a lovely hidden place that most tourists don't see because they stay on the usual sightseeing paths.

 

anyway, t4p bia!

[dcdeb]

i agree with that. tho i wonder whether he means that you see/discover more on your own as in the amount of things you see, because that for me isn't true (i get up much earlier if i'm in a group and have to... ) - but i discover the most special things when i'm on my own. if you do sightseeing in a group, it's mostly just the most famous sights you notice, and you don't have time to for example turn into a small alley and discover a lovely hidden place that most tourists don't see because they stay on the usual sightseeing paths.

 

anyway, t4p bia!

 

Yes, thanks for posting, Bia!

 

And I agree also, about traveling on your own -- Never travel with a tour group (which I really dislike) and often poke around places on my own. Some of my favorite discoveries in London have happened when I was roaming around all by myself, on my own timetable, without any plan or agenda. Even at Disney World, which I've been to more than a hundred times, I often like to spend a day all by myself, just wandering and to see where I end up. I invariably find something new, and meet strangers while queuing or eating... leaves you open to so many more possibilities.

[mellody]

And I agree also, about traveling on your own -- Never travel with a tour group (which I really dislike) :

 

it can have advantages tho to travel with a group... in sri lanka i would have slept half the days because of jetlag, or spent time in the hotel pool, if i didn't have to get up early to stay with the group. and the guides also helped us when we had to cross the street somewhere, traffic is mad there! but i really need to go back there someday and do a relaxed trip where i'll be able to spend more time at the places i like, to discover more of the area.

[RAK1]

Yes, thanks for posting, Bia!

 

And I agree also, about traveling on your own -- Never travel with a tour group (which I really dislike) and often poke around places on my own. Some of my favorite discoveries in London have happened when I was roaming around all by myself, on my own timetable, without any plan or agenda. Even at Disney World, which I've been to more than a hundred times, I often like to spend a day all by myself, just wandering and to see where I end up. I invariably find something new, and meet strangers while queuing or eating... leaves you open to so many more possibilities.

 

Same here, I enjoy travelling round on my own, discovering things I probably wouldn't in the constraints of a group.

Like yesterday, I found the Food Quarter on Oxford Street, that had no idea exsisted.

[Julia Welcomes]

Thanks for this post:thumb_yello:

 

This interview is so clear, even positive. I like the way Mika talks about some things now - no needless coquetry, just his own pure opinion.

[mamiam]

Thanks for this post:thumb_yello:

 

This interview is so clear, even positive. I like the way Mika talks about some things now - no needless coquetry, just his own pure opinion.

 

Exactly!!

 

Love,love

me

[Marilyn Mastin]

There’s something wicked about 29-year-old, openly gay, UK pop star Mika. His peppy single, “Popular Song,” culled from 2012’s The Origin of Love, sampled the contagious chorus of musical Wicked’s “Popular” (originally performed by Kristin Chenoweth). Yet beyond riffs on and from musical theater, Mika evinces a similar lyrical cheek and musical bounce to The Scissor Sisters, with soaring Freddie Mercury–esque vocals and a wall-of-sound, melody-rich production.

 

Half Lebanese and half American, Mika was born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr. in Beirut and raised from age nine-onward in the UK. His debut album, 2007’s Life in Cartoon Motion, made a major splash with its irresistible, Elton John-esque single, “Grace Kelly,” while the album’s colorful cover was illustrated by sister Yasmine, a.k.a. “DaWack,” ultimately led to Coca-Cola commissioning a limited-edition Mika “Happiness Bottle” and display box that benefited several charities.

 

The year 2009 saw the release of his second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, an international hit single, “We Are Golden,” and the video of an underwear-clad Mika dancing in his bedroom. After much speculation and many ambiguous interview answers, Mika officially came out in a 2012 Instinct Magazine feature. Having just concluded a USA tour for Origin (his most recent single from that CD, the insanely catchy Daft Punk–sounding electro-pop ditty, “Celebrate,” features Pharrell Williams), Mika sat down in our VIP Lounge to talk show tunes, being out, and, of course, travel.

 

Which cities would you want to stop in during a USA tour just to hang out and enjoy?

Portland, Oregon, New York City, San Francisco. One of the wildest times I’ve had was in Salt Lake City, Utah. People were so nice and invited me places and to their houses, and we got snowed in and it was fun. In Portland, I would hang out and drink Oregon Pinot and be cool like that.

 

The chorus of “Popular Song” is taken from the stage musical Wicked. Would you call yourself a showtune queen?

(Laughs!) Bastard, I wouldn’t. But the problem is I have an encyclopedic knowledge of that stuff. People are like, who are your favorite songwriters? Well, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Beck, Harry Nilsson, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter. You get Beck next to Cole Porter and to me they are as valid as each other. Cole Porter was one of the finest songwriters who ever worked. He got away with this wicked sense of humor because he packaged it so cleverly that people didn’t mind. From sex to politics to references to drugs, it’s all there in his songs. Musical theater, to me, is certainly not a dirty word. It’s quite amazing. But like anything, just because a song is in a show doesn’t mean it’s good. There’s so much garbage musical theater. Just like there’s so much garbage pop.

 

What are some of the best shows you have seen on Broadway or the West End?

Wicked, which I felt was the most brilliantly engineered piece of writing—the story never stops, the cogs are always turning. Kiss Me Kate has to be one of the best musicals ever written. There’s a show in London and now also in New York called Matilda, which theatrically is one of the best. It’s so simple, so sweet. The music’s not great, but the show is amazing. I still think Avenue Q is brilliant and Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of the best musicals of the past 15 years and underrated, really. Just look at some of those songs and they’re really stunning. I have an obsession with an unknown musical called Lady in the Dark written by Kurt Weill [and Ira Gershwin]. It’s basically a little like Ugly Betty. It’s about this woman who runs a fashion magazine and has a nervous breakdown. It’s an unusual subject but quite amazing. A couple of great, great songs in there.

 

Now that you’re officially out, do you wish you said you were gay sooner? Was it an anti-climactic event?

There was no intention of a climax or even a reveal. It was just a bit of punctuation—is how I saw it. I’ve never been hidden or wore a beard. I lived my life, and I’m discreet as a person, but I’m not deceiving and I’ve never pretended to be something I’m not. It’s always been there, especially in my music and lyrics. But it got to a point of directly answering the question as opposed to saying ‘read my lyrics, look at me, do you need more?’ Sexuality, which is such a huge part of your life especially when growing up, for it to be so reduced and inevitably politicized, which is what labels do, I used to see it as such a big thing. But through my work and independence and music, I realized it was nothing more than that. A label. I got to a point where it’s a label and doesn’t change anything about me, and actually it’s an important thing to do because I’m happy and live my own happy life. And you know what, I’d like to talk to the 14-year-old version of myself and say that. It’s something that has to be done, but from a position of joy and feeling secure. So I got to that point. I always shied away from labels and now I don’t have to. But it was never going to be anti-climactic, because I was never expecting anything.

 

You can have your last meal in any restaurant, where would it be and what would you eat?

Probably in this little trattoria I know in Alba, Italy—it’s the same place where the white truffles come from. They make this homemade Italian pasta, which they serve with a bit of salt, butter, and they shave mushrooms on top. It’s the most delicious, obvious, indisputable thing you can ever eat. You can have shaved truffles, depending on how much money is in your pocket. For ten euros, mushrooms. For 25, the truffles.

 

What is your number-one travel tip?

Don’t be afraid to be on your own. Sometimes that’s when you see the most. My most incredible travel experiences were the ones where I was stuck in a city, or waiting for people to come join me, and I’ve had an evening on my own. People actually talk to you. You discover so much more. What’s the point of traveling and taking your own home world with you everywhere? It’s amazing what you see alone.

 

Source: http://www.passportmagazine.com/vip-lounge-mika/

That's a good interview, but once again I'm so sick of those comparisons, and I've left a comment to say so!

Mika is always interesting and knowledgeable, it's always a pleasure to read what he says.

[Julia Welcomes]

That's a good interview, but once again I'm so sick of those comparisons, and I've left a comment to say so!

Mika is always interesting and knowledgeable, it's always a pleasure to read what he says.

 

well, all journalists are primitively same, they just use a same method to fill their texts - repeat the comparisons they have heard somewhere before.

 

PS. Grace Kelly is "EltonJohn-esque"????? :doh::doh:That kills.