A chat with Mika
He makes us wait for more than an hour, but, when he arrives at the Principe di Savoia hotel in Milan we understand straightaway that it was worth the wait. He's very tall and lanky (!), and moves about a bit awkwardly. Mika, 26 years old, with a magnetic stare, smiles at us almost embarrassed as he apologises for his justified lateness (he was at the X Factor studios rehearsing We Are Golden, that he performed at the end of the programme). He apologies and starts chatting - an enthusiastic flow of words that captures us instantly.
"Sorry for my lateness, but the rehearsals went on for ages... Poor guys, the X Factor contestants. I spoke to them for a few minutes and they said that they'd been locked up in the X Factor studios for weeks, recording and practicing... What a life! But, you have to realise that they're dealing with an unmissable opportunity".
How did you start out then?
I started sending out demos when I was 11. I'd go to the offices of the record labels and deafen (!) them with my songs. I thought "I have to present myself as if I were already famous, maybe then they'll take the bait." So I asked my friends to record a demo in a recording studio; my sister looked after the artwork for the CD and we made a special case by hand, in wood, autographed by myself and numbered as if it were a limited edition. And do you know what? It worked, the record companies called me!
Let's talk about The Boy Who Knew Too Much, why did you choose this title for your second album? Are you that boy?
Yes, the boy's me. You can interpret the title on several levels. Firstly it refers to me, in the sense that I wasn't popular at school, I was always in a corner watching everyone else. Let's say I preferred to learn indirectly, almost at a distance. So that's the meaning of "the boy who knew too much" explained. Obviously it's also a reference to Alfred Hitchcock (The Man Who Knew Too Much, from 1956 - editor's note). I chose that title for the cinematographic effect, it's perfect for the album, which is almost like a pop opera about adolescence.
How does it feel to be called an eternal Peter Pan?
I feel really bad every time journalists call me that. Would they be happier if my songs were boring?! For me, making "happy" music is a way of capturing the audience's attention. But my lyrics aren't superficial; let's say they contain the carelessness of being young, without neglecting the dark and painful side of adolescence.
You weren't popular at school, but now you are - how does that effect you?
Well, obviously it's nice. And whoever tells you anything else is lying! Not being a leader at school helped me later on to maintain the right distance from fame and from people's judgements. Practically, it's transformed into a protective shield. As music is. And I think that it's thanks to music and to art in general that we are able to overcome our anxieties and worries, and to forget about everything. Art's got the ability to liberate us from ourselves and others... If I think about it, that's the reason why I love writing.
Life In Cartoon Motion dealt with your childhood, while The Boy Who Knew Too Much focuses on your adolescence. Why is there all this interest about your past? Is it a way of protecting yourself?
I use my past to talk about the present, that's all. Afterall, each one of us is our own past, right? If it is a way of protecting myself?... It could be, I don't know, but if it was... Is it something so negative?
How much of you is in your songs?
Well, you know, I think that in each of my songs and characters there is a part of me. It's a bit like how it is for actors... We show different aspects, different fragments of our identities.
What do you think of those people who seem morbidly obsessed with your sexual inclinations?
At the start I used to tell journalists who asked me direct questions on the subject to get lost. Then I learned to talk about sexuality, but without sticking to labels. Hetero, gay, bi: what sense does it make defining them? I've never liked doing it. I've gone out with people that I've wanted to, without hiding myself. And I play with sexuality, I'm fascinated by it, and I deal with it in my songs. At the end of my concerts, there are these nude puppets who get on the stage and dance, and the kids love seeing them. The parents aren't so happy, because of the nudity and the explicit gestures... they think it's scandalous. Their kids, however, don't think about it. It's the adults who feel that they have to be the moralists. And why?
So, at the end of the interview, we don't want to (and we don't succeed in) labeling Mika. We go back to the office with the impression that behind the sunny and enthusiastic boy of We Are Golden there is so much more. The new king of pop, certainly, but above all he's a shy Londoner has invented a career in technicolour to overcome his insecurities. A life in technicolour, rather.
It's a beautiful language, isn't it?