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Lebanese-born singer-songwriter Mika announced that he will be a judge on the seventh season of the ‘X Factor Italy’ talent show. Mika will be the first international mentor and judge to feature on the �������� edition of the TV programme, which will screen in October 2013 and be recorded in Milan. The singer has said he is very excited about the opportunity and says it is a “challenge” but that he is looking forward to discovering new talent. He says: “Italy has always meant a lot to me as I have great memories of my frequent �������� holidays, but also for the great love and support I always get there.” ‘Libero’ newspaper reports that Mika turned down the offer of working on a French show, he said: “I said no because it didn’t seem connected to the culture of that country. On the other hand, in Italy, with Sanremo, the singing competition has been part of your popular culture for 60 years.” He confessed to following the Sanremo music festival “not as a television product, but as a musical phenomenon. I watch it with the romantic soul that is part of me.” The singer told ‘Corriere della Sera’ newspaper that he is studying �������� two hours a day with a Sicilian because “I don’t want to become a joke.”