II
Maria Peszek

About:

September 9, 1973

Peszek was born in Wrocław, Poland into a family of actors. She debuted in a theatrical adaptation of Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass in 1995 at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, where she subsequently graduated from an acting school next year. Since her appearance in Dom Juan in 1996 she became associated with the Studio Theatre in Warsaw. In the period 2000 till 2004 she worked on several movie projects of which Wiedźmin and Julia wraca do domu are most known.

Since 2004 she has been singing and songwriting in the band Elektrolot. She released her solo debut album, Miasto mania on the label of Kayah, in October 2005. It earned her the Fryderyk award for best debut the following year. 2008 saw the release of her next album, entitled Maria Awaria. This concept album, which dealt with sexuality, caused many controversies, but gathered numerous flattering reviews. Peszek contributed a theme song for a controversial Polish film Z miłości in 2011, before releasing her third studio album, Jezus Maria Peszek, in October 2012. The album dealt with subjects like nervous breakdown, also criticizing organized religion and patriotism. It was another major success, topping Polish albums chart. The album is also auobiographical since the singer publically outed she suffers from neurastenia. The album is followd by an extensive tour that also takes her to the UK. In 2016 she released her album Kamikaze.

On the web:

Maria's website: http://mariapeszek.pl/pl

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Aafke Romeijn (Netherlands)

Brigite Fontaine (France)

What do we think:

DB: Anarcho-pop in its purest form. Maria, sings, shouts, kicks, jumps around, petting and biting. I can imagine that some sacred cows in Poland go to pieces on her albums. Musically it's electro-punk, trip-hop and alternative which is at he core of her universe. Always surprising and always intense, even if you do not understand the language. Maria is not a kitten you should listen to without gloves. Maria's albums always have to grow on you but then they will stay close forever.

Albums:

Miasto mania - 2005

♪♪♪♪ - Maria Awaria - 2008

♪♪♪ - Jezus Maria Peszek - 2012

♪♪♪ - Karabin - 2016

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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