Lucrezia Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 La Presse a eu l’opportunité de passer 24 heures avec @mikainstagram. Bienvenue dans son univers coloré et parfois déjanté. À lire dans #lapresseplus. https://instagram.com/p/4t9hG9Ra-7/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 (edited) LA PRESSE+ Édition du 4 juillet 2015 http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/03d6252a-152a-4e46-b6d8-cac1f47d4efe|_0.html La Presse a eu l’opportunité de passer 24 heures avec @mikainstagram. Bienvenue dans son univers coloré et parfois déjanté. À lire dans #lapresseplus. https://instagram.com/p/4t9hG9Ra-7/ 11375767_1612026375749702_2118586325_n.jpg ARTICLE FESTIVAL DE JAZZ 24 HEURES AVEC MIKA Olivia Lévy La Presse Passer 24 heures avec Mika, c’est plonger dans un tourbillon joyeux et créatif. Il a toujours une chanson au bout des lèvres qu’il doit créer dans l’urgence, une idée qu’il faut vite noter, un journal intime qu’il termine. Suivre Mika, c’est se retrouver au milieu des membres de sa famille, tous plus chaleureux les uns que les autres, fiers et ravis de voir Mika chanter pour l’émission matinale Good Morning America. Être avec Mika, c’est côtoyer un esprit vif, drôle et généreux qui dévore la vie. Bienvenue dans l’univers coloré et parfois déjanté de Mika. 19 hJEUDI 2 JUILLET New York, hôtel Carlyle, dans sa suite Olivia Lévy La Presse Il vient d’atterrir. Il arrive de Milan où il a assisté aux auditions de X Factor. Malgré le décalage horaire, il est plein d’énergie, monte dans sa suite avec ses nombreuses valises, met en scène notre photo, parle avec passion de ses projets, dont un journal intime qu’il souhaite publier où il parle de sa famille, de son clan. On remarque qu’il a du style. « Pour les prochaines années, j’ai décidé que je serais un dandy », dit-il. Il dessine, boit du thé, met au point sa prestation du lendemain. Il est fatigué, mais content. Il se dit ravi du mariage gai légalisé dans tous les États-Unis : « Quelle puissante déclaration. » Il a envie d’avoir des enfants. « Fonder une famille, bien sûr, mais pas en ce moment. Je suis dans une ville différente chaque jour, ce n’est pas possible. C’est dur pour le couple et je ne pourrais pas vivre de cette manière avec un enfant, car je souhaite être présent. » l évoque son neveu qui a un peu plus d’un an. « C’est le seul petit enfant de la famille. Il est trop gâté, un vrai enfant-roi ! Il est le centre de toutes les attentions et ce ne sont pas ses dents qui poussent, mais des cornes sur la tête, comme un petit diable ! Et je ne suis pas jaloux ! » 22 h New York, hôtel Carlyle Olivia Lévy La Presse Après un léger repas au célèbre Café Carlyle, c’est l’heure de se coucher ! Mika est un habitué de cet hôtel. Il y séjourne tellement souvent que ses initiales sont brodées sur l’oreiller. « Je me sens un peu New-Yorkais, car j’ai passé de nombreuses vacances ici dans ma famille qui habite toujours là, la famille de ma mère, celle de mon père, aussi, qui est ici et dans le Vermont, notamment. J’ai été découvert aux États-Unis avec ma chanson Grace Kelly, j’ai fait mes maquettes à Miami, on oublie peut-être que je suis Américain, parce que je ne représente pas vraiment le courant commercial musical. Je représente la pop alternative culte, et même si on n’entend pas mes chansons à la radio, mes concerts affichent complet. Je n’ai pas cette obsession de grimper ce mont Everest américain qui peut user les artistes. Ce qui est énorme, c’est l’utilisation de ma musique dans des films comme Pitch Perfect et Spy, deux succès au box-office ! Ça fait partie de moi, le côté alternatif qui se mélange avec la culture populaire. Il y a toujours ce parallèle et cette dualité, chez moi artistiquement, et je suis très à l’aise avec ça ». 13 h Aéroport La Guardia, départ pour Montréal Olivia Lévy La Presse Mika donne un petit truc : boire une bière, rien de mieux pour dormir, car la nuit dernière a été agitée, il n’a pas trouvé le sommeil. On en profite pour parler de la maison de ses rêves ? « Je veux vivre à la campagne, je m’imagine dans un endroit qui n’existe pas. Le rêve, ce serait une maison avec une architecture provençale, une belle bastide, avec un jardin anglais et vue sur la mer grecque, entouré d’Italiens et de Québécois. L’hiver des Alpes françaises et l’été de la Toscane, une piscine glamour style Bel Air Los Angeles, avec des enfants adoptés, une mamie grecque qui fait le déjeuner, un papi libanais qui prépare le dîner et se disputent ! Car faire la cuisine sans se disputer, ça ne marche pas. Au menu, kafta, taboulé, baba ganoush. Derrière la maison, un vignoble bordelais qui produit un saint-estèphe. Quand je trouve tout ça, je me pose ! Je veux habiter une maison où je pourrai fonder ma famille. Je souhaite continuer aussi à créer, écrire des chansons, des livres. J’ai peur d’affronter ces choix, alors je me cache derrière mon emploi du temps très chargé. C’est une forme d’égoïsme ». 6 h 30 - 9 h 30VENDREDI 3 JUILLET Sur le plateau de Good Morning America à Central Park Olivia Lévy La Presse La famille de Mika trépigne d’impatience. Mika n’est pas du matin, chuchote l’une de ses deux tantes. Il a l’air un peu fatigué, non ? s’interroge son autre tante. Mika semble détendu. La prestation matinale débute, famille et amis réunis sont très attentifs, dansent au son de Talk About You, parlent de son album qu’ils écoutent tous en boucle. L’ambiance est à la fête. Mika prend des photos avec ses fans, il poursuit sa tournée de concerts jusqu’à l’automne à travers l’Europe. Il prendra quelques vacances en août. Il se dit toujours content de faire des émissions de télévision : « Être dans le salon des gens une fois par semaine avec The Voice ou X Factor offre une multitude de possibilités, ce serait mentir de dire que je ne profite pas de cette énorme vitrine. Je le fais avec intégrité et générosité. L’industrie du disque n’est plus la même qu’autrefois. Les gens d’un certain âge ont une conception encore traditionnelle de ce qu’est un artiste : faire un album tous les deux ans, donner quelques concerts, avoir des enfants, vivre paisiblement à la campagne et attendre les chèques qui arrivent. Ces temps sont révolus ! » 10 h Dinner EJ’s Luncheonette, East Side Olivia Lévy La Presse Avant de s’envoler à Montréal, il prend le temps de bruncher dans un dinner typiquement new-yorkais en compagnie de sa famille et de nombreux amis qui se sont réunis. Ils ont tous envie de le suivre jusqu’à Montréal et de vivre à son rythme, entre joyeux dîners et grandes discussions. Comme d’habitude, il commande la moitié du menu, omelettes, saumon fumé, pancakes, gaufres, salades. Il aime goûter à tout et partager les plats, c’est son côté communautaire et famille nombreuse (ils sont cinq enfants). C’est un vrai plaisir de manger. Il a toujours de bonnes adresses de restaurants à conseiller, que ce soit à Milan, à Paris, à Londres… « C’est la chose la plus importante de la journée », s’exclame-t-il. Il souhaite déjà planifier les endroits où il ira souper à Montréal… dans le Mile End, un quartier qu’il apprécie beaucoup, peut-être dans Outremont chez Leméac, où il aime bien aller. 19 h 30 Après une petite sieste à son arrivée à Montréal, direction l’émission 125, Marie-Anne à BIXI Olivia Lévy La Presse Il est très heureux de retrouver Montréal. Il est attentif à ce qui se passe ici artistiquement. Il évoque Xavier Dolan, Moment Factory, Robert Lepage. « C’est une ville ouverte, douce, avec une belle identité. Les gens sont fiers d’être Montréalais, ce qu’on perd à Londres. Il y a un bel esprit à Montréal, les gens sont créatifs et je crois que ça va continuer. J’ai écrit une chronique pour le quotidien italien Il Corriere della Sera, et ils m’ont posé la question : quel est l’endroit où un jeune peut être le plus libre et avoir accès à différentes occasions tout en étant très créatif ? J’ai répondu sans hésiter le Québec, parce qu’il y a un optimisme très grand ici. Vous ne voulez pas être considérés, avec raison, comme les cousins de la culture française ni être dans l’ombre des États-Unis et ça provoque une créativité. Je pourrais tout à fait m’imaginer vivre à Montréal. Mon amoureux est à moitié grec, il a découvert l’avenue du Parc et ça a fait son bonheur ! ». SCREEN SHOTS by Lucrezia http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31972-mika-in-canadian-press-2015/?p=4010256 La Presse https://www.facebook.com/LaPresseFB/photos/pb.78302173311.-2207520000.1436105228./10154037533663312/?type=3&theater Edited July 5, 2015 by Kumazzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie20 Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 (edited) Thanks for sharing this! I liked this interview and his honesty about his sexuality and private life, but sorry, I absolutely don't agree with him on the Pope. I have already said what I think about him ( http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31270-mika-and-dario-fo-on-francesco-lo-santo-jullare-rai1-italian-tv-22nd-june-2014/page-9) "I'm sorry, but I don't agree with Dario Fo about the Pope. This Pope is certainly very skilled in communicating, but the words are one thing and facts are another. And, specifically, the church has not changed its policy towards homosexuality and the rights of gay (LGBT) people, in fact the Pope has reiterated/confirmed it very clearly (family, marriage and children), while the famous phrase, although nice, was aimed at gay priests (chaste, then) and the alleged/presumed “gay lobby” in the Vatican.Recently he has also met the President of the French movement Manuf pour tous, giving his support and, it is said his advice, to their “fight". " and even now I think so, because nothing has changed in the policy of the Church and the Pope. I think Mika is very intelligent and I understand his hopes, but it's the Pope in person who met the French ambassador Laurent Stefanini and refused him because he is gay and because he didn't "appreciate" that France approved the law on marriages for same-sex persons. And his words, as well as that of cardinals and bishops, against "gender" prevented in fact any initiative to combat bullying in schools, doing remove and eliminate information booklets, to stop all discriminations, for teachers on how to address these problems with students. Sorry, but his positions are always the same since he was in Argentina. Gay people, for the Church, and for many bigots and ignorant people, must not have sex, live alone and in silence, not "claim" their rights and don't "flaunt" or "display" their sexuality in public. I can't agree with those who deny the others to be themselves, to love another person and to have a family, and that interfere constantly in the laicity of States. Unfortunately in Italy it's very difficult to oppose the power and influence of the Church, and we are not Ireland! I'm really sorry, it wasn't my intention to be polemic! Edited July 4, 2015 by charlie20 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie112 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Thanks for sharing this! I liked this interview and his honesty about his sexuality and private life, but sorry, I absolutely don't agree with him on the Pope. I have already said what I think about him ( http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31270-mika-and-dario-fo-on-francesco-lo-santo-jullare-rai1-italian-tv-22nd-june-2014/page-9) "I'm sorry, but I don't agree with Dario Fo about the Pope. This Pope is certainly very skilled in communicating, but the words are one thing and facts are another. And, specifically, the church has not changed its policy towards homosexuality and the rights of gay (LGBT) people, in fact the Pope has reiterated/confirmed it very clearly (family, marriage and children), while the famous phrase, although nice, was aimed at gay priests (chaste, then) and the alleged/presumed “gay lobby” in the Vatican.Recently he has also met the President of the French movement Manuf pour tous, giving his support and, it is said his advice, to their “fight". " and even now I think so, because nothing has changed in the policy of the Church and the Pope. I think Mika is very intelligent and I understand his hopes, but it's the Pope in person who met the French ambassador Laurent Stefanini and refused him because he is gay and because he didn't "appreciate" that France approved the law on marriages for same-sex persons. And his words, as well as that of cardinals and bishops, against "gender" prevented in fact any initiative to combat bullying in schools, doing remove and eliminate information booklets, to stop all discriminations, for teachers on how to address these problems with students. Sorry, but his positions are always the same since he was in Argentina. Gay people, for the Church, and for many bigots and ignorant people, must not have sex, live alone and in silence, not "claim" their rights and don't "flaunt" or "display" their sexuality in public. I can't agree with those who deny the others to be themselves, to love another person and to have a family, and that interfere constantly in the laicity of States. Unfortunately in Italy it's very difficult to oppose the power and influence of the Church, and we are not Ireland! I'm really sorry, it wasn't my intention to be polemic! Agree with you, Mika said few times that he knows he's a privileged person who can talk about being gay, having a partner and wanting a family in the future,in the Italian press too, but he knows that it's not the same for "common" people. I feel pretty frustrated when I hear Italian people convinced that they have to protect (yes, some people say so, protect) their children, or "future" children from the option of having two moms or two dads because they would be damaged . I guess this way of thinking will improve with times, and when there will be rights for everyone, maybe they will be convinced that they have nothing to fear, and maybe the Church itself will change its positions. But don't know how log it will take . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 La Presse https://www.facebook.com/LaPresseFB/photos/pb.78302173311.-2207520000.1436105228./10154037533663312/?type=3&theater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Translation of RTL2 interview RTL2publié le 29/06/2015 à 19:30http://www.rtl2.fr/c...mika-7778884605Interview"I want to talk about serious things with sweetness," says Mika who was RTL2 editor in chief and guest for a day - Mika, whose fourth album 'No Place In Heaven' was released on June 16th , appears to be more emancipated and having a huge appetite for projets more diverse than ever . With his big smile, his style which is as classy as cool and with his contageous cheerfulness Mika is radiant. His fourth album, No Place In Heaven, was released a few days ago, but the singer already has other things in his mind: "It's as if I was already looking for my next projet. I will probably have enough appetite to start a new projet in less than three years this time. "Mika is impatient indeed, with a mind so open that it makes him hungry for lots of things:" I' m really hungry and curious ", the pop star who sold millions of albums admits."However, I don't want to throw myself into 150 things and do mediocres ones. So I have to make a choice."Nowadays Mika is not only a singer .Coach inThe Voice (TF1talent show) , but also in the italian version of X-Factor, he's more under exposure than before ."I'm taking advantage of that and it helps me as a person, because that means that I can do whatever work I want without having to ask permission, which is what I always did before",explains the singer , who seem like a weight has been lifted off him. Since he realized that, Mika says he feels "very free , very transparent, simplified ":"In my heart , I feel lighter ."A freed artist. At 31, Mika shows a boldness which almost contrasts with his cheerfulness."Two more questions !"he says with self-assurance when his public relation tries to put an end to the interview. "You are the boss", admits the other , who doesn't try to argue. Mika indeed broke free from people who used to take decisions for him in order to do his own thing in a more independant way: "I realised that four years ago, I had to ask a permission from my record company to do anything, he explains in a serious tone." I couldn't let my creativity and career ambitions die, simply because I wasn't going to take advantage of the opportunities around me", sums up the singer, who has now freed himself from the labels pressure ."Staying very creative and having fun in the process. Creating things filled with fantasy and which belong to the same universe", is how he sums up what he wishes to do.I wanted to make a very intimate and personal record, not a commercially aggressive one. Mika, after coming out publicly as gay in 2012,Mika got involved in favor of gay marriage ,which Boum Boum Boum is about. The coach vocal sang at a concert to celebrate legalisation of gay marriage at place de la République, in Paris."I was one of the very few singers being there", recalls Mika with a sad smile ."I am a musician, I sing, I'm only here thanks to alternative improbable people who helped and encouraged me. I was a victim of intolerance and thanks to the help I got, I could find my own path. Do I need more reasons? No", is Mika's answer to this question..He's a committed man. Equal rights is not is only fight. A while ago , Mika also joined the fight against bullying, in Italia . A cause he also wants to get involved into in France: "That's not necessarly a thing that mobilize people a lot", the singer says ."But bullying is the result and symptom of so many other problems that when dealing with it, one is also helping people solve other problems. It's like a fever." During the editing conference when Mika défined the topics of the day that would be dealt with on RTL2 , among other things he mentioned a day he spent at the beach with sick children, in order to put into light the association Enfants Sans Cancer. (Children without cancer association) So much involvement into charities suggests a big generosity in Mika. The day before this interview, Mika was a guest at the TV show On n'est pas couché. He explains that he was slighly heckled by the columnists, who reproached him not to be bold enough: "I told them: 'But it doesn't work that way. That's not my idea of pop.' I am a pop singer driven by a sense of melody and playing with words", says the artist."I want to talk about serious things with sweetness. For me sweetness is a very important thing because it provokes tolerance. I believe it's a lot more constructive and interesting than to provoke intolerance and reactivity." Sweet but firm, Mika doesn't mind ending up in hell , "but with holidays in heaven". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Translation of RTL2 interview RTL2publié le 29/06/2015 à 19:30http://www.rtl2.fr/c...mika-7778884605Interview"I want to talk about serious things with sweetness," says Mika who was RTL2 editor in chief and guest for a day - Mika, whose fourth album 'No Place In Heaven' was released on June 16th , appears to be more emancipated and having a huge appetite for projets more diverse than ever . With his big smile, his style which is as classy as cool and with his contageous cheerfulness Mika is radiant. His fourth album, No Place In Heaven, was released a few days ago, but the singer already has other things in his mind: "It's as if I was already looking for my next projet. I will probably have enough appetite to start a new projet in less than three years this time. "Mika is impatient indeed, with a mind so open that it makes him hungry for lots of things:" I' m really hungry and curious ", the pop star who sold millions of albums admits."However, I don't want to throw myself into 150 things and do mediocres ones. So I have to make a choice."Nowadays Mika is not only a singer .Coach inThe Voice (TF1talent show) , but also in the italian version of X-Factor, he's more under exposure than before ."I'm taking advantage of that and it helps me as a person, because that means that I can do whatever work I want without having to ask permission, which is what I always did before",explains the singer , who seem like a weight has been lifted off him. Since he realized that, Mika says he feels "very free , very transparent, simplified ":"In my heart , I feel lighter ."A freed artist. At 31, Mika shows a boldness which almost contrasts with his cheerfulness."Two more questions !"he says with self-assurance when his public relation tries to put an end to the interview. "You are the boss", admits the other , who doesn't try to argue. Mika indeed broke free from people who used to take decisions for him in order to do his own thing in a more independant way: "I realised that four years ago, I had to ask a permission from my record company to do anything, he explains in a serious tone." I couldn't let my creativity and career ambitions die, simply because I wasn't going to take advantage of the opportunities around me", sums up the singer, who has now freed himself from the labels pressure ."Staying very creative and having fun in the process. Creating things filled with fantasy and which belong to the same universe", is how he sums up what he wishes to do.I wanted to make a very intimate and personal record, not a commercially aggressive one. Mika, after coming out publicly as gay in 2012,Mika got involved in favor of gay marriage ,which Boum Boum Boum is about. The coach vocal sang at a concert to celebrate legalisation of gay marriage at place de la République, in Paris."I was one of the very few singers being there", recalls Mika with a sad smile ."I am a musician, I sing, I'm only here thanks to alternative improbable people who helped and encouraged me. I was a victim of intolerance and thanks to the help I got, I could find my own path. Do I need more reasons? No", is Mika's answer to this question..He's a committed man. Equal rights is not is only fight. A while ago , Mika also joined the fight against bullying, in Italia . A cause he also wants to get involved into in France: "That's not necessarly a thing that mobilize people a lot", the singer says ."But bullying is the result and symptom of so many other problems that when dealing with it, one is also helping people solve other problems. It's like a fever." During the editing conference when Mika défined the topics of the day that would be dealt with on RTL2 , among other things he mentioned a day he spent at the beach with sick children, in order to put into light the association Enfants Sans Cancer. (Children without cancer association) So much involvement into charities suggests a big generosity in Mika. The day before this interview, Mika was a guest at the TV show On n'est pas couché. He explains that he was slighly heckled by the columnists, who reproached him not to be bold enough: "I told them: 'But it doesn't work that way. That's not my idea of pop.' I am a pop singer driven by a sense of melody and playing with words", says the artist."I want to talk about serious things with sweetness. For me sweetness is a very important thing because it provokes tolerance. I believe it's a lot more constructive and interesting than to provoke intolerance and reactivity." Sweet but firm, Mika doesn't mind ending up in hell , "but with holidays in heaven". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Translation of RTL2 interview RTL2publié le 29/06/2015 à 19:30http://www.rtl2.fr/c...mika-7778884605Interview"I want to talk about serious things with sweetness," says Mika who was RTL2 editor in chief and guest for a day - Mika, whose fourth album 'No Place In Heaven' was released on June 16th , appears to be more emancipated and having a huge appetite for projets more diverse than ever . With his big smile, his style which is as classy as cool and with his contageous cheerfulness Mika is radiant. His fourth album, No Place In Heaven, was released a few days ago, but the singer already has other things in his mind: "It's as if I was already looking for my next projet. I will probably have enough appetite to start a new projet in less than three years this time. "Mika is impatient indeed, with a mind so open that it makes him hungry for lots of things:" I' m really hungry and curious ", the pop star who sold millions of albums admits."However, I don't want to throw myself into 150 things and do mediocres ones. So I have to make a choice."Nowadays Mika is not only a singer .Coach inThe Voice (TF1talent show) , but also in the italian version of X-Factor, he's more under exposure than before ."I'm taking advantage of that and it helps me as a person, because that means that I can do whatever work I want without having to ask permission, which is what I always did before",explains the singer , who seem like a weight has been lifted off him. Since he realized that, Mika says he feels "very free , very transparent, simplified ":"In my heart , I feel lighter ."A freed artist. At 31, Mika shows a boldness which almost contrasts with his cheerfulness."Two more questions !"he says with self-assurance when his public relation tries to put an end to the interview. "You are the boss", admits the other , who doesn't try to argue. Mika indeed broke free from people who used to take decisions for him in order to do his own thing in a more independant way: "I realised that four years ago, I had to ask a permission from my record company to do anything, he explains in a serious tone." I couldn't let my creativity and career ambitions die, simply because I wasn't going to take advantage of the opportunities around me", sums up the singer, who has now freed himself from the labels pressure ."Staying very creative and having fun in the process. Creating things filled with fantasy and which belong to the same universe", is how he sums up what he wishes to do.I wanted to make a very intimate and personal record, not a commercially aggressive one. Mika, after coming out publicly as gay in 2012,Mika got involved in favor of gay marriage ,which Boum Boum Boum is about. The coach vocal sang at a concert to celebrate legalisation of gay marriage at place de la République, in Paris."I was one of the very few singers being there", recalls Mika with a sad smile ."I am a musician, I sing, I'm only here thanks to alternative improbable people who helped and encouraged me. I was a victim of intolerance and thanks to the help I got, I could find my own path. Do I need more reasons? No", is Mika's answer to this question..He's a committed man. Equal rights is not is only fight. A while ago , Mika also joined the fight against bullying, in Italia . A cause he also wants to get involved into in France: "That's not necessarly a thing that mobilize people a lot", the singer says ."But bullying is the result and symptom of so many other problems that when dealing with it, one is also helping people solve other problems. It's like a fever." During the editing conference when Mika défined the topics of the day that would be dealt with on RTL2 , among other things he mentioned a day he spent at the beach with sick children, in order to put into light the association Enfants Sans Cancer. (Children without cancer association) So much involvement into charities suggests a big generosity in Mika. The day before this interview, Mika was a guest at the TV show On n'est pas couché. He explains that he was slighly heckled by the columnists, who reproached him not to be bold enough: "I told them: 'But it doesn't work that way. That's not my idea of pop.' I am a pop singer driven by a sense of melody and playing with words", says the artist."I want to talk about serious things with sweetness. For me sweetness is a very important thing because it provokes tolerance. I believe it's a lot more constructive and interesting than to provoke intolerance and reactivity." Sweet but firm, Mika doesn't mind ending up in hell , "but with holidays in heaven". 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie20 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Agree with you, Mika said few times that he knows he's a privileged person who can talk about being gay, having a partner and wanting a family in the future,in the Italian press too, but he knows that it's not the same for "common" people. I feel pretty frustrated when I hear Italian people convinced that they have to protect (yes, some people say so, protect) their children, or "future" children from the option of having two moms or two dads because they would be damaged . I guess this way of thinking will improve with times, and when there will be rights for everyone, maybe they will be convinced that they have nothing to fear, and maybe the Church itself will change its positions. But don't know how log it will take . Yes, the manifestations "to defend" the family are truly offensive and this is simply homophobia. Our politicians don't have the courage to oppose the power of the Church (and any other strong power) and give rights to everyone. I think we still have a long way to go, but let's hope that there will be a change soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie112 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) Yes, the manifestations "to defend" the family are truly offensive and this is simply homophobia. Our politicians don't have the courage to oppose the power of the Church (and any other strong power) and give rights to everyone. I think we still have a long way to go, but let's hope that there will be a change soon. the point is that they think that they are just expressing their opinion, and that's not homophobia because they don't hate gay people (they say ) , and people who argue with them are the ones who discriminate others it seems a never-ending story... Edited July 5, 2015 by maggie112 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 6, 2015 Author Share Posted July 6, 2015 Translation of RTL2 interview Thank you very much Anne, as always !!!! added your translation to the post. http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31554-mika-in-french-press-2015/?p=4009386 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie20 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 the point is that they think that they are just expressing their opinion, and that's not homophobia because they don't hate gay people (they say ) , and people who argue with them are the ones who discriminate others it seems a never-ending story... Yes, you're totally right. It's a nonsense, no one prevents them from being homophobic, but when they want to deny to others their civil rights just for stupid prejudices and ignorance is another matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Yes, you're totally right. It's a nonsense, no one prevents them from being homophobic, but when they want to deny to others their civil rights just for stupid prejudices and ignorance is another matter. That is so sad...same rights for all doesn't take anything away from straight people anyway, so how can some people be so narrow minded and not understand that we are all the same regardless of sexual orientation , religion, color of skin , age , handicap and see only differences and react in a negative way Tolerance should be a subject in schools as schools are supposed to teach life in a community and kids get into fights and get bullied there Sorry I'm so off subject , but life is so short I can't believe spending it making other human beings unhappy makes any sense at all 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Thank you very much Anne, as always !!!! added your translation to the post. http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31554-mika-in-french-press-2015/?p=4009386 You're very welcome Eriko I plan to translate more 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie20 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 That is so sad...same rights for all doesn't take anything away from straight people anyway, so how can some people be so narrow minded and not understand that we are all the same regardless of sexual orientation , religion, color of skin , age , handicap and see only differences and react in a negative way Tolerance should be a subject in schools as schools are supposed to teach life in a community and kids get into fights and get bullied there Sorry I'm so off subject , but life is so short I can't believe spending it making other human beings unhappy makes any sense at all You are not off subject, you instead are absolutely right and understand the issue perfectly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 You are not off subject, you instead are absolutely right and understand the issue perfectly! You're right, after all, we're discussing about what Mika said in an interview. When I used to be an English teacher, I always showed the movie Philadelphia to my classes because I was hoping it would be an eye opener to some... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie112 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 That is so sad...same rights for all doesn't take anything away from straight people anyway, so how can some people be so narrow minded and not understand that we are all the same regardless of sexual orientation , religion, color of skin , age , handicap and see only differences and react in a negative way Tolerance should be a subject in schools as schools are supposed to teach life in a community and kids get into fights and get bullied there Sorry I'm so off subject , but life is so short I can't believe spending it making other human beings unhappy makes any sense at all agree with you, and many people I talk with still think that they must protect children from the insane (in their opinion) chance of having 2 dads or 2 moms...because children are the weaker part which needs to be protected, not LGBT couples who (being selfish, always according to their opinion) would be happy with marriage and children . This is another idea that they need to change.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 (edited) Mika's interview in Têtu in English is ready, enjoy Mika "Songs that make me dance also make me cry...it is the same with sex" Mika who is now 31 is a man who is appeased, freed from his ambiguities, and who is at ease all together with: his love story with Andy, his amazing looks and his "hybrid cultural background". For Têtu he speaks openly about his youth, his loves, the birth of his new album, No Place In Heaven, and he also says how he feels about religion. Interview: Romain Burrel Photo: Arthur Delloye for Têtu Styling: Romain Vallos Hairstyling/make up: Morgan Quere and Géraldine Fougerat He is a long stem with a huge smile dressed in a stripped sweater similar to the ones Daho (French singer) wore when he sang his song La Notte . A good 1,91 meter pop star who speaks in a cosmic and funny French, roughly translated from English. Michael Hoolbrook Penniman aka Mika opens for us the door of his eagle'snest (aerie) in the 16th discrict (arrondissement) in Paris , two foot steps away from Le Trocadéro. sprawling on a sofa, the singer is exhausted because of his hysterical promotional schedule. He spent his whole day giving interviews about his new album, No Place In Heaven, but also others for The Voice. That's because Mika likes to live several lives at the same time: pop singer, talent show coach-both in France and Italy- , muse for Valentino and Christian Louboutin.A wandering way of living, in between England, France and Italy which suits perfectly this nomadic heart, born in Beyrut, and who grew up between Paris and London. This is not the first time Têtu meets Mika, but this meeting is particularly important. The singer was regularly invited to express himself in Têtu since Grace Kelly tremendous success in 2007, but it's the first time we interview him again since his coming out. We had to wait till August 2012 for Mika who was promoting his third album, The Origin Of Love, to say to Instinct, the American magazine: "Yes, I'm gay".Prior to 2012, he prefered not to anwer questions about his sexual orientation and if they got too precise, he used to say he was bisexual, which was probably more confortable to assume for him as far as media were concerned. Yet, as early as in his first album, Life In Cartoon Motion, the singer had no hesitations whatsoever dealing with totally gay themes ( in the song Billy Brown) but his anwers weren't not ready at that point... "While writing that album I made a promise to myself: to dare to be as bold as my childhood gay heroes!" Têtu: We particularly noticed and paid attention to the lyrics of your song Good Guys. That is your tribute to gay heroes, isn't it? Mika: Exactly! It's a tribute to my childhood heroes. When it was time to start this record, I made a promise to myself, which was to be as daring as those enfants terribles. I told myself:" go and find those artists again, where are they in your life today? " Later, I realised that most of my heroes were gay...or honorary gay men. [Laughter] Men like Rimbeau, David Bowie or James Dean. All right, as far as he's concerned, there's still a debate....men who were free spirits. For some it had to terrible consequences. In the song I quote this sentence by Oscar Wilde: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars." He wrote it at a time he was in jail because of his sexuality. Têtu: Was that album easy to write? Mika: Yes, it was rather easy. The record looks like me: in between two languages and many different cultures. It's as if I had decided to put an end to the situation I ended up being trapped in three years ago: I was lost and unhappy. So I made a promise to myself that I would have fun finally. From now on I want to have fun moments, stop feeling complexed, take risks such as doing TV shows or writing in newspapers. I have always wanted to do this, but I was afraid. I wanted to link my private and my public life. Têtu: Your coming out in the gay American magazine Instinct was part of this need to being open? Mika: Of course! But I don't like those words: "coming out". What does that mean? Coming out of what? Of a closet? I wasn't a prisonner! I don't even know why I said it to Instinct. I was promoting my album in the United States. It happened naturally. My sexual orientation is something that I thought was obvious...most of my fans did as well, by the way. Saying it in an interview was more like a formality, but an important formality ! And it was the right time to talk about it. I had just gone through a breakup, I now entirely blame on myself. And that's after we got together again that I decided to talk about it. Sometimes one needs to provoke themselves with a big slap so blood gets up to one's head! Têtu: Before you said it, each of your interviews included at least one question about your sexuality. Was it something journalists tried to extract from you? Mika: It was very chocking. I can deal with questions from journalists, but I remember that a magazine had interviewed other gay artists in order to judge the way I talked about sexuality or rather about the way I did not. I told myself: those are such brutal ways. Harassment. And what about the artists who played that game, when all they got from it was two lines in a magazine? That's my life, my family's life and the person I live with 's life. I started working when I was very young. At the age of 23, I found myself with lots of questions the press was forcing on me and answers that weren't ready. But I must say that the gay community was never that way with me. They were patient. And I always got involved in favor of gay causes even before I said publicly that I was gay. Têtu: We saw you walk anonymously among the gay mariage demonstrators. Mika: Yes. I was there with Doriand my French lyricist. Yet, he is married to a woman! [Laughter] Gay marriage is something that is an evidence! There's nothing to negociate! When you see all the energy in action during such a demonstration: children, grand mothers, straight people, gay people...it is an evidence. I'm often asked if I want to get married. I answer: no. But, then I'm told: why do you want gay marriage? So I can have a choice! Têtu: Let's talk about the record. It is called No Place In Heaven. Do you think there's no place in heaven for you? Mika: I have a wierd belief like most people who grew up with religion like me. It is part of my culture, but I have decided to reject a big part of it so it could be compatible with my idea of tolerance. This tolerance with which I would like to be accepted with. Do I believe in the idea of heaven? No. Do I believe God multiplied breads for millions of people? I'm not stupid! Do I think the idea of heaven is valuable? Absolutely. Theology has nothing to do with miracles. But it's impossible not to be intrigued! 1983: birth in Beyrut (Lebanon) 2007: Life In Cartoon Motion, his first album sells more than a million copies in France 2008: Mika's concert in Parc Des Princes, in Paris 2012: Mika comes out as gay in the gay magazine Instinct 2014: Mika becomes a judge in The Voice season 3 Têtu: With the show The Voice, we got used to your let's say hybrid French! Mika: Blame it on my mother! She got married to my father in the middle of a wood in Vermont . She wanted us to grow up as cultural "hybrid"children. She didn't want us to be too tied up to one cultural background or one way of thinking. She wanted us to break the rules, and she shared with us her distrust of regarding materialism. My father is the son of a diplomat. He grew up a bit everywhere. My mother was an anthropologist before she became a seamstress. Her childhood was very posh. Her father was an emigrant who arrived at Ellis Island without any money and who became very rich once in the United States . Then, when she turned 18, her father died, and she lost everything in a krack of the US economic system. For her and her four sisters it was a catastrophic downfall. That is certainly the reason why she raised us so we'd be cautious and to distrust wealth. As a child I went from very bourgeois (upper middle class) moments to time periods when we had absolutely nothing. I grew up with bailiffs at the door and I was an expert for dealing with them. We knew the rules and what they could do or couldn't do. When we left Paris, we had lost everything. Têtu: You were born in Lebanon, you grew up in France, then in England. Where do you really feel at home? Mika: In London. Because it's a big airport. There are people from all around the world. My musical director is Autralian. My sound engineer is Spanish. Economically, it's less steep price than in France. I bought a little house that looks like Mary Poppins' house. I kept the facade and I rebuilt everything else with friends. That being said, I can not imagine my life without Paris. I also think London sold a bit its soul. Whereas if I sit in a café in Paris with a drink, I feel the same as when I was 17. Têtu: On the album, a song ; Les Baisers Perdus seems to be dedicated to Paris. It's a bit your Complainte de la Butte (French classic and nostalgic love song with Montmartre as the setting) (with English subtitles) Mika: This song is my ode to Paris! I wanted to write something cinematic. For me Paris is an extremely sexy and extremely melancholic. I think sex is very effective when it is melancholic. [Laughter] The songs that make me dance are also the ones that make me cry. But let me put your mind at rest , I don't cry during sex! Têtu: While we're on the subject of cinema, it is rumored that we'll see you soon on the big screen... Mika: I'll tell you everything: I'm going to ve in Zoolander 2. A small part in the movie and there's a big sequence with one of my songs. I even had to shave my arms and wear a moustache... but that's cool. I did the "blue steel" pose with Ben Stiller! [The "duckface" funny face that became very trendy with the first Zoolander in 2001] The first movie wasn't successful when it was first released , but it became a cult movie, after its DVD release. It makes fun of media and fashion clichés, softly. Têtu: In your album, there's a song in which you say:"For every love I had to hide, for every tears I had to cry....Did you often have to "hide a love"? Mika: Of course. During a time period in my life, I "hid love". I'm not ashamed to say it. Sometimes, I even tell myself it made my young age loves more intense. [laughter] You know, I grew up with religion, I went to church each Sunday. In England my teachers were priests! Incidentally, some of them were very very nice with me... Têtu: err..nice in what sense? Mika: Around the age of 14, I understood that many priests were hiding among the church because they were struggling against sexual tension that they couldn't deal with. That was obvious not only to me, but also for the other boys in my class. At that time I was an altar boy, can you imagine? Many unlikely people were. I had a deal with the school. I could miss 40 % of the school year to do my jobs, but I had to sing during the services. I remember I read an Almodovar interview in which he spoke of his love for church, of its ceremony, of mass. I totally understand what he means. The drama, the incense, the way the light is used...I find that very beautiful too. Even, if when I was younger, I felt rejected by the church. Têtu: What do you think that the church rejected in you? Mika: They were imposing rules that were not choices. It doesn't work that way. And I'm convinced that things are changing. That's the reason why I'm obsessed by the new pope. I find him intellectually impressive. He's at the same time tough and in a process of trying to make things evolve. He wants to change the idea that the church is against gays. He even said it publicly: "Who am I to judge?" That being said, it will take time. I think that he's aware of that. Têtu: Is pope Francis really that different? Did you see that he vetoed the appointment of a French ambassador in Vatican because he was gay? Mika: That is Vatican bureaucracy's decision, not the pope's! Well, maybe that's my optimism speaking....in Italy I write in Corriere Della Sera. Of course,there are people who don't like this newspaper because it very reactionary. But , as far as I'm concerned, I like it. That allows me to debate with people about politics. Têtu: You are very famous in Italy, you are a judge in XFactor and you were even on the cover of the Italian Vanity Fair , with a title saying: "Gay and father, why not?" What did you think about what the creators of D&G said about "traditional family"? Mika: It's hard for me to answer this question. Those creators are my neighbors in Italy... what I can say is that I chose my clothes designer cautiously. I wear Valentino because for me it means "amore" (love). Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who are the artistic directors of that brand, have a great sense of love. I like nice people, who are also modern and have a sense of fun and poetry, which isn't the case for everyone. Têtu: Do you want to have children? Mika: Loads! But when the moment has come. Têtu: As we were talking about fashion, something is totally obvious: with your flamboyant suits, you totally outshined Jenifer in The Voice! Mika: No! I haven't yet worn a Jean Paul Gautltier dress! [laughter] The guy in charge of my promotion often says to me: "Why don't you wear something a bit more sober?" And I answer to him: that is totally sober! Look : the shape the cut are absolutely classic. Têtu: Do you see yourself as a dandy? Mika: No. But you can take the liberty of doing many things if you behave like a dandy, even of I'm not one. A dandy is a punk who can secretly enter the party. Têtu: Are you happy in love? Mika: Yes. Even if it wasn't always easy for Andy...he is a very simple person .He's extremely true to himself and he hates what's complicated. So , it's difficult. Because my work often tends to endanger it all. Têtu: Etienne Daho explained to us that it was hard for him to have a steady relation with someone, because music is a lover that's too demanding. Can one be a pop singer and enjoy a stable love life? Mika: Yes, I'm convinced of that! But you have to be pragmatic. Andy and I , we have an extremely conventional relation. We are faithful. We went through a big crisis a few years ago. We split then we got back together again. I understood that one musn't squash the other. And give up trying to control the other. Often one is too carnivorous. Then one wonders why they don't love the other person anymore, but that's simply because that person was destroyed. Edited July 11, 2015 by crazyaboutmika 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Mika's interview in Têtu in English is ready, enjoy Mika "Songs that make me dance also make me cry...it is the same with sex" Mika who is now 31 is a man who is appeased, freed from his ambiguities, and who is at ease all together with: his love story with Andy, his amazing looks and his "hybrid cultural background". For Têtu he speaks openly about his youth, his loves, the birth of his new album, No Place In Heaven, and he also says how he feels about religion. Interview: Romain Burrel Photo: Arthur Delloye for Têtu Styling: Romain Vallos Hairstyling/make up: Morgan Quere and Géraldine Fougerat He is a long stem with a huge smile dressed in a stripped sweater similar to the ones Daho (French singer) wore when he sang his song La Notte . A good 1,91 meter pop star who speaks in a cosmic and funny French, roughly translated from English. Michael Hoolbrook Penniman aka Mika opens for us the door of his eagle'snest (aerie) in the 16th discrict (arrondissement) in Paris , two foot steps away from Le Trocadéro. sprawling on a sofa, the singer is exhausted because of his hysterical promotional schedule. He spent his whole day giving interviews about his new album, No Place In Heaven, but also others for The Voice. That's because Mika likes to live several lives at the same time: pop singer, talent show coach-both in France and Italy- , muse for Valentino and Christian Louboutin.A wandering way of living, in between England, France and Italy which suits perfectly this nomadic heart, born in Beyrut, and who grew up between Paris and London. This is not the first time Têtu meets Mika, but this meeting is particularly important. The singer was regularly invited to express himself in Têtu since Grace Kelly tremendous success in 2007, but it's the first time we interview him again since his coming out. We had to wait till August 2012 for Mika who was promoting his third album, The Origin Of Love, to say to Instinct, the American magazine: "Yes, I'm gay".Prior to 2012, he prefered not to anwer questions about his sexual orientation and if they got too precise, he used to say he was bisexual, which was probably more confortable to assume for him as far as media were concerned. Yet, as early as in his first album, Life In Cartoon Motion, the singer had no hesitations whatsoever dealing with totally gay themes ( in the song Billy Brown) but his anwers weren't not ready at that point... "While writing that album I made a promise to myself: to dare to be as bold as my childhood gay heroes!" Têtu: We particularly noticed and paid attention to the lyrics of your song Good Guys. That is your tribute to gay heroes, isn't it? Mika: Exactly! It's a tribute to my childhood heroes. When it was time to start this record, I made a promise to myself, which was to be as daring as those enfants terribles. I told myself:" go and find those artists again, where are they in your life today? " Later, I realised that most of my heroes were gay...or honorary gay men. [Laughter] Men like Rimbeau, David Bowie or James Dean. All right, as far as he's concerned, there's still a debate....men who were free spirits. For some it had to terrible consequences. In the song I quote this sentence by Oscar Wilde: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars." He wrote it at a time he was in jail because of his sexuality. Têtu: Was that album easy to write? Mika: Yes, it was rather easy. The record looks like me: in between two languages and many different cultures. It's as if I had decided to put an end to the situation I ended up being trapped in three years ago: I was lost and unhappy. So I made a promise to myself that I would have fun finally. From now on I want to have fun moments, stop feeling complexed, take risks such as doing TV shows or writing in newspapers. I have always wanted to do this, but I was afraid. I wanted to link my private and my public life. Têtu: Your coming out in the gay American magazine Instinct was part of this need to being open? Mika: Of course! But I don't like those words: "coming out". What does that mean? Coming out of what? Of a closet? I wasn't a prisonner! I don't even know why I said it to Instinct. I was promoting my album in the United States. It happened naturally. My sexual orientation is something that I thought was obvious...most of my fans did as well, by the way. Saying it in an interview was more like a formality, but an important formality ! And it was the right time to talk about it. I had just gone through a breakup, I now entirely blame on myself. And that's after we got together again that I decided to talk about it. Sometimes one needs to provoke themselves with a big slap so blood gets up to one's head! Têtu: Before you said it, each of your interviews included at least one question about your sexuality. Was it something journalists tried to extract from you? Mika: It was very chocking. I can deal with questions from journalists, but I remember that a magazine had interviewed other gay artists in order to judge the way I talked about sexuality or rather about the way I did not. I told myself: those are such brutal ways. Harassment. And what about the artists who played that game, when all they got from it was two lines in a magazine? That's my life, my family's life and the person I live with 's life. I started working when I was very young. At the age of 23, I found myself with lots of questions the press was forcing on me and answers that weren't ready. But I must say that the gay community was never that way with me. They were patient. And I always got involved in favor of gay causes even before I said publicly that I was gay. Têtu: We saw you walk anonymously among the gay mariage demonstrators. Mika: Yes. I was there with Doriand my French lyricist. Yet, he is married to a woman! [Laughter] Gay marriage is something that is an evidence! There's nothing to negociate! When you see all the energy in action during such a demonstration: children, grand mothers, straight people, gay people...it is an evidence. I'm often asked if I want to get married. I answer: no. But, then I'm told: why do you want gay marriage? So I can have a choice! Têtu: Let's talk about the record. It is called No Place In Heaven. Do you think there's no place in heaven for you? Mika: I have a wierd belief like most people who grew up with religion like me. It is part of my culture, but I have decided to reject a big part of it so it could be compatible with my idea of tolerance. This tolerance with which I would like to be accepted with. Do I believe in the idea of heaven? No. Do I believe God multiplied breads for millions of people? I'm not stupid! Do I think the idea of heaven is valuable? Absolutely. Theology has nothing to do with miracles. But it's impossible not to be intrigued! 1983: birth in Beyrut (Lebanon) 2007: Life In Cartoon Motion, his first album sells more than a million copies in France 2008: Mika's concert in Parc Des Princes, in Paris 2012: Mika comes out as gay in the gay magazine Instinct 2014: Mika becomes a judge in The Voice season 3 Têtu: With the show The Voice, we got used to your let's say hybrid French! Mika: Blame it on my mother! She got married to my father in the middle of a wood in Vermont . She wanted us to grow up as cultural "hybrid"children. She didn't want us to be too tied up to one cultural background or one way of thinking. She wanted us to break the rules, and she shared with us her distrust of regarding materialism. My father is the son of a diplomat. He grew up a bit everywhere. My mother was an anthropologist before she became a seamstress. Her childhood was very posh. Her father was an emigrant who arrived at Ellis Island without any money and who became very rich once in the United States . Then, when she turned 18, her father died, and she lost everything in a krack of the US economic system. For her and her four sisters it was a catastrophic downfall. That is certainly the reason why she raised us so we'd be cautious and to distrust wealth. As a child I went from very bourgeois (upper middle class) moments to time periods when we had absolutely nothing. I grew up with bailiffs at the door and I was an expert for dealing with them. We knew the rules and what they could do or couldn't do. When we left Paris, we had lost everything. Têtu: You were born in Lebanon, you grew up in France, then in England. Where do you really feel at home? Mika: In London. Because it's a big airport. There are people from all around the world. My musical director is Autralian. My sound engineer is Spanish. Economically, it's less steep price than in France. I bought a little house that looks like Mary Poppins' house. I kept the facade and I rebuilt everything else with friends. That being said, I can not imagine my life without Paris. I also think London sold a bit its soul. Whereas if I sit in a café in Paris with a drink, I feel the same as when I was 17. Têtu: On the album, a song ; Les Baisers Perdus seems to be dedicated to Paris. It's a bit your Complainte de la Butte (French classic and nostalgic love song with Montmartre as the setting) (with English subtitles) Mika: This song is my ode to Paris! I wanted to write something cinematic. For me Paris is an extremely sexy and extremely melancholic. I think sex is very effective when it is melancholic. [Laughter] The songs that make me dance are also the ones that make me cry. But let me put your mind at rest , I don't cry during sex! Têtu: While we're on the subject of cinema, it is rumored that we'll see you soon on the big screen... Mika: I'll tell you everything: I'm going to ve in Zoolander 2. A small part in the movie and there's a big sequence with one of my songs. I even had to shave my arms and wear a moustache... but that's cool. I did the "blue steel" pose with Ben Stiller! [The "duckface" funny face that became very trendy with the first Zoolander in 2001] The first movie wasn't successful when it was first released , but it became a cult movie, after its DVD release. It makes fun of media and fashion clichés, softly. Têtu: In your album, there's a song in which you say:"For every love I had to hide, for every tears I had to cry....Did you often have to "hide a love"? Mika: Of course. During a time period in my life, I "hid love". I'm not ashamed to say it. Sometimes, I even tell myself it made my young age loves more intense. [laughter] You know, I grew up with religion, I went to church each Sunday. In England my teachers were priests! Incidentally, some of them were very very nice with me... Têtu: err..nice in what sense? Mika: Around the age of 14, I understood that many priests were hiding among the church because they were struggling against sexual tension that they couldn't deal with. That was obvious not only to me, but also for the other boys in my class. At that time I was an altar boy, can you imagine? Many unlikely people were. I had a deal with the school. I could miss 40 % of the school year to do my jobs, but I had to sing during the services. I remember I read an Almodovar interview in which he spoke of his love for church, of its ceremony, of mass. I totally understand what he means. The drama, the incense, the way the light is used...I find that very beautiful too. Even, if when I was younger, I felt rejected by the church. Têtu: What do you think that the church rejected in you? Mika: They were imposing rules that were not choices. It doesn't work that way. And I'm convinced that things are changing. That's the reason why I'm obsessed by the new pope. I find him intellectually impressive. He's at the same time tough and in a process of trying to make things evolve. He wants to change the idea that the church is against gays. He even said it publicly: "Who am I to judge?" That being said, it will take time. I think that he's aware of that. Têtu: Is pope Francis really that different? Did you see that he vetoed the appointment of a French ambassador in Vatican because he was gay? Mika: That is Vatican bureaucracy's decision, not the pope's! Well, maybe that's my optimism speaking....in Italy I write in Corriere Della Sera. Of course,there are people who don't like this newspaper because it very reactionary. But , as far as I'm concerned, I like it. That allows me to debate with people about politics. Têtu: You are very famous in Italy, you are a judge in XFactor and you were even on the cover of the Italian Vanity Fair , with a title saying: "Gay and father, why not?" What did you think about what the creators of D&G said about "traditional family"? Mika: It's hard for me to answer this question. Those creators are my neighbors in Italy... what I can say is that I chose my clothes designer cautiously. I wear Valentino because for me it means "amore" (love). Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who are the artistic directors of that brand, have a great sense of love. I like nice people, who are also modern and have a sense of fun and poetry, which isn't the case for everyone. Têtu: Do you want to have children? Mika: Loads! But when the moment has come. Têtu: As we were talking about fashion, something is totally obvious: with your flamboyant suits, you totally outshined Jenifer in The Voice! Mika: No! I haven't yet worn a Jean Paul Gautltier dress! [laughter] The guy in charge of my promotion often says to me: "Why don't you wear something a bit more sober?" And I answer to him: that is totally sober! Look : the shape the cut are absolutely classic. Têtu: Do you see yourself as a dandy? Mika: No. But you can take the liberty of doing many things if you behave like a dandy, even of I'm not one. A dandy is a punk who can secretly enter the party. Têtu: Are you happy in love? Mika: Yes. Even if it wasn't always easy for Andy...he is a very simple person .He's extremely true to himself and he hates what's complicated. So , it's difficult. Because my work often tends to endanger it all. Têtu: Etienne Daho explained to us that it was hard for him to have a steady relation with someone, because music is a lover that's too demanding. Can one be a pop singer and enjoy a stable love life? Mika: Yes, I'm convinced of that! But you have to be pragmatic. Andy and I , we have an extremely conventional relation. We are faithful. We went through a big crisis a few years ago. We split then we got back together again. I understood that one musn't squash the other. And give up trying to control the other. Often one is too carnivorous. Then one wonders why they don't love the other person anymore, but that's simply because that person was destroyed. Fantastic! A lovely, frank interview. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Mika's interview in Têtu in English is ready, enjoy Thanks a million for your translation as always Anne !! added your post to the Têtu thread !! #1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezza Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 As always, my darling sister, I love you for your work. This is one of those good interviews. Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie20 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Mika's interview in Têtu in English is ready, enjoy Mika "Songs that make me dance also make me cry...it is the same with sex" Mika who is now 31 is a man who is appeased, freed from his ambiguities, and who is at ease all together with: his love story with Andy, his amazing looks and his "hybrid cultural background". For Têtu he speaks openly about his youth, his loves, the birth of his new album, No Place In Heaven, and he also says how he feels about religion. Interview: Romain Burrel Photo: Arthur Delloye for Têtu Styling: Romain Vallos Hairstyling/make up: Morgan Quere and Géraldine Fougerat He is a long stem with a huge smile dressed in a stripped sweater similar to the ones Daho (French singer) wore when he sang his song La Notte . A good 1,91 meter pop star who speaks in a cosmic and funny French, roughly translated from English. Michael Hoolbrook Penniman aka Mika opens for us the door of his eagle'snest (aerie) in the 16th discrict (arrondissement) in Paris , two foot steps away from Le Trocadéro. sprawling on a sofa, the singer is exhausted because of his hysterical promotional schedule. He spent his whole day giving interviews about his new album, No Place In Heaven, but also others for The Voice. That's because Mika likes to live several lives at the same time: pop singer, talent show coach-both in France and Italy- , muse for Valentino and Christian Louboutin.A wandering way of living, in between England, France and Italy which suits perfectly this nomadic heart, born in Beyrut, and who grew up between Paris and London. This is not the first time Têtu meets Mika, but this meeting is particularly important. The singer was regularly invited to express himself in Têtu since Grace Kelly tremendous success in 2007, but it's the first time we interview him again since his coming out. We had to wait till August 2012 for Mika who was promoting his third album, The Origin Of Love, to say to Instinct, the American magazine: "Yes, I'm gay".Prior to 2012, he prefered not to anwer questions about his sexual orientation and if they got too precise, he used to say he was bisexual, which was probably more confortable to assume for him as far as media were concerned. Yet, as early as in his first album, Life In Cartoon Motion, the singer had no hesitations whatsoever dealing with totally gay themes ( in the song Billy Brown) but his anwers weren't not ready at that point... "While writing that album I made a promise to myself: to dare to be as bold as my childhood gay heroes!" Têtu: We particularly noticed and paid attention to the lyrics of your song Good Guys. That is your tribute to gay heroes, isn't it? Mika: Exactly! It's a tribute to my childhood heroes. When it was time to start this record, I made a promise to myself, which was to be as daring as those enfants terribles. I told myself:" go and find those artists again, where are they in your life today? " Later, I realised that most of my heroes were gay...or honorary gay men. [Laughter] Men like Rimbeau, David Bowie or James Dean. All right, as far as he's concerned, there's still a debate....men who were free spirits. For some it had to terrible consequences. In the song I quote this sentence by Oscar Wilde: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars." He wrote it at a time he was in jail because of his sexuality. Têtu: Was that album easy to write? Mika: Yes, it was rather easy. The record looks like me: in between two languages and many different cultures. It's as if I had decided to put an end to the situation I ended up being trapped in three years ago: I was lost and unhappy. So I made a promise to myself that I would have fun finally. From now on I want to have fun moments, stop feeling complexed, take risks such as doing TV shows or writing in newspapers. I have always wanted to do this, but I was afraid. I wanted to link my private and my public life. Têtu: Your coming out in the gay American magazine Instinct was part of this need to being open? Mika: Of course! But I don't like those words: "coming out". What does that mean? Coming out of what? Of a closet? I wasn't a prisonner! I don't even know why I said it to Instinct. I was promoting my album in the United States. It happened naturally. My sexual orientation is something that I thought was obvious...most of my fans did as well, by the way. Saying it in an interview was more like a formality, but an important formality ! And it was the right time to talk about it. I had just gone through a breakup, I now entirely blame on myself. And that's after we got together again that I decided to talk about it. Sometimes one needs to provoke themselves with a big slap so blood gets up to one's head! Têtu: Before you said it, each of your interviews included at least one question about your sexuality. Was it something journalists tried to extract from you? Mika: It was very chocking. I can deal with questions from journalists, but I remember that a magazine had interviewed other gay artists in order to judge the way I talked about sexuality or rather about the way I did not. I told myself: those are such brutal ways. Harassment. And what about the artists who played that game, when all they got from it was two lines in a magazine? That's my life, my family's life and the person I live with 's life. I started working when I was very young. At the age of 23, I found myself with lots of questions the press was forcing on me and answers that weren't ready. But I must say that the gay community was never that way with me. They were patient. And I always got involved in favor of gay causes even before I said publicly that I was gay. Têtu: We saw you walk anonymously among the gay mariage demonstrators. Mika: Yes. I was there with Doriand my French lyricist. Yet, he is married to a woman! [Laughter] Gay marriage is something that is an evidence! There's nothing to negociate! When you see all the energy in action during such a demonstration: children, grand mothers, straight people, gay people...it is an evidence. I'm often asked if I want to get married. I answer: no. But, then I'm told: why do you want gay marriage? So I can have a choice! Têtu: Let's talk about the record. It is called No Place In Heaven. Do you think there's no place in heaven for you? Mika: I have a wierd belief like most people who grew up with religion like me. It is part of my culture, but I have decided to reject a big part of it so it could be compatible with my idea of tolerance. This tolerance with which I would like to be accepted with. Do I believe in the idea of heaven? No. Do I believe God multiplied breads for millions of people? I'm not stupid! Do I think the idea of heaven is valuable? Absolutely. Theology has nothing to do with miracles. But it's impossible not to be intrigued! 1983: birth in Beyrut (Lebanon) 2007: Life In Cartoon Motion, his first album sells more than a million copies in France 2008: Mika's concert in Parc Des Princes, in Paris 2012: Mika comes out as gay in the gay magazine Instinct 2014: Mika becomes a judge in The Voice season 3 Têtu: With the show The Voice, we got used to your let's say hybrid French! Mika: Blame it on my mother! She got married to my father in the middle of a wood in Vermont . She wanted us to grow up as cultural "hybrid"children. She didn't want us to be too tied up to one cultural background or one way of thinking. She wanted us to break the rules, and she shared with us her distrust of regarding materialism. My father is the son of a diplomat. He grew up a bit everywhere. My mother was an anthropologist before she became a seamstress. Her childhood was very posh. Her father was an emigrant who arrived at Ellis Island without any money and who became very rich once in the United States . Then, when she turned 18, her father died, and she lost everything in a krack of the US economic system. For her and her four sisters it was a catastrophic downfall. That is certainly the reason why she raised us so we'd be cautious and to distrust wealth. As a child I went from very bourgeois (upper middle class) moments to time periods when we had absolutely nothing. I grew up with bailiffs at the door and I was an expert for dealing with them. We knew the rules and what they could do or couldn't do. When we left Paris, we had lost everything. Têtu: You were born in Lebanon, you grew up in France, then in England. Where do you really feel at home? Mika: In London. Because it's a big airport. There are people from all around the world. My musical director is Autralian. My sound engineer is Spanish. Economically, it's less steep price than in France. I bought a little house that looks like Mary Poppins' house. I kept the facade and I rebuilt everything else with friends. That being said, I can not imagine my life without Paris. I also think London sold a bit its soul. Whereas if I sit in a café in Paris with a drink, I feel the same as when I was 17. Têtu: On the album, a song ; Les Baisers Perdus seems to be dedicated to Paris. It's a bit your Complainte de la Butte (French classic and nostalgic love song with Montmartre as the setting) (with English subtitles) Mika: This song is my ode to Paris! I wanted to write something cinematic. For me Paris is an extremely sexy and extremely melancholic. I think sex is very effective when it is melancholic. [Laughter] The songs that make me dance are also the ones that make me cry. But let me put your mind at rest , I don't cry during sex! Têtu: While we're on the subject of cinema, it is rumored that we'll see you soon on the big screen... Mika: I'll tell you everything: I'm going to ve in Zoolander 2. A small part in the movie and there's a big sequence with one of my songs. I even had to shave my arms and wear a moustache... but that's cool. I did the "blue steel" pose with Ben Stiller! [The "duckface" funny face that became very trendy with the first Zoolander in 2001] The first movie wasn't successful when it was first released , but it became a cult movie, after its DVD release. It makes fun of media and fashion clichés, softly. Têtu: In your album, there's a song in which you say:"For every love I had to hide, for every tears I had to cry....Did you often have to "hide a love"? Mika: Of course. During a time period in my life, I "hid love". I'm not ashamed to say it. Sometimes, I even tell myself it made my young age loves more intense. [laughter] You know, I grew up with religion, I went to church each Sunday. In England my teachers were priests! Incidentally, some of them were very very nice with me... Têtu: err..nice in what sense? Mika: Around the age of 14, I understood that many priests were hiding among the church because they were struggling against sexual tension that they couldn't deal with. That was obvious not only to me, but also for the other boys in my class. At that time I was an altar boy, can you imagine? Many unlikely people were. I had a deal with the school. I could miss 40 % of the school year to do my jobs, but I had to sing during the services. I remember I read an Almodovar interview in which he spoke of his love for church, of its ceremony, of mass. I totally understand what he means. The drama, the incense, the way the light is used...I find that very beautiful too. Even, if when I was younger, I felt rejected by the church. Têtu: What do you think that the church rejected in you? Mika: They were imposing rules that were not choices. It doesn't work that way. And I'm convinced that things are changing. That's the reason why I'm obsessed by the new pope. I find him intellectually impressive. He's at the same time tough and in a process of trying to make things evolve. He wants to change the idea that the church is against gays. He even said it publicly: "Who am I to judge?" That being said, it will take time. I think that he's aware of that. Têtu: Is pope Francis really that different? Did you see that he vetoed the appointment of a French ambassador in Vatican because he was gay? Mika: That is Vatican bureaucracy's decision, not the pope's! Well, maybe that's my optimism speaking....in Italy I write in Corriere Della Sera. Of course,there are people who don't like this newspaper because it very reactionary. But , as far as I'm concerned, I like it. That allows me to debate with people about politics. Têtu: You are very famous in Italy, you are a judge in XFactor and you were even on the cover of the Italian Vanity Fair , with a title saying: "Gay and father, why not?" What did you think about what the creators of D&G said about "traditional family"? Mika: It's hard for me to answer this question. Those creators are my neighbors in Italy... what I can say is that I chose my clothes designer cautiously. I wear Valentino because for me it means "amore" (love). Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who are the artistic directors of that brand, have a great sense of love. I like nice people, who are also modern and have a sense of fun and poetry, which isn't the case for everyone. Têtu: Do you want to have children? Mika: Loads! But when the moment has come. Têtu: As we were talking about fashion, something is totally obvious: with your flamboyant suits, you totally outshined Jenifer in The Voice! Mika: No! I haven't yet worn a Jean Paul Gautltier dress! [laughter] The guy in charge of my promotion often says to me: "Why don't you wear something a bit more sober?" And I answer to him: that is totally sober! Look : the shape the cut are absolutely classic. Têtu: Do you see yourself as a dandy? Mika: No. But you can take the liberty of doing many things if you behave like a dandy, even of I'm not one. A dandy is a punk who can secretly enter the party. Têtu: Are you happy in love? Mika: Yes. Even if it wasn't always easy for Andy...he is a very simple person .He's extremely true to himself and he hates what's complicated. So , it's difficult. Because my work often tends to endanger it all. Têtu: Etienne Daho explained to us that it was hard for him to have a steady relation with someone, because music is a lover that's too demanding. Can one be a pop singer and enjoy a stable love life? Mika: Yes, I'm convinced of that! But you have to be pragmatic. Andy and I , we have an extremely conventional relation. We are faithful. We went through a big crisis a few years ago. We split then we got back together again. I understood that one musn't squash the other. And give up trying to control the other. Often one is too carnivorous. Then one wonders why they don't love the other person anymore, but that's simply because that person was destroyed. Fantastic! A lovely, frank interview. Yes, a very good interview. Disappointingly some italian blogs/bloggers have twisted the meaning of what he said about his partner, making believe that the crisis that they had had a few years ago was due to problems of faithfulness. Disappointingly because there is always on the part of some people this need to use stereotypes when it comes to gay couples, like that between them can't be real love, because there is only sex and promiscuity/wantonness, with which in fact the ignorant people continues to deny them the same dignity of heterosexual couples . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krjsantos Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 New article L'album de la semaine: Mika avec "No Place In Heaven" http://www.actuanews.fr/music-shaker/L-album-de-la-semaine-Mika-avec-No-Place-In-Heaven_a1089.html Après deux albums très teen pop, puis un troisième plus mature, Mika revient dans les bacs avec son quatrième opus intitulé "No Place In Heaven". Il va encore plus loin que le troisième et nous propose l'album de la maturité.L'album est composé de mélodies bien soignées. Les sonorités se rapprochent beaucoup des Sixties et Mika vacille entre émotions et chansons plus entraînantes, en français et en anglais. On retrouve une sorte de mise à nue vocale dans le titre "Les Baisers Perdus" ou beaucoup de sensibilité se dégage. Il assume désormais son homosexualité et le fait sentir à de nombreuses reprises à travers ses textes. La pop est vraiment son domaine de prédilection et cette nouvelle facette nous le prouve bien, car elle est moins commerciale qu'a ses débuts. En sortant du cadre "émotion", nous avons des morceaux pêchus comme "Boum Boum Boum" qui sont entêtants. Le tout est de bonne qualité, le seul bémol reste la langue ou la musique se démarque beaucoup mieux sur l'anglais que sur le français.En résumé, ce nouveau disque plaira aux fans et particulièrement à ceux qui ont apprécié son dernier opus auquel celui-ci s'inscrit comme un prolongement avec encore plus d'exploration. Très personnel, il est intéressant pour ceux qui souhaitent découvrir le chanteur et en apprendre plus sur lui.Je vous propose de découvrir les clips "Boum Boum Boum", "Talk About You", "Good Guys" et "Last Party", son nouveau single "Staring At The Sun" et les titres qui m'ont le plus marqués, "All She Wants", "No Place In Heaven" et "Les Baisers Perdus". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiam Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 MERCI Anne - for your great translation - you're a star!! I do love this interview for Tetu - as always MIKA gives long and wise answers to the questions - clever boy!! Love,love me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreacher Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) New article L'album de la semaine: Mika avec "No Place In Heaven" http://www.actuanews.fr/music-shaker/L-album-de-la-semaine-Mika-avec-No-Place-In-Heaven_a1089.html Après deux albums très teen pop, puis un troisième plus mature, Mika revient dans les bacs avec son quatrième opus intitulé "No Place In Heaven". Il va encore plus loin que le troisième et nous propose l'album de la maturité. L'album est composé de mélodies bien soignées. Les sonorités se rapprochent beaucoup des Sixties et Mika vacille entre émotions et chansons plus entraînantes, en français et en anglais. On retrouve une sorte de mise à nue vocale dans le titre "Les Baisers Perdus" ou beaucoup de sensibilité se dégage. Il assume désormais son homosexualité et le fait sentir à de nombreuses reprises à travers ses textes. La pop est vraiment son domaine de prédilection et cette nouvelle facette nous le prouve bien, car elle est moins commerciale qu'a ses débuts. En sortant du cadre "émotion", nous avons des morceaux pêchus comme "Boum Boum Boum" qui sont entêtants. Le tout est de bonne qualité, le seul bémol reste la langue ou la musique se démarque beaucoup mieux sur l'anglais que sur le français. En résumé, ce nouveau disque plaira aux fans et particulièrement à ceux qui ont apprécié son dernier opus auquel celui-ci s'inscrit comme un prolongement avec encore plus d'exploration. Très personnel, il est intéressant pour ceux qui souhaitent découvrir le chanteur et en apprendre plus sur lui. Je vous propose de découvrir les clips "Boum Boum Boum", "Talk About You", "Good Guys" et "Last Party", son nouveau single "Staring At The Sun" et les titres qui m'ont le plus marqués, "All She Wants", "No Place In Heaven" et "Les Baisers Perdus". google translate says the bolded part means 'his new single 'Staring At The Sun'." I hope it's true! Edited July 13, 2015 by kreacher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now