One, none, one hundred Mika: "Every country is my home"

Gardone Riviera (Brescia) – The Poet and the Chameleon. The Vittoriale awaits Mika tomorrow in concert under the moonlight of Gardone, creating an identity-defining blend of the glam-indie decadence of the "Grace Kelly" author and the D'Annunzio-esque memories of that corner of the lake. Unlike many other performers on the Tener-A-Mente lineup, the Anglo-Lebanese singer has always made Marvin Gaye's motto "wherever I lay my hat, that's my home" his absolute credo. "In Italy I'm Italian, in France I'm French, but in the United States I'm English, and in the United Kingdom I'm American... too expressive and not enough British, according to some. First and foremost, the Telegraph, which thinks I'm too Latin." That's why he says he always feels at home here. Italy is Italy , with its uniquely joyful coexistence, even when you argue. This is true even though the country entered my life later than England, France, and the United States. Even linguistically, if it's true that I could sing Scarlatti in the theater, but not order a coffee at the bar. When the language finally allowed me, I made a regular Thursday lunch date for two years with Dario Fo, a great maestro I'd studied at school. From this relationship, the idea for a TV show called 'The End of the World - Apres Les Deluges' was born, but it never materialized.

This chronic inability to be where you're expected is the most striking aspect of Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.'s multifaceted personality ("but within an hour of giving birth to me, my mother was already calling me Mika"), ever since he appeared on the stage of the Royal Opera House at the age of eight, singing in the chorus of Strauss's "The Woman Without a Shadow," and then, at 15, nabbed the lead role in the ROH's production of Vaughan Williams's "The Pilgrim's Progress." "I consider myself a musician who creates music, tours, makes television programs, writes newspaper articles, and creates radio programs," he admits. "If I were to do the same things in five years, it would mean I haven't changed and I'd find myself terribly boring."

In 2008, Holbrook Penniman held his first stadium concert, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, and in 2012 he was awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. In Italy, he has served as a judge on SkyUno's "X-Factor," hosted two editions of "Stasera a casa di Mika" on Rai2, and one of "Mika love Paris," presented on RaiUno. In addition to the latest David di Donatello awards, he has also been the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 alongside Alessandro Cattelan and Laura Pausini (the very man who, when approached twice by the BBC to represent the Kingdom of Albion on the stage of the most televised pop showcase in the world, politely declined the invitation, calling the Eurovision quips and jokes "shit music"). And if you ask him who could play him in a hypothetical film about his life, he answers Hilary Swank, unless Johnny Depp is available .

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