II
Justyna Steczkowska

About:

2 August 1972

Justyna has a very wide vocal range of over 4 octaves. She was born in Rzeszó and comes from a very musical family. She played violin in a family band before becoming a solo singer. With her exceptional vocal range she wowed the jury of the talent tv show 'Szansa na sukces' at the start of the nineties.

In 1994 she entered the Opole festival with a cover of the song 'Buenos Aires' from Maanam. Again she won. This triggered the authourities to send her to the Eurovision in 1995. The song 'Sama' wasn’t the succes they expected though and it stuck in 18th place. It took another year for Justyna to record her debut album 'Dziewczyna szamana' ('Shamaans girlfriend') with the help of Republica frontman Grzegorz Ciechowski as producer. The album sold 350.000 copies and is Justyna’s best selling album to date.

Justyna writes her own music but often sings lyrics from other popular pop writes. For instance in 2000 she records 'Dzień i noc' with lyrics from Edyty Bartosiewicz and Kasi Nosowskiej. In 2002 she releases the project 'Alkimja' ('Alchemy' in the Yiddish language) a compilation of Jewish songs and Polish lyrics. A daring project for which she is awarded with the Fryderyk for best folk album.

Then came her 'Femme fatale' album, featuring songs from the most 'fatale' women of all time like Kalina Jędrusik, Anna German, Marilyn Monroe and Edith Piaf. The Polish public didn’t get it though and the album 'only' sold 10.000 copies. So for the follow up it was business as usual. 'Daj mi chwilę' sold over 26.000 copies and was awarded gold. In 2008 she released an album full of lullabies and other songs for children. In 2009 she strongly returns to the popfront with 'To mój czas'.

So far she appeared in two films: 'Billboard' and 'Na koniec świata' ('At the end of the world'). She took part in the Polish edition of 'Dancing with the stars' (the sixth edition). She came in second. In 2011 she joins rocksinger Maciej Maleńczuk (former singer of Püdelsi and Homo Twist) interpreting songs from the Kabaretu Starszych Panów. Another duo-project was the semi classical experimental 'Szopa' project together with Agnieszka Szczepaniak also released on CD. In 2012 she celebrates her fifteenth anniversary with a reinterpretation of her debut CD, new songs and other material assembled on the double CD 'XV'. Meanwhile Justyna becomes one of the coaches in 'Voice of Poland' only expanding her popularity. On the 2014 album Anima she continues her search into the realm of etherical pop. A year later she suddenly teams up with the Boban Marković Orchestra for a gypsy-styled balkanbeat album. A genre in which her voice does not florish.

On the web:

- http://www.justynasteczkowska.pl
- http://steczkowska.justyna.w.interia.pl

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What do we think:

DB: Very theatrical and musically interesting artist. And a great voice. I remember driving through the Biezczcady mountains with her Alchemy album on and it was just magical. There supposed to be bears there but I guess they couldn't handle the 4-octave voice. Later we learned that it was not only Klezmer influences she uses but also Arabic and Scandinavian musical influences. Eglectic lady and one of Poland's top pop-diva's. And she hardly ever disappoints.

PR: A captivating, angel-like voice and the ability to write beautiful songs. Justina has it all coming for her. Furthermore, she like to experiment every once in a while. Her albums vary from rock ('Dziewczyna szamana') to dance/trance ('Dzień i noc') and folky klezmer ('Alkimja'). The result is sometimes great, and sometimes somewhat disappointing ('Femme fatale'). Nevertheless, she is always trying to give us something new and exciting.

Recommended albums:

♪♪♪♪ - Dziewczyna szamana ('Shaman's girlfriend') - 1996

♪♪♪ - Naga ('Naked') - 1997

♪♪ - Dzień i noc ('Day and night') - 2000

♪♪♪♪ - Alkimja ('Alchemy') - 2002

♪♪ - Femme fatale - 2004

♪♪♪♪ - Daj mi chwilę ('Give me a moment') - 2007

♪♪ - Puchowe kołysanki - 2008

♪♪♪♪ - To mój czas - 2009

♪♪♪ - Mezalianse - 2011 (with Maciej Maleńczuk)

♪♪♪♪ - XV - 2012

♪♪♪♪ - Anima - 2014

♪♪♪ - I na co mi to było?  - 2015

Further listening:

Na koniec świata ('At the end of the world') OST - 1999; Kolędy i pastorałki ('Christmas Carols') - 2000; Mów do mnie jeszcze ('Talk to me still') - 2001; Moja intymność ('My Intimacy') - 2003

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided