Blauka – a duet in life and on stage. Their debut album ‘Miniatura’ came out on 27 September 2019. The album is a collection of thoughts, dreams, and muddle of human relationships throw into an abstract bag full of grotesque, absurd, and self-distance. Georgina Tarasiuk – a songwriter and composer and Piotr Lewańczyk – a bass player and music producer.
Who is the initiator of Blauka and why did you choose this name for your duet?
Blauka began with a private relationship and wasn’t set up on the initiative of one person. To us, it was natural to create music together, and ‘Miniatura’, our debut album, is an effect of two years of work. We were looking for a name which would describe us best, and we must admit that it wasn’t an easy task. We went through several versions, some of which were even used in working names of our first recording sessions! We still remember the surprise of Marcin Gajko [the mix maker on the album], who was used to our working name, when he saw the name ‘Blauka’ for the first time. He was like, ‘Blauka?’ After a while, he said, ‘A good one!’ ‘Blauka’ is a colloquial word for truancy.
Who is the target audience of ‘Miniatura’?
‘Miniatura’ wasn’t made for any particular audience even though diverse and quite uncompromising techniques at the level of music and lyrics tip in favour of aware listeners. We’re aware that our work diverges from the current ‘mainstream’ cannon, but that was our intention – to do something which would add extra value and wouldn’t follow well-established patterns in Polish music. What’s more, during this year’s concerts, we observed that ‘Miniatura’ is an intergenerational album. In the audience, there were people of all ages: in their twenties or even teenagers, our peers, and the generation of our parents. We’re glad to see that our music and lyrics reach a lot of people – regardless of their age.
You describe your genre as ‘retrospective recreational rock’? What do you mean by that?
‘Retrospective recreational rock’ is a ‘wink’ at our audience. How can we define the genre of our music? Is it mainstream, pop, or perhaps rock? Big beat…? No, not at all. Alternative music? What does the term ‘alternative music’ mean in Poland today anyway? Exactly. There are a lot of questions we couldn’t answer; thus, we came up with an absurd name of a genre. As it turned out, the grotesque of our ‘retrospective recreational rock’ suits us – deciphering the meaning of each of the words best describes the music behind the name Blauka.
What inspired your cover?
We pay great attention to the visual side of Blauka. We try to make our videos special; we did the same with our first independent release. The author of illustrations and the entire design is Natalia Trochowska. The graphic design of ‘Miniatura’ underwent several metamorphoses before it was shaped to its present form. A long time before the premiere, we gave Natalia the album, so that she could listen to it and get inspired, and we must admit she got us perfectly right! The illustration behind the characteristic front window contains a few depths, while the design in its physical version can be folded in several ways, so that our listeners can choose their version of ‘Miniatura’ themselves.
Lyrics to your songs are in Polish, which is a big plus. Where do you find inspiration to write lyrics and what’s the story behind the lyrics to the songs on ‘Miniatura’?
The lyrics that appear on this album are an analysis of the observation of human emotions. Some of them are more personal, like ‘Haj’, while others are a result of accidentally heard stories or long night conversations with family and friends. Some of them have been inspired by one accidental word, which triggered a complex train of thought. They’re songs of dreamers, who still look to the future with a happy expression on their face despite a heavy bag of various experiences. The most emotional moment for us is to hear our lyrics being sung by other people at the concert. You look in their eyes and you know they can relate to those songs and find what they are missing and longing for.
Is it better to love obstinately or fiercely?
Everyone will find a priority they can relate to. It’s better to love honestly.
Once, some artist said that ‘His music is for all, but not for everyone’ – is it the same with you? Who do you address your music to?
Some also say that ‘there are people who don’t mind music in life.’ We’d like to address our music to all those who definitely mind music!
You’re very present in the social media; do you like to share moments from your life, at least the musical ones?
Nowadays, the social media define the activity of artists to some extent. They allow us to keep in touch with our followers, which is often a fascinating experience. It’s a very dynamic medium. On our ‘Blauka’ channels, we mostly share our music life, because that’s the essence. We sometimes slip some situations from our daily life, from the space we live in. Recording various moments of the album-making was really exciting, just like showing us signing albums ordered before the premiere. But it’s important to keep some space to yourself and not to distract attention with irrelevant stuff.
If you were to pick one Polish artist whom you’d have to listen to until the end of your life, who would that be?
Pragmatically, we’d pick an artist with a developed artistic career, for example, Czesław Niemen, whose music is very rich and diverse. On the other hand, we could opt for one of Polish classical composers of the 19th and 20th century. That’s a hard choice. One of legendary Polish radio reporters, when asked which album he would take on a desert island, said that he wouldn’t take any album because he already has all he needs in his head. As regards the music of our favourite artists, it’s the same with us.
What would you like to tell people who will go to Empik and buy your album?
Hello, it seems we’re going to meet more often now. Thank you.
