This Pirate Diary features special guest KAPUT in an exclusive interview for our Rainbow project.. A while ago, Tayná, Junior PR manager, went to Italy in search of the best queer activities and experiences. While in Milan, she met singer and LGBTQ+ advocate KAPUT, who told her all about Milan’s queer life and the 2023 Milan Pride.

Tayna: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and also for the awesome tour through NoLo’s main queer spots earlier today! What can you tell us about queer day-to-day life in Milan?

KAPUT: Ciao HolidayPirates! Thank you so much for having me! So, you can say that the queer life in Milan has two very different styles. One of them is the typical Bella Vita, a more luxurious, posh queer lifestyle. With Milan being the capital of fashion in Europe, there are many queer people who move here to work in this industry. On the other hand, there is the more political side of queerness in Milan, where activists and LGBTQ+ advocates, queer artists like me and others find their place. Pop! Milano, the bar where we met a few days ago, for example, is a very political queer space. As a trans-feminist bar, it is very inclusive and it is important that everyone feels welcome there.

All in all, you can say that the queer life in Milan is really, really easy – queer people are able to live their own freedom in every kind of way. And you know, in most places you feel brave and also safe enough to connect with strangers with no problem. And maybe what happened between us a few days ago at Pop! is proof that Milan gives you a little bit of a push to be yourself and lead a free and happy queer life.

Tayná: Would you say there are any no-gos, or certain regions of the city queer people should avoid?

KAPUT: Honestly, like every other big city, Milan has some areas with a more cis straight demographic. I have been here for a while though and I cannot remember one time when I didn’t feel totally free to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public. Personally, I’ve never been a victim of shame for my orientation. As for the best area for queer community, I’d say it is the one we visited today, NoLo, and also Porta Venezia, where the “gay street” is located. Both of these areas are completely different though: NoLo, while being very liberal, is quieter and has an older demographic. Here you can experience the Bella Vita at its finest, you can sit at your favorite bar and spend several hours there talking and relaxing. Porta Venezia is a little bit different because it’s a younger party area. There you take your drink standing rather than sitting, dance a little bit, meet new people and enjoy high volume music all night long. There the nights will finish at four, five, six a.m… So, there are two different ways of celebrating LGBTQ+ community and both can be great depending on what you are searching for.

Tayná: That sounds great, really. I really wish I could be there! And you will also perform at the Pride party, right?

KAPUT: Yes of course!

Tayná: Please tell me a bit about your music projects, how you started and what led up to this day.

KAPUT: So my artistic name is KAPUT. It comes from the German word kaputt which means “broken”. I started as a songwriter for other artists and I really enjoyed this. But then I realized that I had something to say about my own life, too. So I decided to speak up for myself, for my friends… My next single is a collaboration with other amazing artists and it’s called Effetto Domino, a powerful song about free love and the desire for validation. This is my fourth single and it is only the beginning. We produced a great music video in collaboration with a huge cosmetics company which produced their own queer makeup line and other brands joined the project too. We are ecstatic and can’t wait for the release!

KAPUT: Thanks for having me! And yes, I’m so happy we met! I wish you all the best and hope for the best for HolidayPirates and for the rainbow project.

Stay tuned for more insights behind the scenes at HolidayPirates Group!