Gdansk to the music

>> Horsin’ around with Polish superstar Kayah

by CHRIS BARRY

Dried fish, pierogis, an impressive legacy of war heroes—Poland has brought much to the world. But a Polish superstar? That’s certainly not something you come across every day. Yet Kayah is just that, the biggest thing to hit Poland since trade unionism. Like a conquering army, since 1995 and the release of her first domestic gold record Kamien, the phenomenon that is Kayah has swept the Polish countryside with a ferocity not seen since Lech Walesa last lifted his leg and farted defiance at his former Soviet masters.
Weaned on American soul, funk and R&B, Kayah really hit the Polish big time back in 1999 when her collaboration with noted world music minstrel, Goran Bregovic, resulted in the six-times Polish platinum record Kayah i Bregovic (which, my Polish relatives tell me, loosely translated means “Kayah and Bregovic”).

Since then she has become one of the most recognizable and celebrated women in Poland, with her most recent release, JakaJaKayah, selling over 50,000 units within four days of its release.

But Kayah says she’s taking it all in stride and refuses to let superstardom mess with her head. “I will never allow anybody to put me in a golden cage,” she proudly told me over the phone from Poland earlier this week. “The fact that I’ve sold over a million records in one country doesn’t make me anything better than what I am. I still live a normal life. If I’m in a shop and want to buy anything, I still wait in the lines. It’s so very important that you keep your feet on the ground and not get crazy—otherwise, there is danger.”
A truly talented, ever evolving and genuine artiste, Kayah’s current musical direction is, in her own words, “impossible to categorize.”

“Yes, I grew up on Barry White and Diana Ross and always dreamed of someday singing this type of music, but I feel like I am still searching. With JakaJaKayah I was rooting through the various elements that have influenced me over the past two years—like techno music, which is something I previously could not understand. When I became pregnant I stopped going out to clubs and began to really miss that part of my life. So I started listening to music that reminded me of going out—especially London beat underground music. But there are also elements of Polish folk music—which is very unique and exotic—on this record. I’ve also been inspired by Indian rhythms.

“You see,” the exotic diva continues, “it’s always been a challenge for me to make each album sound different—and I expect this much from other artists as well. I never want to repeat myself. It’s proof that you are developing as an artist. But a lot of people don’t like it when you do this. They have trouble accepting the changes. But personally, I’ve never wasted time thinking of my career, I only care about making music.”

Horse sense

For the moment, Kayah’s greatest concern about her upcoming Canadian invasion is being able to communicate her thoughts through the English language. “It’s hard enough giving interviews and making yourself understood when speaking your own language,” she says, “but doing all of this in English is very stressful.” And though her command of the English language is one hell of a lot better than my mastery of Polish, there are times when it becomes quite clear why her concerns are genuine. Take this verbatim exchange, for example, in which I think she is explaining her choice of titles for one of her previous records, Zebra—something I know I didn’t ask her about:
Kayah: You know, Chris, I am horse. I started to compare myself to zebra, saying that I am between horses—and I am horse. But I’m a bit different because I have stripes. Zebra is great because when you say it people get a picture in their minds, they have the colours, everything.

Mirror: So let me get this straight, you empathize, or rather, identify with the horse as a species?

Kayah: No, not really. I am between horses.

Mirror: Oh, I see. Allrighty then. So, um, uh, Kayah, are you hoping to reach a larger audience than the international Polish community with this new record?

Kayah: Oh yes, that would be so great. My dream is to play to everybody. Because, you know, music really is an international language. :

At Café Campus tonight, Thursday, Jan. 31, 8pm, $25