Mick Jagger has revealed that he learns different languages when heading off on international tours.
The Rolling Stones star’s first language is English, but he’s also fluent in French and can speak German and Spanish.
“Usually at the [international] concerts, I do the languages. But I have to learn them like a parrot!”
The Rolling Stones are headed off on a European tour in June that will see them visit Spain, Germany, France, the UK and more. Fans attending the Spanish, German and French shows can expect Jagger to speak in their native language.
“German is not my easiest. We start in Spain, I know a little bit of Spanish so that’s much easier for me. French is easier for me. I’ve spent a lot of time in France. I spoke French from when I was a child, from when I was 11, in school and then I used to travel to France. My parents would take me,” he told The Daily Star.
In March 2016 Jagger shared told fans at a Cuba show why he thinks it’s important to learn the local language of the country he’s performing in.
“I’d just been doing Spanish for almost the whole tour, apart from the whole Brazil part, which is Portuguese and more difficult. So I was kind of OK.
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“Even my daughter Jade gave me a grudging compliment. Her Spanish is quite good and she said, ‘Your Spanish wasn’t bad’. I said, ‘Well, I’ve been doing it for three months or so.’
“I think you’ve got to make the effort to talk to people in their own language. Even if you make a mess of it, it doesn’t matter. I think people appreciate you trying.
“A lot of people speak English, but not everywhere, so it’s good to do phrases.”
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