MIKA in French Press - 2015

[CarolinaAsh]

That is a brilliant translation. Way better than Auntie Google's version. Thank you.

No problem. It was kind of fun. Except a couple of words. One I knew the meaning of but knew it'd be blocked here hence the []. Then the word used in the bit about the binoculars was "flipper" and it took me some serious rearranging and searching for double definitions and how it may be used in slang to figure out he meant flip out. At one point I even almost gave up that word thinking the article had a typo lol. Didn't help I kept picturing a dolphin.

[charlie20]

This is an article in "Le Matin" of 26 July, a Swiss newspaper, but since it's in French I think and hope that it's okay to post it here.

 

 

Thanks a lot to http://1970mimi.tumblr.com/ ! 

 

tumblr_ns53fmXVps1slkle0o1_1280.jpg

 

 

I hope someone can translate the art. from Le Matin ?

 

Love,love

me

 

Here the first part of the translation, with also the text, if someone was not able to read well it :

 

Mika, le chanteur apatride qui a mis le monde à ses pieds

 

Concert Révélé en 2007, le trentenaire, juré de << The Voice >>, a conquis le public avec sa pop gaie et sucrée. Mais sa personnalité est plus complexe. Il sera la vedette de l’Estivale Open Air, à Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

<< Relax, take it ea-ea-sy! >> Devant la scène du Caribana Festival, à Crans-près-Cèligny (VD) en juin dernier, le public entire chantait avec Mika le single qui l’a fait connaitre. Tandis que dans les coulisses, des nuées de petites filles attendaient sagement qu’il descende de scène pour signer une photo ou un T-shirt. A côté de ces portées impatientes, des mères avaient les yeux qui brillent.

Oui, Mika degage quelque chose d’irrésistible. C’est simple, tout le monde l’adore. Grand, brun, large sourire et toujours impeccablement habillé, il faut dire qu’il vient de passer sur scène n’impriment aucune marquee de fatigue sur son visage. Au contraire, << C’est comme s’il y avait de la lumière sur tout, dit-il en souriant. La scène, c’est une sorte d’adrénaline et ça n’agit pas trop sur mon ego. Avant, quand je faisais de la musique classique, il y avait toujours la preparation, ensuite le concert et il fallait s’entrainer à se detacher très très vite. Il ne faut pas laisser de vide entre le moment où l’on quitte la scène et celui où on retombe sur terre, parce c’est là où surgissent les dangers et les pièges, où toutes les mauvaises habitudes peuvent entrer par la porte de derrière.>> Ce sont ces mêmes principes que le trentenaire appliquera jeudi prochain, quand il chantera à l’Estivale Open Air d’Estavayer-le-Lac: de la scene à la vie, vite, très vite.

 

Enfant dyslexique moqué par les autres

 

Nè le 18 aout 1983, à Beyrouth, fils d’un homme d’affaires américain et d’une Libano-Syrienne, le jeune Michael Holbrook Penniman grandit entre Paris et Londres. Enfant dyslexique, il se console des moqueries des autres gamins en se réfugiant dans la musique classique. Le piano, d’abord, puis l’opéra. Avant de se rêver chanteur de pop. Nous sommes en 2007 et Mika a trouvé sa voie. Et sa voix. Elle est de tête: le monde entire succombe à sa pop chewing-gum et à ses refrains enjoués.

Près de dix ans plus tard, Mika semble le même, mais pas tout à fait. Il est plus grave – la chute qui a failli coûter la vie à sa sœur ainée en 2010 l’a beaucoup affecté. Il est plus contrasté, aussi, et sans doute plus populaire, notamment dans les pays francophones grace à son role de juré dans l’émission << The Voice >> . Pourtant son nouveau disque, << No Place in Heaven >> , retrouve l’étincelle des débuts. Pour le composer, il s’était donné une consigne: s’enfermer dans une pièce pour laisser jaillir la musique. << Le concept de la discipline n’est pas très sexy dans la musique, souligne l’artiste, mais on doit l’imposer pour avoir un résultat. La discipline, c’est le premier pas. Je me suis imposé des limites, sans m’enfermer dans une chambre monastique. J’avais sept mois pour écrire l’album et c’était un challenge extraordinaire, ça me donnait un cadre. >> Pour ce faire, il a convié ses musiciens à le rejoindre dans un bungalow loué à Los Angeles où ils sont restés sept mois durant à cuisiner, travailler, blaguer. Et ont accouché des quatorze chansons gaies et entrainantes.

 

 

Mika, the stateless singer who has the world at his feet

 

Concert Revealed in 2007, the thirty-year old, member of the jury of << The Voice >>, conquered the public with his cheerful and sweet sugared pop. But his personality is more complex. He will be the star of the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air), in Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

 

In front of the stage of Caribana Festival in Crans-près-Céligny (VD) last June, all the public sang with Mika the single that made him known. Whilst behind the scenes, swarms of girls wisely waited for him to come down from stage to sign a photo or a T-shirt. Besides these impatient litters, some mothers had eyes that shine.

Yes, Mika radiates/emanates something irresistible. It's simple, everyone adores him. Tall, dark, broad smile and always impeccably dressed, It must be said that he just left the stage without having impressed any signs of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, << It's as if there was a light on everything, he said, smiling. The stage, it’s a kind of adrenaline and it doesn’t act too much on my ego. Before, when I was in classical music, there was always the preparation, then the concert and had to train to detach very quickly. You should not/must not leave of space between the moment/time when we leave the scene(stage) and that where we fall again on earth(ground), because that is where arise the dangers and traps, where all the bad habits may enter through the back door.>> These are the same principles that the thirty-year old will apply next Thursday, when he will sing at the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air) of Estavayer-le-Lac: from the stage to life, quickly, very quickly.

 

Dyslexic child mocked by others

 

Born on August 18th, 1983, in Beirut, son of an American businessman and a Lebanese-Syrian, the young Michael Holbrook Penniman grows up between Paris and London. Dyslexic child, he consoles himself/finds comfort, of the mockeries of the other kids, by taking refuge in the classical music. The piano, first, then the opera. Before to dream of becoming pop singer. We are in 2007 and Mika found his way. And his voice. It is of head: the entire world succumbs to his chewing gum pop and in his cheerful tunes/choruses.

Almost ten years later, Mika seems the same, but not quite/ not completely. He is more serious - the fall that almost cost the life of his older sister in 2010 has greatly affected him. He is more contrasting/different, too, and probably more popular especially in Francophone countries thanks to his role of member of the jury in the TV show << The Voice >>. Yet his new record,  << No Place in Heaven >> found again the spark of the beginnings. To compose it, he had given himself an instruction: lock himself in a room to let spring the music. << The concept of discipline isn’t very sexy in music, the artist points out, but we have to impose it to have a result. The discipline is the first step. I set myself some limits without lock me in a monastic room. I had seven months to write the album and it was an extraordinary challenge, it gave me a framework/structure.>> To do this, he invited his musicians to rejoinder him in a rented bungalow in Los Angeles where they remained for seven months to cook, to work, to joke. And they have created fourteen cheerful and catchy songs.

 

I'll post tomorrow the second part (and probably some edits/additions to the first part)

[mamiam]

Thanks a LOT Charlie!!  Look forward to read the rest...

 

Love,love

me

[Manon14]

No problem. It was kind of fun. Except a couple of words. One I knew the meaning of but knew it'd be blocked here hence the []. Then the word used in the bit about the binoculars was "flipper" and it took me some serious rearranging and searching for double definitions and how it may be used in slang to figure out he meant flip out. At one point I even almost gave up that word thinking the article had a typo lol. Didn't help I kept picturing a dolphin.

 

Mika likes to invent words, the more you translate him, the more you'll understand what he means and which word he uses for what

It's a constant struggle in the Subs team chat! As is trying to come up with good translations of his mistakes, especially when it has (accidentally or not) a double meaning. But that all makes it even more fun

[charlie20]

Here the first part of the translation, with also the text, if someone was not able to read well it :

 

Mika, le chanteur apatride qui a mis le monde à ses pieds

 

Concert Révélé en 2007, le trentenaire, juré de << The Voice >>, a conquis le public avec sa pop gaie et sucrée. Mais sa personnalité est plus complexe. Il sera la vedette de l’Estivale Open Air, à Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

<< Relax, take it ea-ea-sy! >> Devant la scène du Caribana Festival, à Crans-près-Cèligny (VD) en juin dernier, le public entire chantait avec Mika le single qui l’a fait connaitre. Tandis que dans les coulisses, des nuées de petites filles attendaient sagement qu’il descende de scène pour signer une photo ou un T-shirt. A côté de ces portées impatientes, des mères avaient les yeux qui brillent.

Oui, Mika degage quelque chose d’irrésistible. C’est simple, tout le monde l’adore. Grand, brun, large sourire et toujours impeccablement habillé, il faut dire qu’il vient de passer sur scène n’impriment aucune marquee de fatigue sur son visage. Au contraire, << C’est comme s’il y avait de la lumière sur tout, dit-il en souriant. La scène, c’est une sorte d’adrénaline et ça n’agit pas trop sur mon ego. Avant, quand je faisais de la musique classique, il y avait toujours la preparation, ensuite le concert et il fallait s’entrainer à se detacher très très vite. Il ne faut pas laisser de vide entre le moment où l’on quitte la scène et celui où on retombe sur terre, parce c’est là où surgissent les dangers et les pièges, où toutes les mauvaises habitudes peuvent entrer par la porte de derrière.>> Ce sont ces mêmes principes que le trentenaire appliquera jeudi prochain, quand il chantera à l’Estivale Open Air d’Estavayer-le-Lac: de la scene à la vie, vite, très vite.

 

Enfant dyslexique moqué par les autres

 

Nè le 18 aout 1983, à Beyrouth, fils d’un homme d’affaires américain et d’une Libano-Syrienne, le jeune Michael Holbrook Penniman grandit entre Paris et Londres. Enfant dyslexique, il se console des moqueries des autres gamins en se réfugiant dans la musique classique. Le piano, d’abord, puis l’opéra. Avant de se rêver chanteur de pop. Nous sommes en 2007 et Mika a trouvé sa voie. Et sa voix. Elle est de tête: le monde entire succombe à sa pop chewing-gum et à ses refrains enjoués.

Près de dix ans plus tard, Mika semble le même, mais pas tout à fait. Il est plus grave – la chute qui a failli coûter la vie à sa sœur ainée en 2010 l’a beaucoup affecté. Il est plus contrasté, aussi, et sans doute plus populaire, notamment dans les pays francophones grace à son role de juré dans l’émission << The Voice >> . Pourtant son nouveau disque, << No Place in Heaven >> , retrouve l’étincelle des débuts. Pour le composer, il s’était donné une consigne: s’enfermer dans une pièce pour laisser jaillir la musique. << Le concept de la discipline n’est pas très sexy dans la musique, souligne l’artiste, mais on doit l’imposer pour avoir un résultat. La discipline, c’est le premier pas. Je me suis imposé des limites, sans m’enfermer dans une chambre monastique. J’avais sept mois pour écrire l’album et c’était un challenge extraordinaire, ça me donnait un cadre. >> Pour ce faire, il a convié ses musiciens à le rejoindre dans un bungalow loué à Los Angeles où ils sont restés sept mois durant à cuisiner, travailler, blaguer. Et ont accouché des quatorze chansons gaies et entrainantes.

 

 

Mika, the stateless singer who has the world at his feet

 

Concert Revealed in 2007, the thirty-year old, member of the jury of << The Voice >>, conquered the public with his cheerful and sweet sugared pop. But his personality is more complex. He will be the star of the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air), in Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

 

In front of the stage of Caribana Festival in Crans-près-Céligny (VD) last June, all the public sang with Mika the single that made him known. Whilst behind the scenes, swarms of girls wisely waited for him to come down from stage to sign a photo or a T-shirt. Besides these impatient litters, some mothers had eyes that shine.

Yes, Mika radiates/emanates something irresistible. It's simple, everyone adores him. Tall, dark, broad smile and always impeccably dressed, It must be said that he just left the stage without having impressed any signs of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, << It's as if there was a light on everything, he said, smiling. The stage, it’s a kind of adrenaline and it doesn’t act too much on my ego. Before, when I was in classical music, there was always the preparation, then the concert and had to train to detach very quickly. You should not/must not leave of space between the moment/time when we leave the scene(stage) and that where we fall again on earth(ground), because that is where arise the dangers and traps, where all the bad habits may enter through the back door.>> These are the same principles that the thirty-year old will apply next Thursday, when he will sing at the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air) of Estavayer-le-Lac: from the stage to life, quickly, very quickly.

 

Dyslexic child mocked by others

 

Born on August 18th, 1983, in Beirut, son of an American businessman and a Lebanese-Syrian, the young Michael Holbrook Penniman grows up between Paris and London. Dyslexic child, he consoles himself/finds comfort, of the mockeries of the other kids, by taking refuge in the classical music. The piano, first, then the opera. Before to dream of becoming pop singer. We are in 2007 and Mika found his way. And his voice. It is of head: the entire world succumbs to his chewing gum pop and in his cheerful tunes/choruses.

Almost ten years later, Mika seems the same, but not quite/ not completely. He is more serious - the fall that almost cost the life of his older sister in 2010 has greatly affected him. He is more contrasting/different, too, and probably more popular especially in Francophone countries thanks to his role of member of the jury in the TV show << The Voice >>. Yet his new record,  << No Place in Heaven >> found again the spark of the beginnings. To compose it, he had given himself an instruction: lock himself in a room to let spring the music. << The concept of discipline isn’t very sexy in music, the artist points out, but we have to impose it to have a result. The discipline is the first step. I set myself some limits without lock me in a monastic room. I had seven months to write the album and it was an extraordinary challenge, it gave me a framework/structure.>> To do this, he invited his musicians to rejoinder him in a rented bungalow in Los Angeles where they remained for seven months to cook, to work, to joke. And they have created fourteen cheerful and catchy songs.

 

I'll post tomorrow the second part (and probably some edits/additions to the first part)

 

Here the second part of the translation and the text in French:

 

 

Mais cette pop sucrée n’est-elle pas le palliative à une fêlure intime? << Non, à mon avis, c’est l’inverse, rétorque le chanteur. Aujourd’hui, j’ai ouvert le concert avec << Toy Boy >>. Cette chanson, c’est un conte de fees macabre, gothique, qui parle du harcèlement et de la torture imposés à un jouet qui, en fait, me représente. Transbahuté d’une famille à l’autre, il finit enfermé dans un placard misérable, sans yeux, avec des habits déchirés. Dans cet état misèrable, il essaie de s’imposer une illusion de grandeur. Et se transforme en martyr. Il y a une sorte de célébration, mais c’est juste un petit bonhomme de rien du tout dans un placard. Cette idée de célébrer les choses est essentielle, elle donne une sorte de perspective. Ce que je célèbre n’est pas la joie, c’est aussi la tristesse. Ressentir des émotions est très tabou aujourd’hui. C’est punk d’exprimer ses émotions. On peut dire que le punk, c’est les tatouages, les cretes, le cuir, mais ce n’est que de l’esthetique, c’est superficiel. Le punk, c’est l’émotion, c’est l’Italienne qui s’exprime, le Français qui dit exactement ce qu’il pense, c’est Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. Quand je chante, ce n’est pas pour me cacher, c’est cathartique, c’est pour me libérer. >>

 

Pas de tabous

 

La liberation par l’art. Avec la musique et ses prestations de juré dans << The Voice >>, Mika a choisi de se libérer, sans tabous. Comme le titre qu’il a choisi pour son album, << Pas de place au paradis >> : << C’est le plus honnête des titres que j’ai jamais choisis. Je n’ai aucune identité, parce que j’en ai tellement, que ça me donne la liberté de m’exprimer, d’oser. Dans un sens, je suis très Anglais, mais pas du tout dans ma manière d’exprimer mes emotions. Je suis Français mais pas Français, je suis arabe mais profondément pas arabe. En même temps, c’est parce que je le peux. Il n’y a pas de place au paradis? Je m’en fiche, je n’en ai pas besoin.>>

Et lui, l’apatride, le chanteur sans identité, qui semble sourire et pleurer à tout, où se retrouve-t-il aujourd’hui? << Dans les gens qui me regardent, dans la musique que je peux faire, dans la cuisine qu’on mange en famille, dans l’idée de ce que j’aime et de ce que je n’aime pas. Je suis en train de creuser une identité dans ma musique, dans ma manière de m’exprimer publiquement. Ces dernières années, j’ai vraiment voulu enlever cette distance entre la personne publique et le musicien. Rassembler ces deux pour qu’il n’y ait aucune différence. J’ai encore beaucoup à faire mais je n’ai aucune idée de qui je suis. C’est pour ça que je fais de la musique. Quand je saurai qui je suis, je serai mort! >>

 

 

But this sweet pop is not the palliative to an intimate crack? << No, in my opinion, it’s the opposite, the singer retorted. Today, I opened the concert with <<  Toy Boy >>. This song is a macabre fairy tale, gothic, that speaks of harassment and torture imposed on a toy that, in fact, represents me. Hauled from one family to another, he(it) finishes locked in a miserable closet without eyes, with torn clothes. In this miserable state, he(it) tries to impose an illusion of grandeur on him(it)self. And becomes a martyr. There is a kind of celebration, but he(it)'s just a little guy from nothing in a closet. This idea of celebrate the things is essential, it gives a kind of perspective. What I celebrate is not the joy, it’s also the sadness. Feel emotions is very taboo today. It’s punk to express the feelings. We can say that the punk, this/it’s the tattoos, the “Mohican/"Mohawk" haircuts, the leather, but it‘s only the esthetics, it’s superficial. The punk, it is the emotion, it is the Italian girl who expresses herself, the French that says exactly what he thinks, it’s Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. When I sing, it isn’t to hide, it’s cathartic, it’s to free myself. >>

 

No taboos

 

The liberation by the art. With the music and his performances of member of the jury in << The Voice > >, Mika chose to free himself, without taboos. Like the title he chose for his album, << No place in heaven >> : << This is the most honest of the titles I have ever chosen. I have no identity, because I've it so much, that it gives me the freedom to express myself, to dare. In a sense, I am very English, but not at all in my way of expressing my emotions. I am French, but not French, I'm Arab but deeply not Arab. At the same time, this/it’s because I can. There is no place in heaven? I don’t care, I don’t need it. >>

And he, the stateless person, the singer without an identity, who seems to smile and to cry to everything, where he finds himself today? << In people who look at/watch me, in the music that I can do, In the cooking(kitchen) which we eat in family, in the idea of what I like and what I don’t like. I'm in the process of digging for an(my) identity in my music, in my way of expressing myself publicly. In recent years/over the last few years, I really wanted to remove this distance between the public person and the musician. Gather these two together so that there is no difference. I still have much to do but I have no idea who I am. This is why I make music. When I will know who I am, I will be dead! >>

 

In the photo:

Mika, bête de scène en Republique tchèque le 19 juillet dernier

 

Mika, great live performer in the Czech Republic on July 19

 

Below:

<< J’ai tellement d’identités que ca me donne la liberté de m’exprimer >>

Mika, chanteur

 

<< I have so many identities that it/this gives me the freedom to express myself >>

Mika, singer

Edited August 10, 2015 by charlie20

[charlie20]

Here the first part of the translation, with also the text, if someone was not able to read well it :

 

Mika, le chanteur apatride qui a mis le monde à ses pieds

 

Concert Révélé en 2007, le trentenaire, juré de << The Voice >>, a conquis le public avec sa pop gaie et sucrée. Mais sa personnalité est plus complexe. Il sera la vedette de l’Estivale Open Air, à Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

<< Relax, take it ea-ea-sy! >> Devant la scène du Caribana Festival, à Crans-près-Cèligny (VD) en juin dernier, le public entire chantait avec Mika le single qui l’a fait connaitre. Tandis que dans les coulisses, des nuées de petites filles attendaient sagement qu’il descende de scène pour signer une photo ou un T-shirt. A côté de ces portées impatientes, des mères avaient les yeux qui brillent.

Oui, Mika degage quelque chose d’irrésistible. C’est simple, tout le monde l’adore. Grand, brun, large sourire et toujours impeccablement habillé, il faut dire qu’il vient de passer sur scène n’impriment aucune marquee de fatigue sur son visage. Au contraire, << C’est comme s’il y avait de la lumière sur tout, dit-il en souriant. La scène, c’est une sorte d’adrénaline et ça n’agit pas trop sur mon ego. Avant, quand je faisais de la musique classique, il y avait toujours la preparation, ensuite le concert et il fallait s’entrainer à se detacher très très vite. Il ne faut pas laisser de vide entre le moment où l’on quitte la scène et celui où on retombe sur terre, parce c’est là où surgissent les dangers et les pièges, où toutes les mauvaises habitudes peuvent entrer par la porte de derrière.>> Ce sont ces mêmes principes que le trentenaire appliquera jeudi prochain, quand il chantera à l’Estivale Open Air d’Estavayer-le-Lac: de la scene à la vie, vite, très vite.

 

Enfant dyslexique moqué par les autres

 

Nè le 18 aout 1983, à Beyrouth, fils d’un homme d’affaires américain et d’une Libano-Syrienne, le jeune Michael Holbrook Penniman grandit entre Paris et Londres. Enfant dyslexique, il se console des moqueries des autres gamins en se réfugiant dans la musique classique. Le piano, d’abord, puis l’opéra. Avant de se rêver chanteur de pop. Nous sommes en 2007 et Mika a trouvé sa voie. Et sa voix. Elle est de tête: le monde entire succombe à sa pop chewing-gum et à ses refrains enjoués.

Près de dix ans plus tard, Mika semble le même, mais pas tout à fait. Il est plus grave – la chute qui a failli coûter la vie à sa sœur ainée en 2010 l’a beaucoup affecté. Il est plus contrasté, aussi, et sans doute plus populaire, notamment dans les pays francophones grace à son role de juré dans l’émission << The Voice >> . Pourtant son nouveau disque, << No Place in Heaven >> , retrouve l’étincelle des débuts. Pour le composer, il s’était donné une consigne: s’enfermer dans une pièce pour laisser jaillir la musique. << Le concept de la discipline n’est pas très sexy dans la musique, souligne l’artiste, mais on doit l’imposer pour avoir un résultat. La discipline, c’est le premier pas. Je me suis imposé des limites, sans m’enfermer dans une chambre monastique. J’avais sept mois pour écrire l’album et c’était un challenge extraordinaire, ça me donnait un cadre. >> Pour ce faire, il a convié ses musiciens à le rejoindre dans un bungalow loué à Los Angeles où ils sont restés sept mois durant à cuisiner, travailler, blaguer. Et ont accouché des quatorze chansons gaies et entrainantes.

 

 

Mika, the stateless singer who has the world at his feet

 

Concert Revealed in 2007, the thirty-year old, member of the jury of << The Voice >>, conquered the public with his cheerful and sweet sugared pop. But his personality is more complex. He will be the star of the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air), in Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

 

In front of the stage of Caribana Festival in Crans-près-Céligny (VD) last June, all the public sang with Mika the single that made him known. Whilst behind the scenes, swarms of girls wisely waited for him to come down from stage to sign a photo or a T-shirt. Besides these impatient litters, some mothers had eyes that shine.

Yes, Mika radiates/emanates something irresistible. It's simple, everyone adores him. Tall, dark, broad smile and always impeccably dressed, It must be said that he just left the stage without having impressed any signs of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, << It's as if there was a light on everything, he said, smiling. The stage, it’s a kind of adrenaline and it doesn’t act too much on my ego. Before, when I was in classical music, there was always the preparation, then the concert and had to train to detach very quickly. You should not/must not leave of space between the moment/time when we leave the scene(stage) and that where we fall again on earth(ground), because that is where arise the dangers and traps, where all the bad habits may enter through the back door.>> These are the same principles that the thirty-year old will apply next Thursday, when he will sing at the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air) of Estavayer-le-Lac: from the stage to life, quickly, very quickly.

 

Dyslexic child mocked by others

 

Born on August 18th, 1983, in Beirut, son of an American businessman and a Lebanese-Syrian, the young Michael Holbrook Penniman grows up between Paris and London. Dyslexic child, he consoles himself/finds comfort, of the mockeries of the other kids, by taking refuge in the classical music. The piano, first, then the opera. Before to dream of becoming pop singer. We are in 2007 and Mika found his way. And his voice. It is of head: the entire world succumbs to his chewing gum pop and in his cheerful tunes/choruses.

Almost ten years later, Mika seems the same, but not quite/ not completely. He is more serious - the fall that almost cost the life of his older sister in 2010 has greatly affected him. He is more contrasting/different, too, and probably more popular especially in Francophone countries thanks to his role of member of the jury in the TV show << The Voice >>. Yet his new record,  << No Place in Heaven >> found again the spark of the beginnings. To compose it, he had given himself an instruction: lock himself in a room to let spring the music. << The concept of discipline isn’t very sexy in music, the artist points out, but we have to impose it to have a result. The discipline is the first step. I set myself some limits without lock me in a monastic room. I had seven months to write the album and it was an extraordinary challenge, it gave me a framework/structure.>> To do this, he invited his musicians to rejoinder him in a rented bungalow in Los Angeles where they remained for seven months to cook, to work, to joke. And they have created fourteen cheerful and catchy songs.

 

I'll post tomorrow the second part (and probably some edits/additions to the first part)

 

 

Here the second part of the translation and the text in French:

 

Mais cette pop sucrée n’est-elle pas le palliative à une fêlure intime? << Non, à mon avis, c’est l’inverse, rétorque le chanteur. Aujourd’hui, j’ai ouvert le concert avec << Toy Boy >>. Cette chanson, c’est un conte de fees macabre, gothique, qui parle du harcèlement et de la torture imposés à un jouet qui, en fait, me représente. Transbahuté d’une famille à l’autre, il finit enfermé dans un placard misérable, sans yeux, avec des habits déchirés. Dans cet état misèrable, il essaie de s’imposer une illusion de grandeur. Et se transforme en martyr. Il y a une sorte de célébration, mais c’est juste un petit bonhomme de rien du tout dans un placard. Cette idée de célébrer les choses est essentielle, elle donne une sorte de perspective. Ce que je célèbre n’est pas la joie, c’est aussi la tristesse. Ressentir des émotions est très tabou aujourd’hui. C’est punk d’exprimer ses émotions. On peut dire que le punk, c’est les tatouages, les cretes, le cuir, mais ce n’est que de l’esthetique, c’est superficiel. Le punk, c’est l’émotion, c’est l’Italienne qui s’exprime, le Français qui dit exactement ce qu’il pense, c’est Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. Quand je chante, ce n’est pas pour me cacher, c’est cathartique, c’est pour me libérer. >>

 

Pas de tabous

 

La liberation par l’art. Avec la musique et ses prestations de juré dans << The Voice >>, Mika a choisi de se libérer, sans tabous. Comme le titre qu’il a choisi pour son album, << Pas de place au paradis >> : << C’est le plus honnête des titres que j’ai jamais choisis. Je n’ai aucune identité, parce que j’en ai tellement, que ça me donne la liberté de m’exprimer, d’oser. Dans un sens, je suis très Anglais, mais pas du tout dans ma manière d’exprimer mes emotions. Je suis Français mais pas Français, je suis arabe mais profondément pas arabe. En même temps, c’est parce que je le peux. Il n’y a pas de place au paradis? Je m’en fiche, je n’en ai pas besoin.>>

Et lui, l’apatride, le chanteur sans identité, qui semble sourire et pleurer à tout, où se retrouve-t-il aujourd’hui? << Dans les gens qui me regardent, dans la musique que je peux faire, dans la cuisine qu’on mange en famille, dans l’idée de ce que j’aime et de ce que je n’aime pas. Je suis en train de creuser une identité dans ma musique, dans ma manière de m’exprimer publiquement. Ces dernières années, j’ai vraiment voulu enlever cette distance entre la personne publique et le musicien. Rassembler ces deux pour qu’il n’y ait aucune différence. J’ai encore beaucoup à faire mais je n’ai aucune idée de qui je suis. C’est pour ça que je fais de la musique. Quand je saurai qui je suis, je serai mort! >>:

 

But this sweet pop is not the palliative to an intimate crack? << No, in my opinion, it’s the opposite, the singer retorted. Today, I opened the concert with <<  Toy Boy >>. This song is a macabre fairy tale, gothic, that speaks of harassment and torture imposed on a toy that, in fact, represents me. Hauled from one family to another, he(it) finishes locked in a miserable closet without eyes, with torn clothes. In this miserable state, he(it) tries to impose an illusion of grandeur on him(it)self. And becomes a martyr. There is a kind of celebration, but he(it)'s just a little guy from nothing in a closet. This idea of celebrate the things is essential, it gives a kind of perspective. What I celebrate is not the joy, it’s also the sadness. Feel emotions is very taboo today. It’s punk to express the feelings. We can say that the punk, this/it’s the tattoos, the “Mohican/"Mohawk" haircuts, the leather, but it‘s only the esthetics, it’s superficial. The punk, it is the emotion, it is the Italian girl who expresses herself, the French that says exactly what he thinks, it’s Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. When I sing, it isn’t to hide, it’s cathartic, it’s to free myself. >>

 

No taboos

 

The liberation by the art. With the music and his performances of member of the jury in << The Voice > >, Mika chose to free himself, without taboos. Like the title he chose for his album, << No place in heaven >> : << This is the most honest of the titles I have ever chosen. I have no identity, because I've it so much, that it gives me the freedom to express myself, to dare. In a sense, I am very English, but not at all in my way of expressing my emotions. I am French, but not French, I'm Arab but deeply not Arab. At the same time, this/it’s because I can. There is no place in heaven? I don’t care, I don’t need it. >>

And he, the stateless person, the singer without an identity, who seems to smile and to cry to everything, where he finds himself today? << In people who look at/watch me, in the music that I can do, In the cooking(kitchen) which we eat in family, in the idea of what I like and what I don’t like. I'm in the process of digging for an(my) identity in my music, in my way of expressing myself publicly. In recent years/over the last few years, I really wanted to remove this distance between the public person and the musician. Gather these two together so that there is no difference. I still have much to do but I have no idea who I am. This is why I make music. When I will know who I am, I will be dead! >>

 

In the photo;

Mika, bête de scène en Republique tchèque le 19 juillet dernier

 

Mika, great live performer in the Czech Republic on July 19

 

Below:

<< J’ai tellement d’identités que ca me donne la liberté de m’exprimer >>

Mika, chanteur

 

<< I have so many identities that it/this gives me the freedom to express myself >>

Mika, singer

 

The whole text in French   : 

 

Mika, le chanteur apatride qui a mis le monde à ses pieds

 

Concert Révélé en 2007, le trentenaire, juré de << The Voice >>, a conquis le public avec sa pop gaie et sucrée. Mais sa personnalité est plus complexe. Il sera la vedette de l’Estivale Open Air, à Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

<< Relax, take it ea-ea-sy! >> Devant la scène du Caribana Festival, à Crans-près-Cèligny (VD) en juin dernier, le public entire chantait avec Mika le single qui l’a fait connaitre. Tandis que dans les coulisses, des nuées de petites filles attendaient sagement qu’il descende de scène pour signer une photo ou un T-shirt. A côté de ces portées impatientes, des mères avaient les yeux qui brillent.

Oui, Mika degage quelque chose d’irrésistible. C’est simple, tout le monde l’adore. Grand, brun, large sourire et toujours impeccablement habillé, il faut dire qu’il vient de passer sur scène n’impriment aucune marquee de fatigue sur son visage. Au contraire, << C’est comme s’il y avait de la lumière sur tout, dit-il en souriant. La scène, c’est une sorte d’adrénaline et ça n’agit pas trop sur mon ego. Avant, quand je faisais de la musique classique, il y avait toujours la preparation, ensuite le concert et il fallait s’entrainer à se detacher très très vite. Il ne faut pas laisser de vide entre le moment où l’on quitte la scène et celui où on retombe sur terre, parce c’est là où surgissent les dangers et les pièges, où toutes les mauvaises habitudes peuvent entrer par la porte de derrière.>> Ce sont ces mêmes principes que le trentenaire appliquera jeudi prochain, quand il chantera à l’Estivale Open Air d’Estavayer-le-Lac: de la scene à la vie, vite, très vite.

 

Enfant dyslexique moqué par les autres

 

Nè le 18 aout 1983, à Beyrouth, fils d’un homme d’affaires américain et d’une Libano-Syrienne, le jeune Michael Holbrook Penniman grandit entre Paris et Londres. Enfant dyslexique, il se console des moqueries des autres gamins en se réfugiant dans la musique classique. Le piano, d’abord, puis l’opéra. Avant de se rêver chanteur de pop. Nous sommes en 2007 et Mika a trouvé sa voie. Et sa voix. Elle est de tête: le monde entire succombe à sa pop chewing-gum et à ses refrains enjoués.

Près de dix ans plus tard, Mika semble le même, mais pas tout à fait. Il est plus grave – la chute qui a failli coûter la vie à sa sœur ainée en 2010 l’a beaucoup affecté. Il est plus contrasté, aussi, et sans doute plus populaire, notamment dans les pays francophones grace à son role de juré dans l’émission << The Voice >> . Pourtant son nouveau disque, << No Place in Heaven >> , retrouve l’étincelle des débuts. Pour le composer, il s’était donné une consigne: s’enfermer dans une pièce pour laisser jaillir la musique. << Le concept de la discipline n’est pas très sexy dans la musique, souligne l’artiste, mais on doit l’imposer pour avoir un résultat. La discipline, c’est le premier pas. Je me suis imposé des limites, sans m’enfermer dans une chambre monastique. J’avais sept mois pour écrire l’album et c’était un challenge extraordinaire, ça me donnait un cadre. >> Pour ce faire, il a convié ses musiciens à le rejoindre dans un bungalow loué à Los Angeles où ils sont restés sept mois durant à cuisiner, travailler, blaguer. Et ont accouché des quatorze chansons gaies et entrainantes.

Mais cette pop sucrée n’est-elle pas le palliative à une fêlure intime? << Non, à mon avis, c’est l’inverse, rétorque le chanteur. Aujourd’hui, j’ai ouvert le concert avec << Toy Boy >>. Cette chanson, c’est un conte de fees macabre, gothique, qui parle du harcèlement et de la torture imposés à un jouet qui, en fait, me représente. Transbahuté d’une famille à l’autre, il finit enfermé dans un placard misérable, sans yeux, avec des habits déchirés. Dans cet état misèrable, il essaie de s’imposer une illusion de grandeur. Et se transforme en martyr. Il y a une sorte de célébration, mais c’est juste un petit bonhomme de rien du tout dans un placard. Cette idée de célébrer les choses est essentielle, elle donne une sorte de perspective. Ce que je célèbre n’est pas la joie, c’est aussi la tristesse. Ressentir des émotions est très tabou aujourd’hui. C’est punk d’exprimer ses émotions. On peut dire que le punk, c’est les tatouages, les cretes, le cuir, mais ce n’est que de l’esthetique, c’est superficiel. Le punk, c’est l’émotion, c’est l’Italienne qui s’exprime, le Français qui dit exactement ce qu’il pense, c’est Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. Quand je chante, ce n’est pas pour me cacher, c’est cathartique, c’est pour me libérer. >>

 

Pas de tabous

 

La liberation par l’art. Avec la musique et ses prestations de juré dans << The Voice >>, Mika a choisi de se libérer, sans tabous. Comme le titre qu’il a choisi pour son album, << Pas de place au paradis >> : << C’est le plus honnête des titres que j’ai jamais choisis. Je n’ai aucune identité, parce que j’en ai tellement, que ça me donne la liberté de m’exprimer, d’oser. Dans un sens, je suis très Anglais, mais pas du tout dans ma manière d’exprimer mes emotions. Je suis Français mais pas Français, je suis arabe mais profondément pas arabe. En même temps, c’est parce que je le peux. Il n’y a pas de place au paradis? Je m’en fiche, je n’en ai pas besoin.>>

Et lui, l’apatride, le chanteur sans identité, qui semble sourire et pleurer à tout, où se retrouve-t-il aujourd’hui? << Dans les gens qui me regardent, dans la musique que je peux faire, dans la cuisine qu’on mange en famille, dans l’idée de ce que j’aime et de ce que je n’aime pas. Je suis en train de creuser une identité dans ma musique, dans ma manière de m’exprimer publiquement. Ces dernières années, j’ai vraiment voulu enlever cette distance entre la personne publique et le musicien. Rassembler ces deux pour qu’il n’y ait aucune différence. J’ai encore beaucoup à faire mais je n’ai aucune idée de qui je suis. C’est pour ça que je fais de la musique. Quand je saurai qui je suis, je serai mort! >>

 

And the whole translation in English    :

 

Mika, the stateless singer who has the world at his feet

 

Concert Revealed in 2007, the thirty-year old, member of the jury of << The Voice >>, conquered the public with his cheerful and sweet sugared pop. But his personality is more complex. He will be the star of the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air), in Estavayer-le-Lac.

 

 

In front of the stage of Caribana Festival in Crans-près-Céligny (VD) last June, all the public sang with Mika the single that made him known. Whilst behind the scenes, swarms of girls wisely waited for him to come down from stage to sign a photo or a T-shirt. Besides these impatient litters, some mothers had eyes that shine.

Yes, Mika radiates/emanates something irresistible. It's simple, everyone adores him. Tall, dark, broad smile and always impeccably dressed, It must be said that he just left the stage without having impressed any signs of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, << It's as if there was a light on everything, he said, smiling. The stage, it’s a kind of adrenaline and it doesn’t act too much on my ego. Before, when I was in classical music, there was always the preparation, then the concert and had to train to detach very quickly. You should not/must not leave of space between the moment/time when we leave the scene(stage) and that where we fall again on earth(ground), because that is where arise the dangers and traps, where all the bad habits may enter through the back door.>> These are the same principles that the thirty-year old will apply next Thursday, when he will sing at the Estivale Open Air (Summer Open Air) of Estavayer-le-Lac: from the stage to life, quickly, very quickly.

 

Dyslexic child mocked by others

 

Born on August 18th, 1983, in Beirut, son of an American businessman and a Lebanese-Syrian, the young Michael Holbrook Penniman grows up between Paris and London. Dyslexic child, he consoles himself/finds comfort, of the mockeries of the other kids, by taking refuge in the classical music. The piano, first, then the opera. Before to dream of becoming pop singer. We are in 2007 and Mika found his way. And his voice. It is of head: the entire world succumbs to his chewing gum pop and in his cheerful tunes/choruses.

Almost ten years later, Mika seems the same, but not quite/ not completely. He is more serious - the fall that almost cost the life of his older sister in 2010 has greatly affected him. He is more contrasting/different, too, and probably more popular especially in Francophone countries thanks to his role of member of the jury in the TV show << The Voice >>. Yet his new record,  << No Place in Heaven >> found again the spark of the beginnings. To compose it, he had given himself an instruction: lock himself in a room to let spring the music. << The concept of discipline isn’t very sexy in music, the artist points out, but we have to impose it to have a result. The discipline is the first step. I set myself some limits without lock me in a monastic room. I had seven months to write the album and it was an extraordinary challenge, it gave me a framework/structure.>> To do this, he invited his musicians to rejoinder him in a rented bungalow in Los Angeles where they remained for seven months to cook, to work, to joke. And they have created fourteen cheerful and catchy songs.

But this sweet pop is not the palliative to an intimate crack? << No, in my opinion, it’s the opposite, the singer retorted. Today, I opened the concert with <<  Toy Boy >>. This song is a macabre fairy tale, gothic, that speaks of harassment and torture imposed on a toy that, in fact, represents me. Hauled from one family to another, he(it) finishes locked in a miserable closet without eyes, with torn clothes. In this miserable state, he(it) tries to impose an illusion of grandeur on him(it)self. And becomes a martyr. There is a kind of celebration, but he(it)'s just a little guy from nothing in a closet. This idea of celebrate the things is essential, it gives a kind of perspective. What I celebrate is not the joy, it’s also the sadness. Feel emotions is very taboo today. It’s punk to express the feelings. We can say that the punk, this/it’s the tattoos, the “Mohican/"Mohawk" haircuts, the leather, but it‘s only the esthetics, it’s superficial. The punk, it is the emotion, it is the Italian girl who expresses herself, the French that says exactly what he thinks, it’s Gainsbourg, Fanny Ardant. When I sing, it isn’t to hide, it’s cathartic, it’s to free myself. >>

 

No taboos

 

The liberation by the art. With the music and his performances of member of the jury in << The Voice > >, Mika chose to free himself, without taboos. Like the title he chose for his album, << No place in heaven >> : << This is the most honest of the titles I have ever chosen. I have no identity, because I've it so much, that it gives me the freedom to express myself, to dare. In a sense, I am very English, but not at all in my way of expressing my emotions. I am French, but not French, I'm Arab but deeply not Arab. At the same time, this/it’s because I can. There is no place in heaven? I don’t care, I don’t need it. >>

And he, the stateless person, the singer without an identity, who seems to smile and to cry to everything, where he finds himself today? << In people who look at/watch me, in the music that I can do, In the cooking(kitchen) which we eat in family, in the idea of what I like and what I don’t like. I'm in the process of digging for an(my) identity in my music, in my way of expressing myself publicly. In recent years/over the last few years, I really wanted to remove this distance between the public person and the musician. Gather these two together so that there is no difference. I still have much to do but I have no idea who I am. This is why I make music. When I will know who I am, I will be dead! >>

 

In the photo:

Mika, bête de scène en Republique tchèque le 19 juillet dernier

 

Mika, great live performer in the Czech Republic on July 19

 

Below:

<< J’ai tellement d’identités que ca me donne la liberté de m’exprimer >>

Mika, chanteur

 

<< I have so many identities that it/this gives me the freedom to express myself >>

Mika, singer

[mamiam]

 Grazie mille Charlie20 - for your 2nd translation -it's very much appreciated!!  I was especially curious what MIKA said about "Toy Boy" - and I'm glad that he confirms,  what I've always thought about this fab. song: " it speaks of harassment  and torture, imposed on a toy that, in fact, represents me"    Thanks again - it's another great interview...  

 

Love,love

me 

[maggie112]

is there Mika on Paris Match?  I've seen some pics on twitter   has someone good pics or scans? 

[crazyaboutmika]

is there Mika on Paris Match?  I've seen some pics on twitter   has someone good pics or scans?

Yes he is on page 5

 

http://www.parismatch.com/Services/Sommaire/3456

I'll try to buy it tomorrow...it was out on August 12th.

[Lucrezia]

Yes he is on page 5

 

http://www.parismatch.com/Services/Sommaire/3456

I'll try to buy it tomorrow...it was out on August 12th.

 

I'm translating this interview in English and another one from Teleprò... I'll post them soon

[Kumazzz]

Paris Match Le 15 août 2015 | Mise à jour le 14 août 2015

 

http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Musique/No-Place-in-Heaven-Mika-dans-tous-ses-etats-813109

 

Mika sort son 4e album, « No Place in Heaven » (Barclay/Universal). Il sera tournée à partir du 18 septembre.

 

 

 

Un quatrième album merveilleux, une tournée quasi complète, le coach de « The Voice » savoure un retour réussi. Rencontre.

On l’avait laissé s’égarant dans une pop électro un peu fade. Avec son troisième album, paru en 2012, Mika a connu un logique retour de bâton. Après des débuts en fanfare, sa musique ­commençait à moins passionner les foules. Malin, le chanteur a compris qu’en acceptant d’être l’un des coachs de « The Voice » il pourrait relancer sa carrière rapidement. Très vite, effectivement, les gens ­découvrent un jeune homme attachant, bien dans sa peau, prêt à toutes les extravagances ­vestimentaires et, ­surtout, terriblement musicien. En juin, Mika a donc redonné à sa musique toute la place qu’elle ­méritait. « No Place in Heaven » est un disque puissant, dansant, et très intime. Désormais, le garçon ne se cache plus derrière les faux-semblants et parle sincèrement de lui, de ses doutes comme de ses envies.

 

A lire aussi: Mika: “J'espère avoir trouvé l'amour de ma vie

 

Paris Match. Avez-vous été déçu de l’accueil rencontré par votre précédent disque, “The Origin of Love” ?
 

Mika. Créativement, j’étais très content. Mais commercialement, ça a été dur. Pendant l’enregistrement, je me cherchais, j’avais besoin d’une rupture esthétique, pour me donner ensuite plus de liberté. Une chanson comme “Underwater” a mis des mois pour exister sur les radios... et encore, c’est parce que j’ai accepté qu’elle soit utilisée dans une pub.

 

Un artiste doit désormais passer par ce genre de passerelle ?

Je ne voulais pas rester dans mon coin à attendre de constater l’échec du disque comme l’auraient fait les artistes de la vieille garde. Non, dans ma génération, on se lance : on fait, par exemple, de la télé. On fait tout ce que l’on peut pour mettre la musique dans l’oreille du public. C’est pour ça aussi que je n’ai pas hésité à me lancer dans certains partenariats, avec Swatch notamment, que j’ai participé à “X Factor”, à une campagne pour une bière espagnole et à “The Voice”, évidemment.

 

Sauf que chaque campagne n’est destinée qu’à un seul pays. Elles ne sont pas mondiales.

Je travaille chaque pays de manière différente. Aux Etats-Unis, je suis culte, je suis indé et je suis donc très cool. Je suis le mec qui fait des shows à Brooklyn qui se vendent en deux ­minutes ! En Italie, en France, en Corée, en Espagne, tout est différent à chaque fois. C’est un privilège qui me permet de collaborer avec plein de gens différents.

 

Vous ne vous lassez pas de ce tourbillon permanent ?

Non, parce que je sépare les choses. Si je fais “The Voice”, je m’y consacre pleinement pendant un mois et ensuite je ne fais ­aucune télé pendant plusieurs semaines. Ma priorité est de rester musicien, donc d’écrire, de chanter et de donner des concerts.

 

"Pour bien grandir, il faut préserver la candeur"

 

Ce n’est pas le cas de tous les coachs. Jenifer ne vend plus beaucoup de disques et ne fait pas beaucoup de scène...

C’est différent pour elle, car elle a pris la décision d’avoir un enfant, on ne peut que la comprendre. Je sais qu’elle prépare un nouvel album, elle prend son temps. Il faut juste trouver le bon équilibre et ne pas cracher dans la soupe. Ça a marché pour moi dans “The Voice” parce que j’ai décidé de ne pas me cacher, de ne pas me complexer, donc de ne pas penser aux conséquences.

 

Les gens vous ont-ils découvert tel que vous êtes vraiment ?

Probablement. Je m’exprime en tout cas spontanément, sans arrière-pensées. J’ai longtemps eu beaucoup de réserve à la télé, je craignais les questions. Maintenant, plus rien ne me fait peur. Je rêvais d’être dans cet état d’esprit-là, libre.

 

Ça se ressent dans les textes de votre nouveau disque… Vous n’hésitez pas à parler de vous, de vos sentiments.

Pour bien grandir, il faut préserver la candeur. Car elle protège les enfants terribles que nous sommes. Sinon, on grandit comme une pierre, on perd l’amour, on perd le sens de l’humour, on perd le sexe, on perd la joie. La chanson “Good Guys”, c’est moi qui me dit : “Soit enfin l’enfant terrible qui t’inspirait quand tu étais adolescent.” Il a fallu que je me secoue pour en arriver là.

 

Le fait d’avoir parlé de votre homosexualité vous a libéré ?

Je n’aurais pas pu parler de tout ça avant. Quand on pense qu’on se protège en ne disant rien, au final, on s’isole. Ça devenait un cancer créatif, je le sentais. Le fait de mettre ma vie privée au clair avec les médias et le public m’a fait beaucoup de bien.

 

Pendant longtemps les journalistes vous cherchaient sur le ­terrain de la sexualité. C’était compliqué ?  

Certains m’ont littéralement cherché ! [Rires.] J’ai su me protéger et j’ai décidé de prendre ça avec humour… Je reconnais que c’est plus facile pour moi que pour d’autres. Moi, c’est un choix, certains sont encore dans l’impossibilité de révéler leur secret.

“Avec moi, si on peut survivre une semaine, on peut survivre huit ans !” Mika

Est-ce que cela a changé votre manière d’écrire ?  

Evidemment. Maintenant, j’ose ! Je vais presque dans l’excès inverse, je me retiens de ne pas dire certains trucs. Surtout qu’en chansons j’arrive à dire bien plus de choses que dans la réalité…

 

Vous rendez hommage à Freddie Mercury dans “Last Party”, était-il un modèle pour vous ?

Un modèle, non, mais c’est quelqu’un qui a compté. Il était finalement très punk. Je me suis rendu compte qu’il y a toujours eu beaucoup d’humour dans le punk, que ce soit chez les Sex Pistols à leurs débuts ou chez Marilyn Manson récemment. En ce moment, j’écoute cette jeune Australienne Courtney ­Barnett. Eh bien, elle me semble très punk aussi. Tout comme peuvent l’être Arielle Dombasle ou Fanny Ardant.

 

Le disque fait penser au meilleur d’Elton John, de Queen, cette pop élégiaque des seventies. Vous le revendiquez ?  

Bien sûr. Le disque d’Elton “Tumbleweed Connection” est une vraie influence. Il y a une douceur dans cette écriture qui me plaît beaucoup. Que l’on retrouve aussi chez Harry Nilsson. Queen a été pour moi une manière de comprendre comment faire le lien entre le classique, la pop et le rock, que ce soit dans la voix, la progression harmonique ou la couleur de la musique. Je viens de l’opéra, de la musique classique, et j’ai longtemps cherché une manière de tout canaliser dans la pop. Queen m’a prouvé que c’était possible.

 

Qu’aimez-vous dans la pop actuelle ?

Pas grand-chose. Quand on pense à la pop aujourd’hui, on pense à un truc travaillé dans un bureau, construit et pas spontané. C’est un peu triste. Ce que j’aime, ce sont les mélodies pop ­organiques, loin des machines. Le dernier choc pop que j’ai eu c’est Christine and the Queens. Elle sait vraiment de quoi elle parle. Tout comme Stromae l’an passé.

 

Votre famille est très présente dans votre carrière. N’est-ce pas pesant ?

Pour moi pas du tout, mais pour eux très certainement. Je les fais chier sans cesse ! Quand j’ai décidé de faire de la télé, j’ai aussi décidé que je devais m’amuser avec les habits. Donc c’est ma mère qui s’en occupe, avec la maison Valentino. La consigne c’est de rester dandy. C’est un peu comme la musique, l’extérieur reste traditionnel et l’intérieur peut être assez avant-gardiste ! [il rit.] Pour revenir à la famille, ils m’entourent depuis mes débuts, j’ai quasiment toujours eu la même équipe parce que je pense que si on détruit l’équipe, on détruit l’artiste. Avec moi, de toute façon, si on peut survivre une semaine, on peut survivre huit ans.

 

Vous êtes insupportable ?

Non, mais je n’arrête pas. Et c’est ce qui plaît à tout le monde.

 

Serez-vous de nouveau coach dans “The Voice” l’an prochain ?

Je ne sais pas. J’en ai envie mais j’ai une tournée à faire...

 

Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, qui vous a le plus surpris ?  

Florent Pagny ! C’est le même genre de mec que Johnny Hallyday. Quand on les rencontre, ils sont durs, fermés. Mais une fois qu’on a passé le cap, ce sont des types super attachants, hyper tendres et excentriques. La première fois que j’ai croisé Florent, j’ai lu dans son regard : “Oh là là, c’est qui ce garçon ?” Je le sentais inquiet. Et maintenant c’est comme un frère.

 

Vous êtes entré au musée Grévin. Qu’avez-vous ressenti ?

[il rit.] Je le savais déjà mais je suis plus beau en vrai !

 

Il a des projets à foison

« Je vais sortir bientôt un album symphonique enregistré à Montréal au printemps avec 120 musiciens. Ensuite j’aimerais rapidement travailler sur un disque avec
quatre ou cinq musiciens. Et j’adorerais me produire à la Philharmonie de Paris avec un grand orchestre. »

 

Il a loué la maisond’Orlando Bloom

 

« A Los Angeles pour enregistrer cet album. Ça ne me plaisait pas. Il était en plein divorce et des bus de touristes passaient toutes les heures devant sa maison. Un matin, alors que j’étais dehors, les gens à bord d’un bus m’ont pris pour Orlando, et je leur ai balancé mon café. Hélas, il n’existe aucune trace sur YouTube ! »

 

Il a joué au  Parc des Princes 

« En 2008 je me suis lancé dans ce concert extravagant. J’ai engagé plus de 1 million d’euros. Même si c’était complet, j’ai perdu énormément d’argent. J’ai dû faire deux ans de tournée ensuite pour tout rembourser. Mais j’en garde un excellent souvenir. »

 

 

 

 

Translation by Lucrezia

 

Translation (if there are some mistakes please let me know)

 

Have you been disappointed by how went your previous album, "The Origin Of Love"?

Mika. Creatively, I was very happy. But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for me, I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and again, it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial.

 

So does an artist has henceforth go through this kind of gateway?

I don’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to embark yourself: in fact, for example, the TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitated when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and "The Voice", of course .

 

Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.

In each country I work differently. In the US, I worship, I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn and sells in two minutes! Italy, France, Korea, Spain, each time everything is different. It is a privilege that allows me to work with lots of different people.

 

Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?

No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself fully for a month and then I don’t make television for weeks. My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.

 

This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and doesn’t have much stage...

It's different for her because she made the decision to have a child, we can only understand it. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You have just find the right balance and don’t spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not make things complex, so don’t think about the consequences.

 

Did people discover how really you are?

Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motives. I have long had a lot of reservations on TV, I was afraid of the questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totally free.

 

It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.

To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we grow up as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. The song "Good Guys", it’s me who said, "Finally, let the “enfant terrible” who inspired you when you were a teenager." It took me as I shake to get there.

 

Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free?

I wouldn’t have spoken of it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public made me much good.

 

For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. It was complicated?

Some have literally looked at me! [Laughs.] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret.

 

Did your way of writing changed?

Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost to the other extreme, I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially these songs where I say more things than I do in reality...

 

You honor Freddie Mercury in "Last Party," was he a role model for you?

A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well, she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant.

 

The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim?

Of course. The album of Elton "Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock,  being it in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize all in pop. Queen showed me that it was possible.

 

What do you like in the current pop?

Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year.

 

Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy?

For me not at all but for them most definitely. I make s**t constantly! When I decided to make TV, I also decided that I had fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with the maison of Valentino. The target is to stay dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Talking about the family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years.

 

Are you unbearable?

No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone.

 

Will you do the coach again in "The Voice" next year?

I do not know. But I have to do a tour...

 

Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most?

Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you get past the cap, they are  the types super likeable, eccentric and super tender. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes: "Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother.

 

You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?

[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!

 

He has projects in abundance.

"I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would quickly work on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to produce at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. "

 

He rented the house of Orlando Bloom

"In Los Angeles to record the album. He didn’t like me. He was in full divorce and tourist buses running every hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus picked me as Orlando, and I threw them my coffee. Alas, there is no trace on YouTube! "

 

He played at Parc des Princes

"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have committed more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tourneè to repay myself. But I have excellent memories.”

 

 

Translation by crazyaboutmika

 

 

 

 

Mika Paris Match interview proofread

We left Mika getting lost into a electro pop that was a bit bland. His third album logically backfired on him. After his triumphant start, his music was less popular. The clever singer had foreseen that becoming a coach in The Voice might help him boost his career. And actually people found out quickly about this charming young man, confortable in his own skin, wearing extravagant outfits, and mainly an excellent musician. In June, Mika gave its music all the importance it deserved. "No Place in Heaven" is a powerful and very intimate CD that makes you want to dance. From now on, the boy isn't hiding behind false pretenses and he talks sincerely about himself, about his doubts as well as about his wishes.
Have you been disappointed by the reactions to your previous album,"The Origin Of Love"?Mika. Creatively, I was very happy.But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for myself , I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and whatsmore , it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial. So does an artist has to go through this kind of gateway nowadays?I didn’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists would have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to be committed : in fact, for example, on TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitate when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and"The Voice", of course .Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.In each country I work differently.In the US, I am a cult singer , I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn that get sold in two minutes! In Italy, France, Korea, Spain, everything is different each time. It is a priviledge that allows me to work with lots of different people.Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself to it fully during a month and then I don’t work for television during weeks.My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and isn't much stage...It's different for her because she took the decision to have a child, which is totally understandable. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You only have to find the right balance and not to spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not to have complexes, and so don’t think about the consequences.Did people discover you as how really you are?Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motive . I was wary of TV, I was afraid of being asked questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totallyfree.It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we turn into as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. In the song "Good Guys", that's me telling to myself "At last be the " enfant terrible " who used to inspire you when you were a teenager." I have had to give myself a shake. Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free?I wouldn’t have spoken about it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public was very good for me. For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. Was it complicated?Some
Some journalists were litterally after me. [Laughs] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret.Did your way of writing changed?Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost at the other extreme, now I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially because in songs I manage to say a lot more things than I in reale life ...You honor Freddie Mercury in"Last Party," was he a role model for you?A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well,she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant.The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim this ?Of course. The album of Elton"Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock, weither in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize if all into pop. Queen showed me that it was possible.What do you like in the current pop?Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year.Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy?For me not at all but for them most definitely. I p*** them off constantly! When I decided to make TV shows , I also decided that I would have fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with Valentino. The aim is to stay a dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Speaking about my family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years.Are you unbearable?No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone.Will you do the coach again in"The Voice" next year?I do not know. I feel like it, ut I have a tour to make ...Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most?Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you have overcome that , they are the super likeable, eccentric and super tender type of people. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes:"Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother.You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!He has projects in abundance."I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would like to work soon on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to do a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. "He rented the house of Orlando Bloom"In Los Angeles to record the album. I didn't like like to be in L.A. . He was in thr middle of a divorce and tourist buses would stop each hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus took me for Orlando, and I threw my coffee at them. Alas, there is no recording of this on YouTube! "He played at Parc des Princes"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have invested more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tour to get my money back .But I have excellent memories.

 

 

 

 

Paris Match / Getty images

http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/singer-mika-is-photographed-for-paris-match-on-april-25-news-photo/484318786

Singer Mika is photographed for Paris Match on April 25, 2015 in Paris, France.

Credit: Julien Weber/Paris Match

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scans by Mikawebsite.com

Thanks a lot !!

 

http://www.mikawebsite.com/un-article-consacre-a-mika-dans-le-magazine-paris-match-n3456/

Edited August 21, 2015 by Kumazzz
updating

[Lucrezia]

Paris Match Le 15 août 2015 | Mise à jour le 14 août 2015

 

http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Musique/No-Place-in-Heaven-Mika-dans-tous-ses-etats-813109

 

Mika sort son 4e album, « No Place in Heaven » (Barclay/Universal). Il sera tournée à partir du 18 septembre.

 

Un quatrième album merveilleux, une tournée quasi complète, le coach de « The Voice » savoure un retour réussi. Rencontre.

On l’avait laissé s’égarant dans une pop électro un peu fade. Avec son troisième album, paru en 2012, Mika a connu un logique retour de bâton. Après des débuts en fanfare, sa musique ­commençait à moins passionner les foules. Malin, le chanteur a compris qu’en acceptant d’être l’un des coachs de « The Voice » il pourrait relancer sa carrière rapidement. Très vite, effectivement, les gens ­découvrent un jeune homme attachant, bien dans sa peau, prêt à toutes les extravagances ­vestimentaires et, ­surtout, terriblement musicien. En juin, Mika a donc redonné à sa musique toute la place qu’elle ­méritait. « No Place in Heaven » est un disque puissant, dansant, et très intime. Désormais, le garçon ne se cache plus derrière les faux-semblants et parle sincèrement de lui, de ses doutes comme de ses envies.

 

A lire aussi: Mika: “J'espère avoir trouvé l'amour de ma vie

 

Paris Match. Avez-vous été déçu de l’accueil rencontré par votre précédent disque, “The Origin of Love” ?

 

Mika. Créativement, j’étais très content. Mais commercialement, ça a été dur. Pendant l’enregistrement, je me cherchais, j’avais besoin d’une rupture esthétique, pour me donner ensuite plus de liberté. Une chanson comme “Underwater” a mis des mois pour exister sur les radios... et encore, c’est parce que j’ai accepté qu’elle soit utilisée dans une pub.

 

Un artiste doit désormais passer par ce genre de passerelle ?

Je ne voulais pas rester dans mon coin à attendre de constater l’échec du disque comme l’auraient fait les artistes de la vieille garde. Non, dans ma génération, on se lance : on fait, par exemple, de la télé. On fait tout ce que l’on peut pour mettre la musique dans l’oreille du public. C’est pour ça aussi que je n’ai pas hésité à me lancer dans certains partenariats, avec Swatch notamment, que j’ai participé à “X Factor”, à une campagne pour une bière espagnole et à “The Voice”, évidemment.

 

Sauf que chaque campagne n’est destinée qu’à un seul pays. Elles ne sont pas mondiales.

Je travaille chaque pays de manière différente. Aux Etats-Unis, je suis culte, je suis indé et je suis donc très cool. Je suis le mec qui fait des shows à Brooklyn qui se vendent en deux ­minutes ! En Italie, en France, en Corée, en Espagne, tout est différent à chaque fois. C’est un privilège qui me permet de collaborer avec plein de gens différents.

 

Vous ne vous lassez pas de ce tourbillon permanent ?

Non, parce que je sépare les choses. Si je fais “The Voice”, je m’y consacre pleinement pendant un mois et ensuite je ne fais ­aucune télé pendant plusieurs semaines. Ma priorité est de rester musicien, donc d’écrire, de chanter et de donner des concerts.

 

"Pour bien grandir, il faut préserver la candeur"

 

Ce n’est pas le cas de tous les coachs. Jenifer ne vend plus beaucoup de disques et ne fait pas beaucoup de scène...

C’est différent pour elle, car elle a pris la décision d’avoir un enfant, on ne peut que la comprendre. Je sais qu’elle prépare un nouvel album, elle prend son temps. Il faut juste trouver le bon équilibre et ne pas cracher dans la soupe. Ça a marché pour moi dans “The Voice” parce que j’ai décidé de ne pas me cacher, de ne pas me complexer, donc de ne pas penser aux conséquences.

 

Les gens vous ont-ils découvert tel que vous êtes vraiment ?

Probablement. Je m’exprime en tout cas spontanément, sans arrière-pensées. J’ai longtemps eu beaucoup de réserve à la télé, je craignais les questions. Maintenant, plus rien ne me fait peur. Je rêvais d’être dans cet état d’esprit-là, libre.

 

Ça se ressent dans les textes de votre nouveau disque… Vous n’hésitez pas à parler de vous, de vos sentiments.

Pour bien grandir, il faut préserver la candeur. Car elle protège les enfants terribles que nous sommes. Sinon, on grandit comme une pierre, on perd l’amour, on perd le sens de l’humour, on perd le sexe, on perd la joie. La chanson “Good Guys”, c’est moi qui me dit : “Soit enfin l’enfant terrible qui t’inspirait quand tu étais adolescent.” Il a fallu que je me secoue pour en arriver là.

 

Le fait d’avoir parlé de votre homosexualité vous a libéré ?

Je n’aurais pas pu parler de tout ça avant. Quand on pense qu’on se protège en ne disant rien, au final, on s’isole. Ça devenait un cancer créatif, je le sentais. Le fait de mettre ma vie privée au clair avec les médias et le public m’a fait beaucoup de bien.

 

Pendant longtemps les journalistes vous cherchaient sur le ­terrain de la sexualité. C’était compliqué ?  

Certains m’ont littéralement cherché ! [Rires.] J’ai su me protéger et j’ai décidé de prendre ça avec humour… Je reconnais que c’est plus facile pour moi que pour d’autres. Moi, c’est un choix, certains sont encore dans l’impossibilité de révéler leur secret.

“Avec moi, si on peut survivre une semaine, on peut survivre huit ans !” Mika

Est-ce que cela a changé votre manière d’écrire ?  

Evidemment. Maintenant, j’ose ! Je vais presque dans l’excès inverse, je me retiens de ne pas dire certains trucs. Surtout qu’en chansons j’arrive à dire bien plus de choses que dans la réalité…

 

Vous rendez hommage à Freddie Mercury dans “Last Party”, était-il un modèle pour vous ?

Un modèle, non, mais c’est quelqu’un qui a compté. Il était finalement très punk. Je me suis rendu compte qu’il y a toujours eu beaucoup d’humour dans le punk, que ce soit chez les Sex Pistols à leurs débuts ou chez Marilyn Manson récemment. En ce moment, j’écoute cette jeune Australienne Courtney ­Barnett. Eh bien, elle me semble très punk aussi. Tout comme peuvent l’être Arielle Dombasle ou Fanny Ardant.

 

Le disque fait penser au meilleur d’Elton John, de Queen, cette pop élégiaque des seventies. Vous le revendiquez ?  

Bien sûr. Le disque d’Elton “Tumbleweed Connection” est une vraie influence. Il y a une douceur dans cette écriture qui me plaît beaucoup. Que l’on retrouve aussi chez Harry Nilsson. Queen a été pour moi une manière de comprendre comment faire le lien entre le classique, la pop et le rock, que ce soit dans la voix, la progression harmonique ou la couleur de la musique. Je viens de l’opéra, de la musique classique, et j’ai longtemps cherché une manière de tout canaliser dans la pop. Queen m’a prouvé que c’était possible.

 

Qu’aimez-vous dans la pop actuelle ?

Pas grand-chose. Quand on pense à la pop aujourd’hui, on pense à un truc travaillé dans un bureau, construit et pas spontané. C’est un peu triste. Ce que j’aime, ce sont les mélodies pop ­organiques, loin des machines. Le dernier choc pop que j’ai eu c’est Christine and the Queens. Elle sait vraiment de quoi elle parle. Tout comme Stromae l’an passé.

 

Votre famille est très présente dans votre carrière. N’est-ce pas pesant ?

Pour moi pas du tout, mais pour eux très certainement. Je les fais chier sans cesse ! Quand j’ai décidé de faire de la télé, j’ai aussi décidé que je devais m’amuser avec les habits. Donc c’est ma mère qui s’en occupe, avec la maison Valentino. La consigne c’est de rester dandy. C’est un peu comme la musique, l’extérieur reste traditionnel et l’intérieur peut être assez avant-gardiste ! [il rit.] Pour revenir à la famille, ils m’entourent depuis mes débuts, j’ai quasiment toujours eu la même équipe parce que je pense que si on détruit l’équipe, on détruit l’artiste. Avec moi, de toute façon, si on peut survivre une semaine, on peut survivre huit ans.

 

Vous êtes insupportable ?

Non, mais je n’arrête pas. Et c’est ce qui plaît à tout le monde.

 

Serez-vous de nouveau coach dans “The Voice” l’an prochain ?

Je ne sais pas. J’en ai envie mais j’ai une tournée à faire...

 

Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, qui vous a le plus surpris ?  

Florent Pagny ! C’est le même genre de mec que Johnny Hallyday. Quand on les rencontre, ils sont durs, fermés. Mais une fois qu’on a passé le cap, ce sont des types super attachants, hyper tendres et excentriques. La première fois que j’ai croisé Florent, j’ai lu dans son regard : “Oh là là, c’est qui ce garçon ?” Je le sentais inquiet. Et maintenant c’est comme un frère.

 

Vous êtes entré au musée Grévin. Qu’avez-vous ressenti ?

[il rit.] Je le savais déjà mais je suis plus beau en vrai !

 

Il a des projets à foison

« Je vais sortir bientôt un album symphonique enregistré à Montréal au printemps avec 120 musiciens. Ensuite j’aimerais rapidement travailler sur un disque avec

quatre ou cinq musiciens. Et j’adorerais me produire à la Philharmonie de Paris avec un grand orchestre. »

 

Il a loué la maisond’Orlando Bloom

 

« A Los Angeles pour enregistrer cet album. Ça ne me plaisait pas. Il était en plein divorce et des bus de touristes passaient toutes les heures devant sa maison. Un matin, alors que j’étais dehors, les gens à bord d’un bus m’ont pris pour Orlando, et je leur ai balancé mon café. Hélas, il n’existe aucune trace sur YouTube ! »

 

Il a joué au  Parc des Princes 

« En 2008 je me suis lancé dans ce concert extravagant. J’ai engagé plus de 1 million d’euros. Même si c’était complet, j’ai perdu énormément d’argent. J’ai dû faire deux ans de tournée ensuite pour tout rembourser. Mais j’en garde un excellent souvenir. »

 

Translation (if there are some mistakes please let me know)

 

Have you been disappointed by how went your previous album, "The Origin Of Love"?

Mika. Creatively, I was very happy. But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for me, I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and again, it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial.

 

So does an artist has henceforth go through this kind of gateway?

I don’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to embark yourself: in fact, for example, the TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitated when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and "The Voice", of course .

 

Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.

In each country I work differently. In the US, I worship, I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn and sells in two minutes! Italy, France, Korea, Spain, each time everything is different. It is a privilege that allows me to work with lots of different people.

 

Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?

No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself fully for a month and then I don’t make television for weeks. My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.

 

This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and doesn’t have much stage...

It's different for her because she made the decision to have a child, we can only understand it. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You have just find the right balance and don’t spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not make things complex, so don’t think about the consequences.

 

Did people discover how really you are?

Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motives. I have long had a lot of reservations on TV, I was afraid of the questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totally free.

 

It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.

To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we grow up as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. The song "Good Guys", it’s me who said, "Finally, let the “enfant terrible” who inspired you when you were a teenager." It took me as I shake to get there.

 

Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free?

I wouldn’t have spoken of it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public made me much good.

 

For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. It was complicated?

Some have literally looked at me! [Laughs.] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret.

 

Did your way of writing changed?

Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost to the other extreme, I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially these songs where I say more things than I do in reality...

 

You honor Freddie Mercury in "Last Party," was he a role model for you?

A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well, she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant.

 

The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim?

Of course. The album of Elton "Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock,  being it in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize all in pop. Queen showed me that it was possible.

 

What do you like in the current pop?

Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year.

 

Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy?

For me not at all but for them most definitely. I make s**t constantly! When I decided to make TV, I also decided that I had fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with the maison of Valentino. The target is to stay dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Talking about the family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years.

 

Are you unbearable?

No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone.

 

Will you do the coach again in "The Voice" next year?

I do not know. But I have to do a tour...

 

Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most?

Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you get past the cap, they are  the types super likeable, eccentric and super tender. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes: "Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother.

 

You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?

[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!

 

He has projects in abundance.

"I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would quickly work on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to produce at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. "

 

He rented the house of Orlando Bloom

"In Los Angeles to record the album. He didn’t like me. He was in full divorce and tourist buses running every hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus picked me as Orlando, and I threw them my coffee. Alas, there is no trace on YouTube! "

 

He played at Parc des Princes

"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have committed more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tourneè to repay myself. But I have excellent memories.”

Edited August 16, 2015 by Kumazzz
an old pic link doesn't work

[mamiam]

Grazie mille Lucrezia!!   Lots of great promises: " a tour next year - soon release of the Montreal recordings - new alb.work with four or five musicians, and wish for producing at the Philharmonie de Paris!" 

Voila!  Much to look forward to ...    

 

Love,love

me 

[Yuna]

 

Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?

No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself fully for a month and then I don’t make television for weeks. My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.

 

YES!   

 

.

Will you do the coach again in "The Voice" next year?

I do not know. But I have to do a tour.

 

YES!! :boing:

 

 

You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?

[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!

 

YES!!   

 

 

He played at Parc des Princes

"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have committed more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tourneè to repay myself. But I have excellent memories.”

 

Holy Cow!       I thought he earned loooots of money from that one ...!  Since I heard a rumor that his first asia tour had to be postponed because of that Blockbuster PDP    

 

Thank you Lucrezia for the translation! 

[Marilyn Mastin]

Translation (if there are some mistakes please let me know)

 

Have you been disappointed by how went your previous album, "The Origin Of Love"?

Mika. Creatively, I was very happy. But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for me, I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and again, it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial.

 

So does an artist has henceforth go through this kind of gateway?

I don’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to embark yourself: in fact, for example, the TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitated when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and "The Voice", of course .

 

Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.

In each country I work differently. In the US, I worship, I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn and sells in two minutes! Italy, France, Korea, Spain, each time everything is different. It is a privilege that allows me to work with lots of different people.

 

Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?

No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself fully for a month and then I don’t make television for weeks. My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.

 

This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and doesn’t have much stage...

It's different for her because she made the decision to have a child, we can only understand it. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You have just find the right balance and don’t spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not make things complex, so don’t think about the consequences.

 

Did people discover how really you are?

Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motives. I have long had a lot of reservations on TV, I was afraid of the questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totally free.

 

It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.

To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we grow up as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. The song "Good Guys", it’s me who said, "Finally, let the “enfant terrible” who inspired you when you were a teenager." It took me as I shake to get there.

 

Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free?

I wouldn’t have spoken of it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public made me much good.

 

For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. It was complicated?

Some have literally looked at me! [Laughs.] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret.

 

Did your way of writing changed?

Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost to the other extreme, I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially these songs where I say more things than I do in reality...

 

You honor Freddie Mercury in "Last Party," was he a role model for you?

A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well, she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant.

 

The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim?

Of course. The album of Elton "Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock,  being it in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize all in pop. Queen showed me that it was possible.

 

What do you like in the current pop?

Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year.

 

Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy?

For me not at all but for them most definitely. I make s**t constantly! When I decided to make TV, I also decided that I had fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with the maison of Valentino. The target is to stay dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Talking about the family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years.

 

Are you unbearable?

No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone.

 

Will you do the coach again in "The Voice" next year?

I do not know. But I have to do a tour...

 

Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most?

Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you get past the cap, they are  the types super likeable, eccentric and super tender. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes: "Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother.

 

You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?

[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!

 

He has projects in abundance.

"I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would quickly work on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to produce at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. "

 

He rented the house of Orlando Bloom

"In Los Angeles to record the album. He didn’t like me. He was in full divorce and tourist buses running every hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus picked me as Orlando, and I threw them my coffee. Alas, there is no trace on YouTube! "

 

He played at Parc des Princes

"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have committed more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tourneè to repay myself. But I have excellent memories.”

Excellent translation! Thank you. I'm interested to hear about the new album. I actually hope the musicians he works with, will be classical musicians. I do think Mika should go down the classical route, and if he's thinking of doing a philharmonic concert, that would tie in nicely.

I hope he does a tour, not another season of The Voice. It's very limiting, and people need to see him live, in many countries, not just in France..

Edited August 15, 2015 by Marilyn Mastin

[crazyaboutmika]

Thank you Eriko and Lucrezia

I was busy all day with family for a birthday party and I could only escape it tonight to buy Paris Match ...Lucrezia you did a great job

I might proofread it for a few words , but not many

[mellody]

 

Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.

In each country I work differently. In the US, I worship, I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn and sells in two minutes! Italy, France, Korea, Spain, each time everything is different. It is a privilege that allows me to work with lots of different people.

 

 

It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.

To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we grow up as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. The song "Good Guys", it’s me who said, "Finally, let the “enfant terrible” who inspired you when you were a teenager." It took me as I shake to get there.

 

thanks for the translation, lu! very interesting article. just the 2 bits i marked in red, i think i kinda understand them when i read the french text in combination with your translation, but maybe there's other english words you can use here to make it better understandable?

 

love what he says about why he's doing all the tv stuff etc. - just what i thought, after reading a few articles on the topic. and happy to hear the confirmation that being a musician is the most important for him. i'm shocked tho about the amount of money he lost with PDP. i knew he lost money with it, he said it before in interviews... but that much, wow!

 

also i love what he says about combining pop, rock and classical music. the more he goes in this direction of combining those 3 styles, the better. my all-time favourite song is "music" by john miles - also because of the lyrics, but mainly because it perfectly combines pop, rock and classical music. it's just everything i want from a song. and yes, he's right, many queen songs have that as well. i don't hear much of the rock part in his songs yet (maybe a bit in promiseland ), but the classical influence certainly is obvious in songs like pick up off the floor or ordinary man, amongst others.

Edited August 15, 2015 by mellody

[Lucrezia]

Thank you everyone!! I'm glad that my translation was useful

 

Thank you Eriko and Lucrezia
I was busy all day with family for a birthday party and I could only escape it tonight to buy Paris Match ...Lucrezia you did a great job
I might proofread it for a few words , but not many

 

 

thanks for the translation, lu! very interesting article. just the 2 bits i marked in red, i think i kinda understand them when i read the french text in combination with your translation, but maybe there's other english words you can use here to make it better understandable?

 

Thank you for the suggestions, Karin!  I agree with you 'cause I wasn't so conviced about these parts too, if Anne has a better way to translate please let me know... I'm learning french day after day so I'll be very glad if you can help me  

[crazyaboutmika]

I'll do it later tonight as I still have my sister in law here...

[Lucrezia]

I'll do it later tonight as I still have my sister in law here...

 

Take your time, sweety

[Lucrezia]

So here are the scans of the magazine Telépro... it's a very interesting interview: he talks about his new album, the tour and his house in Miami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much Mikafrance for the scans!!!

Edited August 15, 2015 by Lucrezia

[crazyaboutmika]

Mika Paris Match interview proofread

 

We left Mika getting lost into a electro pop that was a bit bland. His third album logically backfired on him. After his triumphant start, his music was less popular. The clever singer had foreseen that becoming a coach in The Voice might help him boost his career. And actually people found out quickly about this charming young man, confortable in his own skin, wearing extravagant outfits, and mainly an excellent musician. In June, Mika gave its music all the importance it deserved. "No Place in Heaven" is a powerful and very intimate CD that makes you want to dance. From now on, the boy isn't hiding behind false pretenses and he talks sincerely about himself, about his doubts as well as about his wishes.

Have you been disappointed by the reactions to your previous album,"The Origin Of Love"?Mika. Creatively, I was very happy.But commercially, it has been hard. During the recording of the album, I was looking for myself , I needed an aesthetic rupture, to give me more freedom. A song like “Underwater” took months to exist on the radio... and whatsmore , it’s because I agreed that it could be used in a commercial. So does an artist has to go through this kind of gateway nowadays?I didn’t want to stay in my corner and wait to see the failure of the album as the old guard of the artists would have done. No, in my generation, you’ve to be committed : in fact, for example, on TV. We do everything we can to put our music in the ear of the public. This is also why I didn’t hesitate when they asked me for some partnerships, including Swatch, "X Factor", or a campaign for a Spanish beer and"The Voice", of course .Except that each campaign is intended only for one country. They are not global.In each country I work differently.In the US, I am a cult singer , I am independent and I am very cool. I'm the guy who makes shows in Brooklyn that get sold in two minutes! In Italy, France, Korea, Spain, everything is different each time. It is a priviledge that allows me to work with lots of different people.Do you not get tired of this constant vortex?No, because I separate things. If I make "The Voice", I devote myself to it fully during a month and then I don’t work for television during weeks.My priority is to be a musician, so to write, sing and make concerts.This is not the case for all coaches. Jenifer no longer sells a lot of records and isn't much stage...It's different for her because she took the decision to have a child, which is totally understandable. I know she is preparing a new album, she is taking her time. You only have to find the right balance and not to spit in the soup. It worked for me in "The Voice" because I decided not to hide, not to have complexes, and so don’t think about the consequences.Did people discover you as how really you are?Probably. I express myself in any case spontaneously without ulterior motive . I was wary of TV, I was afraid of being asked questions. Now, nothing scares me. I dreamed of being in this state of mind, totallyfree.It is reflected in the lyrics of your new album... You don’t hesitate to talk about you, about your feelings.To grow up, we must preserve the candor. Because it protects the “enfants terribles” we are. Otherwise, we turn into as a stone, we lose love, we lose the sense of humor, we lose sex, we lose joy. In the song "Good Guys", that's me telling to myself "At last be the " enfant terrible " who used to inspire you when you were a teenager." I have had to give myself a shake. Having talked about your homosexuality, did it make you free?I wouldn’t have spoken about it before. When we think to protect ourselves by saying nothing, in the end, we isolate ourselves. It was becoming a creative cancer... Putting my privacy clear with the media and the public was very good for me. For a long time journalists seek you out about sexuality. Was it complicated?Some

Some journalists were litterally after me. [Laughs] I've been able to protect me and I decided to take it with humor ... I agree that it is easier for me than for others. For me, it's a choice, some are still unable to reveal their secret.Did your way of writing changed?Obviously. Now I dare! I'm almost at the other extreme, now I restrain myself not to say certain things. Especially because in songs I manage to say a lot more things than I in reale life ...You honor Freddie Mercury in"Last Party," was he a role model for you?A model, no, but someone who counted. He was actually very punk. I realized that there was always a lot of humor in punk, whether at the Sex Pistols in their early stages or with Marilyn Manson recently. At the moment, I listen to this young australian Courtney Barnett. Well,she seems very punk too. As can be Arielle Dombasle and Fanny Ardant.The album makes one think of Elton John, Queen, this elegiac pop of the seventies. Do you claim this ?Of course. The album of Elton"Tumbleweed Connection" is a real influence. There is a sweetness in this writing that appeals me. Which is also found in Harry Nilsson. Queen was a way for me to understand how make the connection between the classical, pop and rock, weither in the voice, in the harmonic progression or in the color of music. I come from opera, classical music, and long time I sought a way to canalize if all into pop. Queen showed me that it was possible.What do you like in the current pop?Not much. When we think of pop today, we think of a stuff that worked in an office, built, and not spontaneous. It's a little sad. What I like, are the melodies in the organic pop, far from the machines. The last shock pop I heard was Christine and the Queens. She really knows what she's talking about. As Stromae last year.Your family is very present in your career. It is not heavy?For me not at all but for them most definitely. I p*** them off constantly! When I decided to make TV shows , I also decided that I would have fun with clothes. So it was my mother who took care of it, with Valentino. The aim is to stay a dandy. It's like music, the outside remains traditional and the interior can be quite forward thinking! [Laughs.] Speaking about my family, they surround me since I started to work, I almost always had the same team because I think if we destroy the team, we destroy the artist. With me, anyway, if you can survive one week, you can survive eight years.Are you unbearable?No, but I don’t stop. And that is what pleases everyone.Will you do the coach again in"The Voice" next year?I do not know. I feel like it, ut I have a tour to make ...Jenifer, Zazie, Florent Pagny, who surprised you the most?Florent Pagny! This is the same kind of guy of Johnny Hallyday. When you meet them, they are tough, closed. But once you have overcome that , they are the super likeable, eccentric and super tender type of people. The first time I met Florent, I read in his eyes:"Oh dear, who is this boy?" I felt uneasy. And now he's like a brother.You entered at the museum Grevin. How did you feel?[Laughs.] I knew that already but I am more beautiful in person!He has projects in abundance."I will soon release a symphonic album recorded in Montreal in the spring with 120 musicians. Then I would like to work soon on an album with four or five musicians. And I'd love to do a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris with a big orchestra. "He rented the house of Orlando Bloom"In Los Angeles to record the album. I didn't like like to be in L.A. . He was in thr middle of a divorce and tourist buses would stop each hour in front of his house. One morning while I was outside, people aboard a bus took me for Orlando, and I threw my coffee at them. Alas, there is no recording of this on YouTube! "He played at Parc des Princes"In 2008 I launched in this extravagant concert. I have invested more than € 1 million. Even though it was sold out I lost a lot of money. I had to do two years of tour to get my money back .But I have excellent memories.

Edited August 15, 2015 by crazyaboutmika

[Kumazzz]

TF1

Le journal de 13h

 

Mika : "Je fonctionne dans le désordre" ("I work in the disorder")

http://lci.tf1.fr/jt-13h/videos/2015/mika-je-fonctionne-dans-le-desordre-8640589.html

 

à 13h35

 

Ce jeudi soir, le chanteur Mika a donné un concert à Estavayer-le-Lac, en Suisse devant plus de 5.000 personnes. En coulisses, le chanteur a accepté de répondre aux questions de TF1.

 

:edit:

Le 13 heures du 31 juillet 2015 (HD)

http://lci.tf1.fr/jt-13h/videos/2015/le-13-heures-du-31-juillet-2015-8638607.html

 

RE-uploaded to YouTube

[crazyaboutmika]

So here are the scans of the magazine Telépro... it's a very interesting interview: he talks about his new album, the tour and his house in Miami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much Mikafrance for the scans!!!

Translation into English Enjoy!

 

Mika: my songs tell about me.

Familiar with worldwide success, he even seduces Chinese people. We met this charming toreador who plants his sparkling banderillas all around the globe.

Mika: my songs tell about me. 

Familiar with worldwide success, he even seduces Chinese people . We met this charming toreador who plants his sparkling banderillas all around the globe. 

He could look up and down on people based on his 1 m 91 and his international popstar status. But not at all. Wearing a white shirt under a sweater decorated with a few butterflies, our dandy seems to wear almost sober clothes in the living room of this palace in Brussels. Mika's assets are his his candid eyes, his irresistible smile which reveals himself fully when he camps it up. He cultivates his difference in a  fierce manner.

The artist is engaged in many fronts: the promotion of his third album "No Place in Heaven" from New York to Milan, his first concerts in Asia, preparing his european tour that will start in September (He'll be on stage in Forest National on the 23rd )  the shooting of his video for "Staring at the Sun" in Sicily and the start of a new album that he has started recording in Brussels. "I'm anticipating a bit, it won't be out before next year" he says with a smile. In this very busy schedule, he managed to find ten days for a holiday , but he's still looking for two plane tickets! Because Mika has a lifetime companion, Andy, his Greek shepherd. "I chose discreet places. But as soon as Andy is by my side, paparazzis show up. For him, it is annoying." 

This summer you're running after time!

I'm involved into many festivals, in Korea, in Japan....and in China where I was on stage by myself for the first time, there were 7,000 people among which only 5 percent of foreigners. Hallucinating! In Spain I sang into a rather violent festival where the ticket price is low to attrack young people who are often broke. But depending on the concerts, the audience can go from 25.000 to 8.000 people. I sang after Ibiza's DJ. At 3 AM, they were singing my songs along and dancing like crazy! At 32, I feel I'm in a transitional period in which I can enter the lineage of artists who have a career. I'm happy to be creating a buzz in festivals. My public becomes younger and more numerous. All generations liked "Boum Boum"

Aren't you ever tired?

Sometimes I'm extremely tired. And I wonder if it's all worth it. I haven't stopped in ten years. When you're into pop, it's not obvious to fight and manage to have a stable career. 

This joyful and colorful universe of yours that we know almost hides your balads, your more intimate songs with a piano...

However ,during the concerts,

they are as successful as more upbeat titles like Love Today or Rain. My songs tell about me, they help me seing my own evolution as in a mirror without any calculations nor strategies.

Photos: "Zazie my friend? On the set she was the witch

 as Samantha in "Bewitched"and backstage my true witch!"

In New York in July

Here is Mika's famous house in Miami which costed the earth to Mika! "It had many flaws. 

Home for a little while.

 

Do texts get more mature as you go through personal crisis? 

Yes. When you're 17, you think about writing a love song. But in fact, it's about sex. Actually it's a delirium about being obsessed about owning someone. Later, it becomes more complex when it tums into love, it becomes less sparkling. It doesn't mean that it's sad, it evolves. I hate melancholy. It's dangerous. It is anti creative, emotional porn.

In your songs, you have become more and more open about yourself...

My public life evolved a lot faster than my private life. It took me a while. Before I used not to be able to deal with the consequences of having my private life being exposed because of notoriety. I thought I was protecting myself but it was the opposite. Once I talked about my private life in a more transparent way, it led to many negative reactions. However that's my life. I learned more from my  failures  than from my successes. 

Sharing your life doesn't seem to be simple. Where do you live? In London, close to your family or in Paris? 

My home and my dogs are in London. During the last three months I spent fifteen hours there. At the moment,  I'm happy to do my job.

And what about Miami where you bought a house in 2011?

Buying that house in Miami was a totally foolish thing ro do and I regret it. I thought it would make me happy. When I began my career, no one wanted to work with me. I started working in Miami where producers who felt frustrated by latino music had seen a potential in me. The girl who had discovered me mortgaged her apartment. I had spent my student loan. I recorded my demos at night  incognito in the Bee Gees studio. When Barry Gibb found out about it, he fired both his main engineer and me.

And it worked because I signed with a record company. I had this emotional link with this town. After I saw that house on internet, I visited it, loved it and bought it in fifteen minutes. It was protected and it had many flaws. I had to have it raised and have the foundations rebuilt four meter down. It had to be done three times and it costed me a fortune. I ended up turning this house into an artistic project. With my sister Yasmine, we painted frescoes, and we designed the furniture. The style of the house is a gothic, and it's not even overlooking the sea! No kidding, in my life I sometimes make bad choices. In Miami Florent Pagny as for him, has got a beautiful and modern house right by the sea. (laughs)

 What will new Mika shows look like?

With my brother, we designed the stage set. And last night, I also did many sketches with my friend Job Smeets who is a famous belgium designer. I'm also working on the staging with a group of street theater a fan had told me about. All the craftsmen in one village have a month to create the stage set of a totally destroyed  nuclear plant, something in between "Mad Max" and Tchernobyl. I will be on stage in a caravan. As the show goes along, the universe changes. It is based on the idea that we look for paradise in the wrong places. That's my trash opera rock side!(laughs) 

You will soon release your book "Diary of an accidental optimist." What is it going to be about?

I felt like talking about my life today and about my family past. My grandmother was 16 when my grandfather shook her hand for the first time. He was 60 and he was about to get engaged to another woman. My grandmother accepted to get married to him, if he took care of her six brothers and sisters. He got the archbishop of Beirut involved to negociate the deal. One needs to know their roots, even if you belong to a generation who feels lost. All the colors you talk about are a symbol of my miscegenation. 

And what about The Voice? You don't feel like seing Zazie again?

The witch? She is a tactician. She calls me "the bastard", you know (laughs). We fight a lot. I was lucky I turned around for Kendji Girac. He had not been ruined by the system.  He hadn't sang in all the piano bars around and he wasn't 55.

As far as "The Voice" I'm all for doing it again. But I have a huge tour to take care of as well. And I'm going back to Asia too. And "The Voice" tends to eat one up.

You were also an actor in "Zoolander 2" a Ben Stiller movie. Was it a good experience?

Ben is torturing me and he won't stop! I have to music to turn to him. No, I didn't like my movie experience. You have to wait for so long...Whatsmore they shaved me to draw custom temporary tattoes on my skin. It took four hours for my make up: moustache, tattoes everywhere, earrings.

You like Belgian fashion, don't you?

Walter Van Beirendonck! I've been working with him for many years. He dares, he is important for men. Art and music inspire fashion. From Bowie to Bryan Ferry, the dandy style was created by music. But one musn't become a slave to fashion 

at all costs. There's this big trend for popstar women to get inspired by fashion. It's very ugly. 

You enjoy beer. Are you happy in Belgium? 

I can't drink beer anymore. It ruins my voice, more than wine. But I catch up when I'm on holidays.

"My family? A circus team"

The American-Lebanese Penniman family in London, around Mika, his four sibblings, three sisters and a brother. The eldest are Yasmine, illustrator (she creates the album covers) and Paloma,  stylist who takes care of the organisation. "She makes the impossible become possible" says Mika. Zuleīka who is a very gifted student and stylist designs jewels for Christian Louboutin. And the youngest child of the family Fortuné just finished his studies in architecture.

"My mother was born to a family of immigrants who arrived in Ellis Island. Her father was a builder. He became very rich but later he lost everything. This financial roller coaster she had to go through made her aware that the only thing that can give you freedom is creativity. You can't buy it and it gives you a power. She taught us that. Between us, we belong to the same circus team!" 

 

Must see and watch:

"No Place in Heaven" Universal Music.

Mika will be on stage at Forest National on September 23rd.

 

Photos:

Ready to conquer Asia!

From left to right, around Mika, his sisters Yasmine, Zuleïka, Paloma and his brother Fortune. 

Mika has been a big fan of the Belgium fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck. Urban chic version.

[tiibet]

Thank you so much for translating!!!