Most of us are familiar with singers from the UK and the US, and a few Asian singers as well. They have all rocked our ears with songs ranging from soft ballads to rock and hip-hop.
Music, however, doesn’t simply hail from the big continents. Each country on earth has its share of legendary singers. Poland, for instance, has the poetic songs of Ewa Demarczyk and the rap beats of Taco Hemingway.
Thus to learn more about these people, in this list, we’ll be going over 11 of the greatest and most famous Polish singers of all time. Let’s get started.
1. Ewa Demarczyk
First off on our list, we have Ewa Demarczyk. As one of the most famous Polish singers, this songstress often drew comparisons to France’s Edith Piaf. Born in Poland in 1941, Demarczyk was nicknamed the Dark Angel and was known for her unusual stage personality.
She worked in the genre of sung poetry. Her songs drew inspiration from classical Polish poets and important poets like Rainier Maria Rilke. Every performance and every song of Dermarczyk’s was an emotional, dramatic representation.
In her career, Demarczyk released three albums. Some of her best-known songs include “Grande Valse Brillante,” “Karuzela z Madonnami,” and “Taki Pejzaz.”
2. Krzysztof Krawczyk
Next, we have Krzysztof Krawczyk. He was a successful Polish singer and actor whose career spanned almost three decades.
Krawczyk was a baritone singer known for his versatility in genres and styles, which included pop, country, tango, dance, and disco polo. He was a vocalist for the Polish band Trubadurzy (the Troubadors) from 1963 to 1973.
His touring career took him through the Warsaw Pact countries and Sweden, Greece, Belgium, and Ireland. In 1981, Krawczyk moved to the US, where he toured and recorded 1982’s From a Different Place.
During his career, he appeared in seven films and released six albums with his band and over 60 solo albums. Some of his best-known songs include “Bo Jestes Ty,” “Moj Przyjacielu,” and “Byle Bylo Tak.”
3. Basia
International sensation Basia was born in Poland in 1954 as Barbara Stanislawa Trzetrzelewska. While her parents ran a popular ice cream parlor, she began singing professionally in Polish bands during the late ‘60s and through the ‘70s. In 1981, she moved to the UK and became part of the British trio Matt Bianco.
Basia is known for pop, jazz pop, samba, soul, and swing. Her eight albums take inspiration from American and Latin American music, but she always adds traditional Polish touches to each song.
Her albums Time and Tide and London Warsaw New York were both Platinum certified in the US. She has recorded eight albums in her career, with hits such as “Time and Tide,” “New Day for You,” “Promises,” and “Baby You’re Mine.”
4. Czesław Nieman
Once Polish rock balladeer Czesław Nieman began touring in France and Europe, he became known only as Nieman as it was easier for non-Polish speaking foreigners to pronounce.
Nieman was born in 1939 and grew up in a community of Belarusians and Poles on the eastern lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He began singing rock in the early ’60s and was one of the first male Polish singers to grow out his hair and wear the bright colors and fashions of psychedelia.
Nieman had an extensive vocal range and a deep, rich voice, which can be enjoyed in his hits “Dobranoc,” “Sen o Warszawie,” and “Jednego Serca.” Fourteen of his albums are in Polish, and three in English.
5. Doda
Controversial Polish singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and television personality Doda is the stage name of 1984-born Dorota Aqualiteja Rabczewska.
In her youth, Doda was an active athlete competing in track events like the long jump, 100 meters, and shot put. In 2000, she exchanged her running shoes for a microphone and joined the Polish rock band Virgin.
When Virgin broke up in ‘07, she began a solo career, releasing three albums. Doda’s pop and rock hits include “Dzaga,” “2 Bajki,” “Mam Tylko Cielbie,” and “Wodospady.”
CNN’s 2008 list featured her as of the ten most famous Poles in history, but in 2010, she was charged and convicted of blasphemy in Warsaw because of anti-religious comments.
6. Maryla Rodowicz
Born Maria Antonina Rodowicz in Zielona, Poland, in 1945, this singer, actress, and guitarist is known best as Mayla Rodowicz. Her music is a blend of pop, rock, folk, and sung poetry.
In her 50-year-plus career, Rodowicz has released 20 albums in Polish and four in other languages, selling over 15 million records. Her most popular songs are “Malgoska,” “Futbol,” “Remedium,” and “Latwopaini.”
Because of her appearances in movies and impressive record sales, Rodowicz won the Gold Cross of Merit and the Order of Polonia Restituta for her contribution to and promotion of Poland.
7. Taco Hemingway
Taco Hemingway is the stage name of Egyptian-born Polish rapper, singer, and songwriter Filip Tadeusz Szczesniak. He frequently moved, during his childhood, from Egypt to China and then to Poland. He had a difficult time navigating languages, which ended up developing his lyrical skill.
An early bloomer, Hemingway was born in 1990 and began recording his hip-hop and trap music in 2011. He has released six full-length albums selling over 400,000 albums in Poland. His biggest hits include “6 Zer,” “Deszcz Ne Betonie,” “Polskie Tango,” and “Tamagotchi.”
Hemingway was the first Polish artist with over a billion plays on Spotify, and his music frequently trends on YouTube, gaining millions of views. A critical success and a popular one, Hemingway has won the Polish music award Fryderyk four times for hip-hop album of the year.
8. Sanah
Polish singer-songwriter, violinist, and composer Zuzanna Irena Grabowska—known by fans as sanah—is known for her blend of indie pop, art pop, and electro-pop music.
Sanah began playing violin at four, piano at five, and enrolled in music school at six. Even while recording and pursuing a popular music career, she has continued her studies, earning a master’s degree in instrumental music from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Warsaw in 2021.
Her debut album, Krolowa dram, came out in 2020, and since then, she has released three more studio albums, with hits such as “Nic Dwa Razy,” “Ale Jazz!” and “Ostatnia Nadzieja.”
9. Monika Brodka
Next, we have pop, punk rock, and alternative singer Monika Brodka. This Polish icon first found fame when she won season three of Polish Pop Idol in 2004.
Since then, she has gone on to release three albums. Her first, Album, was certified Gold after its first month. This was followed by Moje Piosenki (My Songs), which was also Gold certified.
Brodka took a four-year break after her second album but came back in 2010 to release her third one, entitled Granda. Her singles, including “Ten” and “Dwiewozyna Mojego Chlopaka,” have all topped the Polish music charts.
10. Michal Szpak
Hailing from Jasło, Poland, pop-rock singer Michal Szpak first gained attention as a finalist in the first season of the Polish X Factor, which aired in 2011. Five years later, he represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, where he sang “Color Of Your Life” and ended with an eighth-place finish.
Szpak has released two studio albums with hits that included “Dreamer (Thanks To You My Friend),” “King of the Season,” and “Rainbow.” He has worked on and off as a coach for The Voice of Poland since 2017.
11. Anna Maria Jopek
Lastly, we have singer-songwriter Anna Maria Jopek, who was born with music in her blood as the daughter of singer Stanislaw Jopek. She is notable for her blend of world music, jazz, and pop.
Jopek represented Poland in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with her hit “Ale Jetstream” and landed in 11th place. In 2002, she collaborated on an album with jazz guitarist Pat Methany.
In her career, the singer has released 12 solo albums, and in 2015, she received the Knight’s Cross Order of Polonia Restituta for her worldwide promotion of Poland.
Summing Up Our List Of Famous Singers From Poland
From the list above, you can tell that Poland has their own very talented singers, and quite a few even represented their country proudly in song contests.
Despite other singers here not being as well known on international radio, their music still greatly impacted the industry. With their unique style and a blend of sounds, they were able to seal their name in music history, and fans continue to enjoy their songs.
This list, however, is far from complete. Have we missed a Polish singer that should be on here? Let us know, and we’ll add them!
