Fast Confession - Mikolas Josef: I‘m looking for a girl who would see Miky, not Mikolas
Less than two years ago, the Czechs had no idea about the existence of Mikolas Josef. Although the 24-year-old artist has been active in the field of music his entire life, poeple only became aware of him after his huge success at Eurovision, where he took the sixth place, which no Czech has ever managed before. Since then, Miky has become quite the popular man. Trying to schedule and interview with him is near impossible, but when it finally works out, it's worth it. This boy who already made his mark on the world is a very interesting person. One would have thought that fame quickly got in his head, but the opposite is true. In an interview for LP-Life.cz, the musician talked not only about fame, but also about the humility and hard work that got him there. And you'll be amazed at the goals this young man has set for himself.
You've recently released a brand new single. What was the creative process like?
The single is called Colorado and the creative process was the fastest from all of my songs. It took four years to finish the song Acapella, Colorado was finished within a month. That's very fast.
How is it possible?
The decision to release a single before Christmas came at the last minute, because we'd signed a contract with a new partner company abroad. The song was approved as a demo and subsequently sent to all radios. And all our promoters liked it and said "yes". We knew we had to make it by November. It was quite challenging, but we managed – with flying colors. I have to say that it's better prepared than any of our previous releases. I don't get how, but it makes me very happy.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=J_rhVlQLJ7g
Is there anything that can make you even more excited than music?
Definitely my private life, my family. Otherwise, not really.
Where did the enormous enthusiasm come from, in a boy of only twenty-four? Many people at your age don't even know what they want to do in life.
I guess I was born with it, it's kind of given. You think about it this way, but I have a lot of young people in my social bubble, even younger than me, and they live through music more than I do. Thanks to being in this community, I guess that's the impression I make. If I weren't in it, but was alone instead, I might be more drawn to the "I'll take my time deciding about what I'm going to do in life, extend my youth and go to school" kind of thinking. But since I've always had music ingrained in me and people are pushing me even further, my enthusiasm goes a bit to the extreme.
The extreme came after Eurovision, or before?
A long time before that. I've felt like this for ages. I began to learn playing the guitar at the age of five, and made my first studio recording at fourteen. Since then, music has been it for me.
Yes, but it was only after Eurovision that you became well-known in the Czech Republic. Now you're crazy busy. Had it been the same for you before, or did it come only after that huge success? And who organizes your appointments and timetable?
A team will only appear by your side when they see that you are serious about it. Building my team took a long time, it's much larger today. All these people need to make sure that you deserve their attention, because it is an investment. They don't just do the job for music, there's a lot of money involved. They really need to know that the time and financial investment in you will pay off. It's not worth it for them, supporting someone who's not giving it their best.
After Eurovision, I had the chance to start doing much bigger concerts and the amount of time required was suddenly at a completely different level. That was the moment when I started looking for a new team and at the same time, people started reaching out to me, making it grow even more. We're still only an embryo of a team, the teams of huge stars are many times bigger, so we will surely keep growing.
How far do you want to go with music?
As far as I can.
What about fame, doesn't it bother you?
It does, it really does! The good thing about it is that you have some influence that you can use positively. Once I took an Uber and the driver told me, "I've just read an article about you in the Forbes magazine and it was a real eye-opener." I thought it was nice, that's why I'm doing this. You can encourage a lot of people, help them move on with their lives. And just as I was inspired by other people, today I find myself in a position where I can be an inspiration for someone else.
After Eurovision I suddenly became a public figure. From a street kid who had no job, I was suddenly playing in music halls that could fit twenty thousand people. You walk out after the show and block the street with your fans… Makes you go like "wow".
The negative side is that you are constantly judged for what you wear, how you look that day, if you got enough sleep. It restricts your freedom in a way, there are things you can and cannot afford. That bothers you a little. Then you tell yourself "ok", it's part of this profession, so I can either quit, or shut up and deal. I decided for the latter, accepted it as part of my life, and I don't even complain about it anymore. But a year and a half ago, I was actively addressing the problem.
Do you take it easy today when someone writes something rude about you? For example regarding your sexual orientation, which is quite personal…
These are personal things, of course, that's why people are interested in them. I've had several discussions about this, even with the bosses of media companies. But I've already made peace with the fact that it simply belongs to my career. For some reason people tend to believe more in what is written than in how they perceive you. And it's actually a nice filter, which helps you find out who is really there for you, and who cares more about Mikolas Josef as a tabloid personality. It will weed out the people around you. (laughs)
What about your private life and fans? How do you know who really cares about you and who cares about you as that famous singer?
It's hard to tell, that's true.
How does a young person cope with that? Anyone who becomes a little famous, even if only because they've shown up in a reality show, suddenly feels like they know everything and can do whatever they want. I think it must be a disaster for a young person's psyche, when all you have to do is snap your fingers and you're swarmed with girls. Where to find the right person, the soul mate then? How do you know it's the right one?
That's my issue. Yes, it's much easier to pick up someone just because people know your name. But it won't be the type of person you'd like to be with. I get those who become very famous very quickly without previous work. That the huge desire that wasn't preceded by the tremendous work could make one go a bit crazy.
But because I'd been working for many, many years before this boom came, I was a bit prepared for it in my head. When I actually got there, it didn't shake me as much as it probably would have if I'd appeared in a reality show and it suddenly catapulted me to fame.
Of course I'm looking for a girl who sees Miky and not Mikolos Josef, and that's extremely difficult. You will always be in the subconscious of people as someone who appears on TV, doing this kind of job, earning this kind of money, enjoying a certain status. The problem is that the people who are attracted to that keep contacting me and I'm surrounded by them. So the question is, where do I find the people that aren't attracted to it.
That's what I'm asking.
And it's a very good question, but I don't know. I don't have any kind of everyday stereotype in my life. I don't go to school or work where I could meet them naturally. I attend events where I perform, go to the studio. So where do I meet them? I hope it will eventually happen.
I don't mean to say I regret it, but I sympathize with people who are in a similar situation and then have to cope with loneliness. Michael Jackson was so lonely in the end, that he would go to the park and talk to random people just to have some form of contact with people. I'm single, I'm looking for a relationship, and I don't want to fall into the routine when I call and wait for someone to arrive. They would actually arrive, that's not the issue, but you don't want that. When all you see is the superficial, you want the exact opposite. I've always been like this.
What does the tattoo on your neck mean?
These are the names of my mom and dad, and my brother and sister even share the same names, so I decided to pay tribute to them through the tattoo. I was inspired by the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, who has the names of all the people in his family written on his skin, so I might add a couple more.
It is probably not the case anymore, but some years back, when you had a tattoo like this, others immediately ranked you as a low class citizen. You might have been perceived as less intelligent. Aren't you afraid that someone will judge you for it?
Not at all. I don't even think that when someone who has a tattoo, they're considered something less today. The times are changing and this is my freedom. I know I'll never work in an office environment and roll my collar up so no one could see it again. I am who I am, thank God, I won this battle, and I can allow myself to be open about this. I'm glad for that.
You've recently visited Canada several times. Why? Who directed you there?
I got a call from song writer Jenson Vaughan, who used to work for Britney Spears or Madonna, we made the song Colorado together. He called me, saying he was in Toronto and if I wanted to come.
Did you know each other before? How did you like it in Canada?
We didn't know each other at all. I arrived in Toronto and the first thing that shocked me at the airport was that all the people were smiling at me. Communication is at a completely different level there. They have Tim Hortons there that I love (a restaurant chain, ed.) and that I visited every day. It's hard to describe how the city works, how people stick together as a community. It has a completely different vibe, and I like it, so I go there very often. I went to see the Niagara Falls now, I also often go to Halifax, which is quite close. Just across the ocean.
But you went there primarily to make music.
Of course, every time I go there, it is to make music. I never go there on vacation, which is a shame.
Haven't you thought about moving there?
I've thought about it often. Then you find out that you have a place where you stay and live, that's Prague for me, but you travel so much that you don't actually need to move anywhere. I still enjoy it here, it's where my family and friends are, and it's no problem to go anywhere nowadays. Even if I were to leave for two months because of work, it's perfectly normal. I've abandoned the idea of moving somewhere, because I travel so much that I don't have to think about moving anymore.
You travel a lot because of music. But while abroad, you can also discover new cultures and enjoy the country...
Whenever I go somewhere, I try to book an extra day. You know how it is, I fly to Athens and the program goes like this: car, hotel, event, hotel, car, airport, bye bye Athens... And I never get to see anything. Lately I've been trying to do it differently, absorb a little of the culture and have a look around. It works, it's enough, just to get an idea of where you are, it's an experience for me.
What other country besides Canada would you label as your favorite?
I don't know if one can put it this way, each country has something. I love Canada, but Greece is also amazing, great fans. I arrived there and they were waiting for me at the airport, waving flags. I like plenty of countries - Spain, or southern nations in general. Also Poland, Polish fans are absolutely incredible. I'll be performing there soon for 40,000 people as part of their celebrations. And also at Miss Supranational, where 140 countries will participate. These people are reaaaally loud. That's where I like it.
For many artists, Christmas equals Christmas concerts. Are you looking forward to the holidays and will you have time to relax?
I will, but I'll only be able to relax after the eighteenth, I'll be touring the Czech Republic until then. After that, I'll be resting until Christmas.
Only until Christmas? Aren't you worried about your health? You're 24, so you can make it now, but…
Actually, I had a bigger problem to make it a few years ago. I had an ambulance pick me up at the studio, then I had issues with my back. It wasn't about me not sleeping enough, but about how I was wired in my head. Then I rewired myself and it's much better now.
Your first Christmas tour awaits you in December. Where are you going to play?
The Christmas tour is called Closer to You, and it's my very first one. We are going to play in Liberec on 10th December, followed by Brno on 12th, Ostrava on 14th, Prague on 16th and then Mikolas Josef is off. (laughs)
I'm looking forward to the Africans from Johannesburg who sing with me to come back. There's a band formed fully of foreigners, I made huge changes. We have a completely new design, and together with Lukáš Macháček, we also created new costumes.
I took inspiration from the Habsburg Monarchy, or more precisely Franz Joseph, after whom I was named. My mom and dad had been arguing for a long time whether I should be Mikolas or Josef, and I ended up being Mikolas Josef. I love the romantic story of Franz Joseph and Sissi, so we drew inspiration from their period costumes and decided to turn them into a 2020 version. A lot of rehearsals await me, and I think it's going to be worth it.
What do you wish in the New Year? Only for yourself.
For everything to stay the way it is. To have my family close, a lot of friends, just like I do now. And for our music to keep growing. For there to be more people doing the work I shouldn't be doing, so I could focus solely on writing music. I wish everyone around me was healthy and enjoyed it as much as I do. Because that's very important.
