On Friday (Oct. 4), alongside the release of his long-awaited fifth studio album, Mika released a new video for his song "Sanremo," a shimmering pop jam about finding a place just for you and your lover. The video follows that thread, but down a much darker and more unexpected path.
Taking place in what appears to be 1950s Italy, the video (directed by W.I.Z.) sees Mika's character kissing his wife and daughter goodbye as they head out for the day. The star then nervously paces around his apartment before ulitmately venturing out into the city, looking for a gay partner to shack up with while anxiously avoiding suspicion from police, clergymen and others.
Eventually, he follows a butcher to an eccentric, underground gay bar, complete with non-binary individuals, shirtless men having milk poured on their abs, and some flirtatious sailors looking for a good time. He ultimately leaves with another man, but on his way home is stopped by a uniformed police officer, as an audio clip plays of what sounds like an Italian politician speaking about firing any homosexuals working for his administration.
In a statement, the video's director W.I.Z. says that the new clip takes place in "an era when homosexuality, if not illegal, was socially unacceptable, a time of discrimination and persecution. 'Sanremo' represents his utopian dream, a fictional place of liberation and transcendence."
