I hadn’t realised how special, the Mika track “Sanremo” is until I checked out the accompanying music video. The single released in support of the singer’s fifth studio album “My Name Is Michael Holbrook” is unlike anything he has touched upon before. The track is tender, with a gently swaying melody and breezy synths. It has a sophisticated elegance and shows Mika under a different light to that which we have come to know. Don’t be too quick to adjust your expectations of this track, because the famous Mika sparkle, definitely, still exists.
For the album “My Name Is Michael Holbrook,” Mika intended to write about life as it happened. Commenting it is
“a sort of album, made in ‘real-time.’ It’s an explosion of joy, colour and emotion even though it was born in one of the most challenging periods for my family and I. Writing and recording this album was a form of medicine for me and my family. It is so, deeply personal, but also universal.”
He really, couldn’t make a bigger statement, than that which he brings to the spotlight via “Sanremo.” The WIZ directed video footage gets straight to the heart of what Mika wants to express. The clip purposefully shot in black and white for an added vintage feel shows the singer lovingly saying goodbye to his wife and child. There is a sadness in his eyes throughout this solemn exchange. Handily there is a narrator on board to fill us in on the true essence of the unfolding story, which in turn opens up a discussion focused around attitudes to homosexuality during the 1950s. The clip then goes on to follow Mika as he ventures out into the Italian city where he explores these desires further.
We are used to seeing distinctive, videos from the singer, “Sanremo” has a different kind of boldness to anything Mika has put out before. It is touching and tender, brings deep feelings to the surface and is an incredibly affecting watch.
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