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Mika interview with inews.co.uk, 15 February 2023


Kumazzz

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1 hour ago, BeccaStardust said:

New interview with inews

 

(It's more broader then just the piano so didn't put it there )

 

https://t.co/jeYf5i4YPt

 

 

Thanks a million for finding and posting @BeccaStardust

 

I news UK

https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/mika-interview-the-piano-channel-4-brazen-homophobia-2150003

February 15, 2023 11:58 am(Updated 2:57 pm)

 

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Mika: ‘I was accused of being brazen, but that was brazen homophobia’

Interview
 
Returning to the UK limelight as a judge on Channel 4’s The Piano,
Mika talks the questions he faced in his early career,
his joyous brand of pop music and taking to the Eurovision stage
 

Back in 2007, Mika was everywhere. And how different he was from the landfill indie, nu-rave and X Factor winners that clogged up the charts: a bundle of vibrant energy singing brilliant, kaleidoscopic pop songs like “Love Today” and “Grace Kelly” in a ridiculous, high-to-low octave vocal range. Named the BBC Sound Of 2007, he was an instant star: his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion sold eight million copies.  

Yet lots of people weren’t sure what to make of him (and critics could be scathingone said listening to Mika was like “being held at gunpoint by Bonnie Langford). Some of this was innocent enough: Mika himself thinks his hard-to-pin musical style radiating “a blatant joy of pop” put people off. But often, it was more insidious.

 

Mika, born Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr, was always a precocious talent: he first appeared onstage at the age of eight singing in a chorus of a Strauss opera at the Royal Opera House, and at 15 starred as a boy soprano in the venue’s production of Vaughan Williams’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.

He was born in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and American father – the family fled the escalating civil war when Mika was one, moving first to Paris and then west London when he was nine (he was educated at a French school where he was bullied, then at Westminster School and later the Royal College of Music). This background was an artistic boon, but made him “a real headache for a lot of people to place”. The media were confused, or lacked sensitivity about his background, or downplayed parts of his identity (one interviewer once told him he couldn’t see anything “American about him”). “I used to be self-conscious about that multi-ethnicity”.

 

Worse still was the constant speculation and pressure for him to discuss his sexuality (Mika didn’t come out as gay until 2012). One 2007 Guardian piece bafflingly ran with the headline: “Why won’t Mika give a straight answer?” “There was confusion that I was drawing: ‘what is he?’ All this questioning about sexuality, and about emotional and musical and stylistic exuberance that in today’s pop culture is celebrated.”

He remembers hearing Americans talking about his songs “and just saying ‘we’d love to play this song, but it’s just a little too gay’”. He pulls an elaborate shocked face. “I think you wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today. I was accused of being brazen, but I think it was brazen homophobia. I’m 39 years old now, the world’s moved on, so I’m not afraid to say it. And it was such a waste of time”.

 

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Mika is on video from Paris, where he’s rushed from the studio – when he signs in to the call, he lets out a groan at the windswept wildness of his hair. “When I was younger, I could get away with it” he laughs. “Now if someone doesn’t do my hair, I look like this”. He’s a great talker: fun, enthusiastic, a bit cheeky, but also considered and vulnerable. “I used to be uncomfortable about doing interviews like this in the UK,” he tells me. You’d never guess, but it maybe explains why he’s in reflective mood: he hasn’t done one for many years, during which time he’s largely been absent from the UK, instead concentrating on his huge success on the continent (he’s lived abroad since 2013, predominantly in Tuscany). There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since, and it’s clear there’s things he wants to say.

 

Still, he’s lovely company, often wearing a beaming, endearing smile (to go with the plain white T-shirt). Never more than when he’s talking about The Piano, Channel 4’s new reality TV show, which sees him (secretly) judging amateur pianists playing in public spaces around the country. “It’s a beautiful show,” Mika says. “It made me feel like the world is an OK place”.

 

Mika occupies a distinct space in the pop landscape, straddling cultures, genres and disciplines. While he hasn’t maintained the juggernaut sales of his debut, he’s continued to make albums of various hues, collaborating with the likes of Madonna and Pharrell Williams (his last record, 2019’s My Name is Michael Holbrook, was a personal album written and released throughout his mother’s illness and death).

 

But he’s become a polymath: he’s been a judge on both the Italian X Factor and the French version of The Voice, while in Italy he presented his own variety show. In 2015, he voiced French-language animation film The Prophet; he’s taken part in art projects in Paris, and has a history of philanthropy, notably his 2020 I Love Beirut televised concert, which featured Kylie Minogue and Rufus Wainwright and raised €1m for victims of the Beirut blast.

 
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Last year alone, he presented, and performed, at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, performed at the Paris Philharmonic, played the main stage at Coachella, wrote the score for French film Zodi et Tehu, Freres du desert while writing an English pop album, and filming The Piano. “At a certain point your head could explode,” he says. “But it’s all part of finding your identity and not being afraid to be out of the system”.

 

He seems genuinely taken aback when I tell him I listened to his Zodi et Tehu, Freres du desert soundtrack. “Really? My family haven’t even listened to it!” Of the film’s plot, he says: “take E.T. and replace the extraterrestrial with a camel”. We both start to laugh. “I only wrote the music!” he protests, laughing. 

 

Mika’s face lights up when I first mention The Piano. Presented by Claudia Winkleman, the programme sees amateur pianists head to public pianos at four trains stations across the country, thinking they are contributing to a documentary about the rise of street piano playing. Little do they know, they are taking part in a reality TV contest: as they play for commuters, Mika and revered virtuoso Chinese pianist Lang Lang are secretly watching from back rooms (“during the heatwave with no air conditioning!”) to judge the performances and put their favourites through to a grand final held at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

 

It’s been tagged as “Bake Off for pianos” (it’s made by the same production company). “I’m not sure it is really” he says, screwing his face. “It’s not a competition in the same way”. But it has a similarly feelgood vibe, with a moving cast of disparate characters from all walks of life (a construction worker, a 92-year-old carer, a Tori Amos drag tribute act) giving the show its heart.

 

It made Mika consider what makes a great pianist. “Yeah, it’s so interesting. It’s like what makes a great singer”. He mentions Tom Waits and Judy Garland – a hint of Mika’s scope of interests – as examples of technically flawed vocalists, but ones able to convey raw emotion. “The same applies to piano playing. And what’s amazing about this project is that we found that to be the case. People playing really simply or people playing things that they’ve composed themselves almost always provoked more emotion than someone playing a very difficult technical piece by Chopin”.

 

The show shines a light on a bourgeoning community: street piano players. There’s been a rise as public pianos have sprung up around the UK. While the contestants’ skills are impressive, it’s their naivety that gives the show its charm. “They weren’t out for 15 minutes of fame. They were just there to play something, and to talk about themselves. Many of these people don’t have pianos at home. They can’t afford it, or don’t have space. I didn’t expect it to be as moving or diverse or impactful as it was. It’s a very special show, at quite an odd time in in the UK”. Odd how? “With everything that’s happening with all the struggles, and the strikes. It feels like sometimes we can harden. And this show is the antithesis of that. It makes you feel like the world is kinder”.

 

The Piano is a bit of a reintroduction to Mika to a UK audience. On the continent, his profile is such that in 2019 he performed on top of the Eiffel Tower as part of its 130th anniversary celebrations. Yet when he was announced as host of Eurovision, the UK press ran similar pieces on the theme of “what is Mika up to these days?” At Eurovision, he performed a spectacular greatest hits medley to an audience of 200 million, but admits “it must have been strange for people in the UK who haven’t seen me on television for a long time to suddenly see me in that context”. He thinks for a second. “Good strange, hopefully”.

 

How does he feel about his lower profile over here? “I don’t mind,” he says slowly. “I’ve never chased that”. That’s an understatement: his show at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in April will be his first UK gig outside of London since 2010. “I’m very aware,” he says, sounding disappointed. “I should have come back more. But I wasn’t thinking [about his profile] when I was sitting there talking [on The Piano]. I was thinking about expressing myself with complete freedom”.

 

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That hasn’t always been the case. He says he’s turned down lots of British TV (and interviews) in the past. “I was always okay with doing television in Italy or in France, but I was really uncomfortable with doing it in the UK,” he says. “Same with interviews. And I realise now, that’s kind of dumb”.

 

Part of the explanation lies in that he was anxious having his true personality in full glare. When he landed the job on The X Factor, he couldn’t speak a word of Italian: after speed-learning the language in two months, it began a process of him lowering his defences. “When I went on Italian television, I was far more worried about being able to speak!” he laughs, “than about trying to hide my personality. How can you be self-conscious over something you have no control over? 

 

“It always takes a while, but I’ve learned to be myself. Honestly, I don’t change very much anymore. I’ve been this weird eccentric within my own kind of crafted pop world,” he says. “And I’m going to stick with it”. 

He says that is much easier now than it used to be. “The industry was not one of the most kind or conducive places for making you at ease with your own identity or sexuality back then.

“My response was to assume the stage, find ways to tell my story, and find places that would be willing to hear it. It was not to compete, but to find my own space within which I could grow”. The smile on his face shows that Mika has done just that.

 

The Piano is on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 15 February

 

 

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3 hours ago, TinyLove_CJ said:

I'd love to have seen him with his unstyled messy curly hair! :lol3:

 

It's superfluff! :wub2: :biggrin2: 

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1 hour ago, Kumazzz said:

He says he’s turned down lots of British TV (and interviews) in the past. “I was always okay with doing television in Italy or in France, but I was really uncomfortable with doing it in the UK,” he says. “Same with interviews.

 

Interesting. I always had the feeling that he was more comfortable talking about his emotions in French than in English, thought that was related to his childhood when he grew up in France for the first several years, while in the UK he was bullied. And maybe that was the reason, who knows. He said that over the years he became more comfortable with doing TV. But I wasn't aware that he felt that bad about doing interviews in the UK (or generally in English) that he even turned down interviews, "lots of" them. When we kept asking the UK to show more love to Mika, well, it seems they were trying. :dunno: But in the earlier years up to 2012 he did lots of English interviews too. I still think that something happened at the end of 2012, I don't know what it was, but iirc he had to cancel a UK gig then and in London and Manchester he was in a weird mood. After Manchester, some of us were worried that it might have been his last ever gig. And after that, he went off to Italy and France, for the most part. It didn't feel to me like Xfactor was the changing point but that it was December 2012 in the UK which led to all those changes. For whatever reason, maybe one day we'll find out. :dunno_grin:

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Really loved reading this interview, he is so candid and the interviewer really did their research well. This creates the open atmosphere we love to see and hear (or read - in this case) Mika in. The description of the interviewer is so spot on, I could imagine Mika smiling and speaking comfortably with them! 
 

21 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

This background was an artistic boon, but made him “a real headache for a lot of people to place”

 

21 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

All this questioning about sexuality, and about emotional and musical and stylistic exuberance that in today’s pop culture is celebrated.”

 

21 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

“I used to be uncomfortable about doing interviews like this in the UK,” he tells me.

 

21 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

“it must have been strange for people in the UK who haven’t seen me on television for a long time to suddenly see me in that context”. He thinks for a second. “Good strange, hopefully”.

 

21 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

“I was always okay with doing television in Italy or in France, but I was really uncomfortable with doing it in the UK,” he says. “Same with interviews. And I realise now, that’s kind of dumb”.


His past with the media in the UK has been difficult, to say the least. I can completely understand his apprehension to why he declined interviews in the past. 
But I also think he was still very much in search of himself when he started his career. To be honest though: who isn’t in search of themselves in their twenties? Heck, you will always be to some extent. But the 20s is hard, especially in the spotlight! So for the media it was maybe hard to place him… but I think it was also hard to place himself and to be fully proud of it back then. In retrospect.
 

But I feel he is coming full circle now. The confidence he has in this interview., not to mention him being his articulate self (he’s holding back in this interview, we all know from the French and Italian interviews there is so much depth once he engages in a subject) and being warm and witty… he is reconciling with UK media, also because he seems to have let go of to the limitations his mind/fear had set him. It’s wonderful to see, to read! 

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That's a really interesting article!

I'm really happy that he's now in a place where he can think back, reflect and confidently say that the way he was treated by the (uk) press was not ok. Growing up queer, I think there's always a part of you that thinks you're the weird one and you're in the wrong when people react negatively. Overcoming that, especially when everyone in the world suddenly has an opinion on you, must be incredibly difficult.

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Mika doesn’t need the U.K.anymore, the U.K. needs Mika. They’ve lost and missed out on such an incredible home-grown talented Musician/Artist who was in his 20s then and just needed to be looked after and mentored. He craved music, he breathed music, he was devoted to music 🎶
But instead, the cruel reality of music business kicked in, lordly and proud individuals arose who couldn’t spot the genius 💎 so understandably you walk away.
But now when Mika has thrived and prospered over the years, forbidden fruit is the sweetest they say.
No need to highlight how brilliant Mika’s  become through his hard work and perseverance so it’s all in his hands now, up to him.
Nevertheless, millions of faithful U.K. admirers of his unprecedented talents and skills have always been supporting and waiting for him here.
Forgive us and Welcome back, Mika!🫶🏻

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A follow-up story of the interview.

 

The Pink News

thepinknews.com

  • Feb 19, 2023
Pop icon Mika was told his music was ‘too gay’ by ‘brazen’ industry homophobes
 

Mika has opened up about being told his music was “too gay” as he dealt with homophobia in the early years of his career.

The “Grace Kelly” singer erupted onto the music scene back in 2007, but his ambiguous sexuality almost overshadowed his talent. 

Discussing his first few years in the music industry in a new interview with the i, Mika said he was often told: “We’d love to play this song, but it’s just a little too gay.”

Reflecting on how he was treated, he added: “I think you wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today. I was accused of being brazen, but I think it was brazen homophobia.”

Mika, who is currently hosting new Channel 4 talent show The Piano alongside The Traitors icon Claudia Winkleman, explained how it took time for him to be himself as he grappled with the music industry’s homophobia.

“It always takes a while, but I’ve learned to be myself. Honestly, I don’t change very much anymore,” he said.

“The industry was not one of the most kind or conducive places for making you at ease with your own identity or sexuality back then.”

 

Mika came out as gay after being ‘exploited by press’

 

While Mika didn’t come out as gay until 2012, five years after his debut album Life In Cartoon Motion was released, the star endured relentless questioning from the media about his sexuality and criticism of his vibrant musical style.

 

Speaking to PinkNews in 2021, Mika reflected on the way he was “exploited” by the press in his early career, as journalists desperately attempted to force him out of the closet.

 

“The interview part of it felt like a kind of exploitation in the wrong way, and it very quickly became this kind of searching for a defined label, or searching for a ‘scoop’ confirmation in the most cynical sense,” he said.

“This being at a point in my life where I hadn’t even come out to my own mum – why am I going to do this with a journalist I’ve never met when I hadn’t come out to my mum?

“Looking back, I was really pressured a lot about labelling myself. I used to feel bad. I now realise that, actually, the journalists that put so much pressure on me should feel bad. It’s not healthy.”

 

It’s been more than a decade since Mika felt comfortable to come out as gay, but the issue of celebrities being forced to reveal their sexuality is still all too common.

 

In October, Heartstopper actor Kit Connor was pushed to reveal his bisexuality on Twitter, after facing ridiculous queerbaiting accusations from so-called fans.

Other stars pressured to come out as queer include Rita Ora and Rebel Wilson, while celebrities such as Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes have endured endless speculation about their sexuality.

 

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That comparison from "pinknews" is interesting.
It's almost the exact opposite though with Mika being pressured to come out by the press (and fans didn't care) while Kit Connor was pressured by "fans" (and the press didn't care). He was also accused of being straight while Mika was accused of being gay.

I guess the takeaway is that despite all the progress that's been made a person's sexuality is still not as irrelevant as it should be. And people still like to forget that there are other sexualities than gay and straight.

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1 hour ago, CharlotteL said:

That comparison from "pinknews" is interesting.
It's almost the exact opposite though with Mika being pressured to come out by the press (and fans didn't care) while Kit Connor was pressured by "fans" (and the press didn't care). He was also accused of being straight while Mika was accused of being gay.

I guess the takeaway is that despite all the progress that's been made a person's sexuality is still not as irrelevant as it should be. And people still like to forget that there are other sexualities than gay and straight.

@CharlotteLyes i agree with you 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 20/2/2023 at 00:06, Kumazzz said:

Una storia di follow-up dell'intervista.

 

Le notizie rosa

thepinknews.com

  • 19 febbraio 2023
All'icona pop Mika è stato detto che la sua musica era "troppo gay" da "sfacciati" omofobi del settore
 

Mika si è aperto dicendo che la sua musica era "troppo gay" poiché ha affrontato l'omofobia nei primi anni della sua carriera.

Il cantante di "Grace Kelly" è esploso sulla scena musicale nel 2007, ma la sua sessualità ambigua ha quasi oscurato il suo talento. 

Discutendo dei suoi primi anni nell'industria musicale in una nuova intervista con i , Mika ha detto che gli è stato spesso detto: "Ci piacerebbe suonare questa canzone, ma è solo un po' troppo gay".

Riflettendo su come è stato trattato, ha aggiunto: “Penso che oggi non saresti in grado di farla franca con alcuni di quei commenti e articoli. Sono stato accusato di essere sfacciato, ma penso che sia stata sfacciata omofobia.

Mika, che attualmente sta ospitando il nuovo talent show di Channel 4 The Piano insieme all'icona di The Traitors Claudia Winkleman , ha spiegato come gli ci è voluto del tempo per essere se stesso mentre era alle prese con l'omofobia dell'industria musicale.

“Ci vuole sempre un po', ma ho imparato a essere me stesso. Onestamente, non cambio più molto", ha detto.

"All'epoca l'industria non era uno dei luoghi più gentili o favorevoli per farti sentire a tuo agio con la tua identità o sessualità".

 

Mika si è dichiarata gay dopo essere stata "sfruttata dalla stampa"

 

Mentre Mika non si è dichiarato gay fino al 2012, cinque anni dopo l'uscita del suo album di debutto Life In Cartoon Motion , la star ha subito continue domande da parte dei media sulla sua sessualità e critiche al suo vibrante stile musicale.

 

Parlando con PinkNews nel 2021, Mika ha riflettuto sul modo in cui è stato "sfruttato" dalla stampa all'inizio della sua carriera, mentre i giornalisti tentavano disperatamente di costringerlo a uscire allo scoperto.

 

"La parte dell'intervista sembrava una sorta di sfruttamento nel modo sbagliato, ed è diventata molto rapidamente questo tipo di ricerca di un'etichetta definita, o ricerca di una conferma di 'scoop' nel senso più cinico", ha detto.

“Questo essere in un punto della mia vita in cui non avevo nemmeno fatto coming out con mia madre – perché dovrei farlo con un giornalista che non ho mai incontrato quando non avevo fatto coming out con mia madre?

“Guardando indietro, ero davvero sotto pressione per etichettarmi. Mi sentivo male. Ora mi rendo conto che, in realtà, i giornalisti che mi hanno messo così tanta pressione dovrebbero sentirsi male. Non è salutare."

 

È passato più di un decennio da quando Mika si sentiva a suo agio nel dichiararsi gay, ma il problema delle celebrità costrette a rivelare la propria sessualità è ancora fin troppo comune.

 

A ottobre, l'attore di Heartstopper Kit Connor è stato spinto a rivelare la sua bisessualità su Twitter, dopo aver affrontato ridicole accuse queerbaiting da parte dei cosiddetti fan.

Altre star sotto pressione per dichiararsi queer includono Rita Ora e Rebel Wilson , mentre celebrità come Harry Styles e Shawn Mendes hanno sopportato infinite speculazioni sulla loro sessualità.

 

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How could a 20-year-old boy declare himself gay, who hasn't yet declared anything to his family and didn't know how they would take the news if he said it in an interview with a stranger! they should have respected his privacy without insisting, instead appreciating his music and his talent. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

:france: A follow-up story of the article.

 

Komitid

https://www.komitid.fr/2023/02/23/lgbtphobies-dans-lindustrie-musicale-apres-mika-dautres-artistes-francophones-temoignent/

Publié le 23 février 2023 à 9 h 48 min

 
LGBTphobies dans l'industrie musicale :
après Mika, d'autres artistes francophones témoignent
 
Plusieurs artistes queer prennent la parole sur les réseaux sociaux après que Mika a abordé le sujet de l'homophobie dans l'industrie musicale.

 

Si la scène musicale francophone se diversifie d’année en année, mettant de plus en plus d’artistes LGBT dans la lumière, l’industrie musicale et le monde médiatique semblent encore à la traine. Angèle outée par Hanouna et Hoshi moquée par Fabien Lecoeuvre sont les dernières affaires en date, signes d’une homophobie latente et banalisée.

 

Il y a une semaine, sur le média anglais INews, le chanteur pop iconique Mika revenait sur son expérience de l’homophobie dans l’industrie musicale :

« On me disait que mes chansons étaient trop gays pour la radio. Aujourd’hui ces commentaires ne passeraient pas, mais l’industrie n’était pas safe il y a encore pas si longtemps. Les journalistes me mettaient la pression. C’était pas sain. La partie interview ressemblait à une sorte d’exploitation dans le mauvais sens, et c’est très vite devenu ce genre de recherche d’une étiquette définie, ou de recherche d’un scoop dans le sens le plus cynique », déclare t-il.

 

Sur l’industrie en elle-même, Mika n’est pas plus tendre :

« L’industrie n’était pas l’un des endroits les plus aimables ou les plus propices pour vous mettre à l’aise avec votre propre identité ou votre sexualité à l’époque ».

Un témoignage qui rassemble

Suite à ses déclarations, de nombreux artistes queers se sont reconnus dans le témoignage de Mika et prennent la parole pour dénoncer un milieu parfois violent.

 

Sébastien Delage, qui fêtait récemment le premier mois de sortie de son génial premier album, en fait un combat personnel et relaye depuis plusieurs jours les nombreux témoignages d’artistes. Confronté au début de sa carrière à un directeur artistique de Polydor qui lui demande alors de taire son homosexualité pour ne pas perdre de public, le chanteur comprend rapidement qu’il ne veux plus avoir affaire à ce genre de remarques : « C’était, à mon sens, une abomination et du nivellement par le bas absolu, et je passe les horreurs misogynes qu’il a pu dire à ma chanteuse également. Donc quand tout ça s’est arrêté, je n’avais pas envie de chercher un label pour me retrouver face à ce genre de divergences humaines et artistiques », confiait-il à Komitid en janvier dernier.

 

Par conséquent, il crée en 2021 son propre label, Drama Queen Music, qui vise à produire d’autres artistes queers dans un milieu sain et protecteur.

 

Mélissa Laveaux, chanteuse franco-canadienne, laisse entendre sur Instagram que beaucoup d’artistes cachent encore leur orientation sexuelle pour éviter les polémiques et autres désagréments homophobes : « L’industrie est encore plus queer et encore moins safe que vous ne le pensez ».

Expérience de l’homophobie

Oete, chanteur multi-facettes, s’est lui aussi exprimé sur Instagram sur son expérience de l’homophobie dans le monde de la musique après l’interview de Mika : « Ces derniers mois ont été assez difficiles pour moi pour ne rien vous cacher. J’ai reçu des propos de la profession de type « ça ne passera pas à la radio, il faut de la musique pour cis/hétéro/blanc » ».

 

Dans son témoignage, le chanteur aborde aussi la façon dont on le mettait constamment en concurrence avec d’autres artistes gays, «  comme si des propositions artistiques opposées devenaient identiques par le simple fait de ne pas être hétéro ».

 

À l’instar de Sébastien Delage, il dévoile qu’on lui a aussi déconseillé de parler de son homosexualité parce que « ce n’est pas marketing » : « Mais j’ai plus que jamais envie d’être de ceux qui font bouger les lignes à travers la pop culture. Ce milieu n’est pas assez safe ou encore trop peu pour qu’on puisse souligner les bienveillants. J’ai la chance de connaître une armée prête à hisser le drapeau blanc » écrit-il dans sa story Instagram.

 

Janis, qui a fait son coming-out trans en 2009, a elle aussi eu son mot à dire sur le traitement que la profession lui a réservé à l’époque. Dans une story Instagram, elle écrit : « J’étais seule dans ce bordel et je ne sais pas comment j’ai tenu psychologiquement. Je me rends compte aujourd’hui qu’il n’y a pas plus de personnes pour nous accompagner dans nos carrières. Surtout en tant que femme trans, on parle à des gens qui ne comprennent pas nos parcours ».

 

Dès 2015, Janis créait son label, Mauvais Genre, afin de promouvoir la musique queer et ceux qui la font.

Mika ne pensait sûrement pas générer tous ces récits de vie en racontant le sien, mais espérons que cet engouement puisse mener à des changements.

 

:uk: Google translator

Spoiler

 

LGBTphobia in the music industry:
after Mika, other French-speaking artists testify

 

Several queer artists are speaking out on social media after Mika addressed the subject of homophobia in the music industry.


If the French-speaking music scene is diversifying from year to year, putting more and more LGBT artists in the spotlight, the music industry and the media world still seem to be lagging behind. Angèle outed by Hanouna and Hoshi mocked by Fabien Lecoeuvre are the latest cases to date, signs of a latent and trivialized homophobia.

 

A week ago, on the English media INews, the iconic pop singer Mika returned to his experience of homophobia in the music industry:

“I was told that my songs were too gay for the radio. Today these comments would not pass, but the industry was not safe until not so long ago. Journalists put pressure on me. It wasn't healthy. The interview part felt like some kind of exploitation in the wrong way, and it very quickly became this kind of looking for a definite label, or looking for a scoop in the most cynical sense,” says t- he.

 

On the industry itself, Mika is no more tender:

"The industry was not one of the friendliest or most conducive places to get comfortable with your own identity or your sexuality at the time.


A testimony that unites

 

Following his statements, many queer artists recognized themselves in Mika's testimony and spoke out to denounce a sometimes violent environment.

Sébastien Delage, who recently celebrated the first month of release of his brilliant first album, makes it a personal fight and has been relaying the many testimonies of artists for several days. Confronted at the beginning of his career with an artistic director of Polydor who then asked him to keep his homosexuality quiet so as not to lose an audience, the singer quickly understood that he no longer wanted to deal with this kind of remark: "It was, in my opinion, an abomination and an absolute dumbing down, and I skip the misogynistic horrors that he could say to my singer as well. So when it all stopped, I didn't want to look for a label to find myself faced with this kind of human and artistic divergence, "he confided to Komitid last January.

Therefore, in 2021 he created his own label, Drama Queen Music, which aims to produce other queer artists in a healthy and protective environment.

 

Mélissa Laveaux, French-Canadian singer, suggests on Instagram that many artists still hide their sexual orientation to avoid controversy and other homophobic annoyances: "The industry is even more queer and even less safe than you think".


Experience of homophobia

 

Oete, a multi-faceted singer, also spoke on Instagram about his experience of homophobia in the music world after Mika's interview: "These last few months have been difficult enough for me to hide nothing from you. . I received comments from the profession like “it won’t be on the radio, we need music for cis/hetero/white”.

In his testimony, the singer also discusses the way in which he was constantly put in competition with other gay artists, “as if opposing artistic proposals became identical by the simple fact of not being hetero”.

 

Like Sébastien Delage, he reveals that he was also advised against talking about his homosexuality because "it's not marketing": "But I want more than ever to be one of those who make things happen lines across pop culture. This environment is not safe enough or still too little for us to highlight the benevolent. I am lucky to know an army ready to hoist the white flag,” he wrote in his Instagram story.

Janis, who came out as trans in 2009, also had her say in how the profession treated her at the time. In an Instagram story, she writes: "I was alone in this mess and I don't know how I held on psychologically. I realize today that there are not more people to accompany us in our careers. Especially as a trans woman, we talk to people who don't understand our backgrounds.

In 2015, Janis created her label, Mauvais Genre, to promote queer music and those who make it.

Mika certainly didn't think he was generating all these life stories by telling his own, but let's hope that this enthusiasm can lead to changes.

 

 

 

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Attitude

https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/mika-brazen-homophobia-early-career-425942/

17 February 2023 11:42 AM

 

Mika reflects on how the media treated him during early career: ‘Brazen homophobia’

 

"I’m 39 now, the world’s moved on, so I’m not afraid to say it."

 

Mika has slammed the “brazen homophobia” he received from the media in the early days of his career.

The Voice of Italy coach found fame in 2007 with hits like ‘Grace Kelly’ and ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’.

(Side note: how was this 16 years ago?!)

 

Hi debut album Life in Cartoon Motion was the ninth-best-selling of that year, shifting an estimated eight million copies.

After years of media speculation around his sexuality – including this Guardian article headlined: ‘Why won’t Mika give a straight answer? – Mika publicly addressed that he identifies as gay for the first time in 2012.

 

“You wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today” – Mika

 

“There was confusion that I was drawing: ‘What is he?'” Mika said of the era in a recent interview with iNews.

 

“All this questioning about sexuality, and about emotional and musical and stylistic exuberance that in today’s pop culture is celebrated.”

 

The BBC Sound of 2007 winner, whose real name is Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr, continued:

“I think you wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today. I was accused of being brazen, but I think it was brazen homophobia.”

 

He furthermore added:

“I’m 39 years old now, the world’s moved on, so I’m not afraid to say it. And it was such a waste of time.”

 

The former Attitude cover star is known for songs like ‘We Are Golden’ and ‘Relax, Take It Easy’.

 

 

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Gay Express

https://gayexpress.co.nz/2023/02/too-gay-mika-opens-up-about-homophobia-in-the-music-industry-the-pressure-to-come-out/

February 20, 2023

 

“Too Gay”

– Mika Opens Up About Homophobia In The Music Industry & The Pressure To Come Out

 

Mika, the singer behind the hit song “Grace Kelly,” has opened up about facing homophobia in the early years of his career.

 

In a new interview with the i, Mika revealed that he was often told his music was “too gay” and that he was accused of “brazen homophobia.”

 

He explained how the music industry “was not one of the most kind or conducive places for making you at ease with your own identity or sexuality back then.”

 

Despite enduring relentless questioning from the media about his sexuality, Mika did not come out as gay until 2012, five years after his debut album was released. In 2021, he reflected on feeling exploited by the press in his early career, saying that he was pressured to label himself and that he now realizes that the journalists who put pressure on him should feel bad.

 

“It always takes a while, but I’ve learned to be myself. Honestly, I don’t change very much anymore,” he said.

Sadly Mika’s experiences are still common in the entertainment industry, with many celebrities being pressured to reveal their sexuality, with celebrities regularly speaking out about the pressure they face from the media and fans to reveal their sexuality, often without regard for their privacy or personal comfort.

Notably, In October 2022, Heartstopper actor Kit Connor was pressured to come out as bisexual on Twitter after facing accusations of queerbaiting.

 

 

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INSTINCT

 

Get To Know More About UK Pop Star, Reality TV Judge, Mika

https://instinctmagazine.com/get-to-know-more-about-uk-pop-star-reality-tv-judge-mika/

February 19, 2023

 

Pop star. Judge on The Voice. Judge on The X Factor. No we aren’t talking about Britney Spears. Nope, not Demi Lovato. Not Kelly Rowland either. The pop star and reality tv judge we are talking about today is UK singing sensation Mika.

 

While relatively unknown stateside Mika is a huge star across the pond ever since bursting onto the scene in 2007. His debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, sold a whopping eight million copies, helping him be named the BBC Sound of 2007. The Grace Kelly singer sat down for an interview promoting his upcoming stint as a judge on The Piano.

 

Last week Instinct magazine reported on the homophobia Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy experienced early in his career, something that Mika also experienced. U.S. Radio wouldn’t play the X Factor [Italian version] judge’s songs because as he said, ‘we’d love to play this song, but it’s just a little too gay.’ The Love Today singer continued to explain how the times have changed,

“I think you wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today. I was accused of being brazen, but I think it was brazen homophobia. I’m 39 years old now, the world’s moved on, so I’m not afraid to say it. And it was such a waste of time”.

 

The Voice judge [French version] did bring up the infamous 2007 Guardian article that asked, “Why won’t Mika give us a straight answer” explaining, “There was confusion that I was drawing: ‘what is he?’ All this questioning about sexuality, and about emotional and musical and stylistic exuberance that in today’s pop culture is celebrated.”

 

On a lighter note, the Good Guys singer is visibly excited getting the chance to discuss filming The Piano, “It’s a beautiful show. It made me feel like the world is an OK place”. As previously reported by Inews the premise of The Piano centers around,

“amateur pianists head to public pianos at four train stations across the country, thinking they are contributing to a documentary about the rise of street piano playing. Little do they know, they are taking part in a reality TV contest: as they play for commuters, Mika and revered virtuoso Chinese pianist Lang Lang are secretly watching from back rooms (“during the heatwave with no air conditioning!”) to judge the performances and put their favourites through to a grand final held at London’s Royal Festival Hall.”

 

Mika ends the interview on a positive note exclaiming, “The industry was not one of the most kind or conducive places for making you at ease with your own identity or sexuality back then It always takes a while, but I’ve learned to be myself. Honestly, I don’t change very much anymore. I’ve been this weird eccentric within my own kind of crafted pop world. And I’m going to stick with it”.  

 

 

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UK Daily News

https://ukdaily.news/influencing-how-online-beauty-gurus-get-followers-to-trust-them-by-posting-negative-reviews-345379.html

February 15, 2023

 

Mika: “I was accused of being bold, but that was bold homophobia”

 

In 2007 Mika was everywhere. And how different he was from the dumps of indie, nu-rave and X factor Winners who filled the charts: a bundle of pulsating energy singing brilliant, kaleidoscopic pop songs like “Love Today” and “Grace Kelly” in a ridiculous vocal range from high to low octaves. Dubbed BBC Sound Of 2007, it was an instant star: his debut album Life in cartoon motion eight million sold.

 

But a lot of people weren’t sure what to make of him (and critics could be scathing: One said listening to Mika was like “being held at gunpoint by Bonnie Langford). Some of it was harmless enough: Mika herself finds his elusive musical style, which exudes “an undisguised joy in pop,” puts people off. But often it was more insidious.

 

Mika, born Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr., has always been a precocious talent: he first appeared on stage at age eight singing in the chorus of a Strauss opera at the Royal Opera House, and at 15 he was acting as Boy soprano in Vaughan Williams’ production there The Pilgrim Way.

He was born in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and an American father – the family fled the escalating civil war when Mika was one and moved first to Paris and then to west London when he was nine (he was born at a French school where he was bullied, then Westminster School and later the Royal College of Music). That backdrop was an artistic boon, but made it “a real headache for a lot of people.” The media was confused or lacking in sensitivity to his background or downplayed parts of his identity (he was once told in an interview that he saw nothing “American” about him). “I used to be aware of this multi-ethnicity.”

 

 

Worse still was the constant speculation and pressure on him to speak out about his sexuality (Mika didn’t come out as gay until 2012).

A 2007 Guardian article was amazingly headlined, “Why isn’t Mika giving a straight answer?” “There was confusion that I was drawing ‘What is he?’ All of this questioning of sexuality and the emotional, musical and stylistic frolic that is celebrated in today’s pop culture.”

 

He recalls hearing Americans talk about his songs “and just say, ‘We’d like to play that song, but it’s just a little bit too gay.'” He pulls an artfully shocked face. “I don’t think you would get away with some of these comments and articles today. I’ve been accused of being brazen, but I think it was brazen homophobia. I’m 39 years old now, the world has moved on so I’m not afraid to say it. And it was such a waste of time.”

 

 

Mika can be seen on video from Paris, where he has rushed out of the studio – as he answers the call, he moans at the windswept wildness of his hair. “I could get away with it when I was younger,” he laughs. “If someone doesn’t do my hair now, I look like this”. He’s a great talker: funny, enthusiastic, a little cheeky, but also considered and vulnerable. “I used to feel uncomfortable doing interviews like this in the UK,” he tells me. You’d never guess, but it might explain why he’s in a pensive mood: he hasn’t done one in many years, during which time he’s been away from the UK for the most part, instead focusing on his huge success on the continent (he has lived abroad since 2013 mostly in Tuscany). There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and it’s clear there are things he wants to say.

Still, he’s good company and often wears a bright, endearing smile (to match the plain white t-shirt). Never more so than when he speaks The piano, Channel 4’s new reality TV show, in which he (secretly) judges amateur pianists playing in public spaces across the country. “It’s a beautiful show,” says Mika. “It made me feel like all was right with the world.”

Mika holds a special place in the pop landscape, spanning cultures, genres and disciplines. Despite not being able to maintain the sales figures of his debut, he has continued to make albums in different shades and collaborated with the likes of Madonna and Pharrell Williams (his last record, 2019 My name is Michael Holbrookwas a personal album written and released during his mother’s illness and death).

But he has become a polymath: he has judged both the Italian X factor and the French version of The voice, while presenting his own variety show in Italy. In 2015 he spoke for a French-language animated film the Prophet; He has participated in art projects in Paris and has a history of philanthropy, most notably his 2020 TV concert I Love Beirut, which featured Kylie Minogue and Rufus Wainwright and raised €1 million for the victims of the Beirut explosion.

 

In the past year alone he has presented and performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, performed at the Paris Philharmonic, played on the main stage at Coachella, wrote the score for the French film Zodi et Tehu, Freres du desert writing an English pop album and filming The piano. “At a certain point, your head could explode,” he says. “But it’s all part of finding your identity and not being afraid to be outside the system.”

He seems genuinely surprised when I tell him I listened to him Zodi et Tehu, Freres du desert sback track. “Really? My family hasn’t even heard it!” About the plot of the film, he says, “Take ET and replace the alien with a camel.” We both start laughing. “I just wrote the music!” he protests, laughing.

Mika’s face lights up when I mention it for the first time The piano. Presented by Claudia Winkleman, the program sees amateur pianists approach public pianos at four train stations around the country in the belief that they are contributing to a documentary on the rise of street piano playing. Little do they know they’re entering a reality TV competition: While they play for Commuters, Mika and revered Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang secretly watch from back rooms (“No air-conditioning during the heatwave!”) to judge the performances and showcased their favorites leading up to a grand finale at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

It was marked as “baking for pianos” (it is made by the same production company). “I’m not sure if that’s really it,” he says, making a face. “This is not a competition in equal measure”. But it has a similar feel-good vibe, with a moving cast of diverse characters from all walks of life (a construction worker, a 92-year-old caretaker, a Tori Amos drag tribute act) giving the show its heart.

More of culture

It got Mika thinking about what makes a great pianist. “Yes, it’s so interesting. It’s like what makes a great singer.” He cites Tom Waits and Judy Garland – a nod to Mika’s eclectic interests – as examples of technically flawed singers yet capable of conveying raw emotion. “The same goes for playing the piano. And the amazing thing about this project is that we found that to be the case. People playing really simply, or people playing things they composed themselves, have almost always elicited more emotion than someone playing a very difficult technical piece by Chopin.”

The show sheds light on a burgeoning community: street piano players. There has been a surge as public pianos have sprung up across the UK. While the contestants’ skills are impressive, it’s their naivety that gives the show its uniqueness Charm. “They weren’t looking for 15 minutes of fame. They were just there to play and talk about themselves. Many of these people do not have a piano at home. They can’t afford it or don’t have the space. I didn’t expect it to be as moving, diverse or impactful as it was. It’s a very special show at a rather strange time in the UK.” Strange how? “With everything that’s happening, with all the fighting and strikes. It feels like we can harden sometimes. And this show is the opposite of that. You feel like the world is friendlier.”

 

The piano is a sort of reintroduction of Mika for a British audience. Such is his profile on the continent that in 2019 he performed at the top of the Eiffel Tower as part of the 130th anniversary celebrations. But when he was announced as the presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest, the British press published similar articles on the topic “What’s Mika up to these days?”. He performed a spectacular greatest hits medley in front of 200 million viewers at the Eurovision Song Contest, but admits that “it must have been strange for people in the UK who haven’t seen me on TV for a long time to suddenly see me in that context see”. He thinks for a second. “Well weird, hopefully”.

 

How does he feel about his lower profile over here? “I don’t mind,” he says slowly. “I’ve never been after that.” That’s an understatement: his show at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in April will be his first UK performance outside of London since 2010. “I’m aware of that,” he says, sounding disappointed. “I should have come back more often. But I wasn’t thinking [about his profile] as I sat and talked [on The Piano]. I thought about expressing myself completely freely.”

With The Piano host Claudia Winkleman and fellow judge Lang Lang (Photo: Mark Bourdillon/Channel 4)

That was not always so. He says he has turned down many British TV shows (and interviews) in the past. “I was always OK with doing TV in Italy or France, but I felt really uncomfortable doing it in the UK,” he says. “The same goes for job interviews. And I realize now, that’s kind of stupid.”

 

The Piano can be seen on Channel 4 on Wednesday 15 February at 9pm

Source

 

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Gay Today

https://www.gaytoday.com/index.php/2023/02/28/mika-speaks-out-about-the-homophobia

 

Mika speaks out about the homophobia he experienced at the height of his fame

February 28, 2023
 
The 2000s pop superstar was known for his colorful, eccentric joy but said many called his music too gay.
 

Mika, pop superstar of the early 2000s, has recently opened up about the homophobia he experienced at the hands of the music industry.

The “Grace Kelly” singer was known for his joyful, flamboyant, and exuberant sound, and the artwork associated with his music was bold, bright, and colorful. As such, reporters regularly harassed him about his sexuality.

 

The singer came out as gay in 2012, but he faced anti-gay remarks well before then.

Speaking with i news, the Beirut-born singer who grew up in Europe said he remembers Americans saying that they’d love to play his music but it was too gay.

“I think you wouldn’t be able to get away with some of those comments and articles today,” he said. “I was accused of being…

 

Read full story, and more, from Source:

Mika speaks out about the homophobia he experienced at the height of his fame

 

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