Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Hi, thank you for inviting me. I’m from central Poland. I didn’t grow up in a musical family, but my cousin had played the guitar for some time and once I touched his guitar during Christmas time when I was 13, I was hooked for life. I knew that this would be what I would do for the rest of my life.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I do have a formal training, I’ve graduated from Academy of Music in Łodź, where I honed my craft in classical guitar and learned some theory. The whole composition and music production side I’ve taught myself out both through playing with a lot of musicians and bands as well as by experimenting and searching for my own voice in music.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Hmm, my first musical influences, I would say, were quite typical for a guitarist – Metallica and Led Zeppelin, especially the latter. However, my musical taste has evolved over the years, and now I listen to music from a vast variety of genres. When creating my solo project, I would definitely say that artists like Pat Metheny, Olafur Arnalds, Dhafer Youssef, Steven Wilson, or Hans Zimmer have had a great influence on my sound and the way I think about music. The interesting thing is that you can barely see any guitarists in this list.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Intense Meditation’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Actually, there is. The song was originally written around 7-8 years ago for another project and was performed with a violinist and percussion instruments. When I decided to record my own album, I thought it had to be included. I reimagined the song extensively, rearranged it, and determined that the cello would be the best instrument to take on a leading role. I invited my friend, Maciej Baran, who is one of the first people I met at the Academy of Music, and provided him with specific parts that I wanted him to play, allowing him a lot of freedom in other sections of the song.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Actually my debut album “Eternal Flow” already mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos. I’m just working on some details at the time. It will be released both digitally as well as in a traditional way.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: In every song I create, I strive to find elements that grab my attention and provoke emotions. I always hope to evoke feelings in the audience. This varies from song to song; sometimes, it’s something rhythmic, other times it’s a chord sequence or melody. The main connector, however, is dynamics. I would describe my sound as an attempt to blend emotive guitar playing with cinematic sounds. Additionally, I always strive to explore new solutions and sounds, avoiding repetition in my work
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: Hmm, that’s a good question. To be honest, I stopped thinking about making music as a way to get rich or famous. Obviously, I want my songs to reach many people and provide sonic pleasure to my fans, but I’m really proud of what I’m creating. The whole process of composing, arranging, and producing music is quite rewarding for me. If you were to ask me about my goals with my music, aside from reaching people and being able to make a living from my compositions, it would be to get my songs into the movie industry and have one of them played in a Hollywood blockbuster.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: Sure. Most of the time, I just grab my guitar, noodle around, and try to find something special, something that evokes emotions in me. Then, I attempt to develop the idea on the guitar until I have roughly completed the song’s form. After that, I record a preliminary version on my computer and look for sounds or live musicians to complete the soundscape. Then, I re-record my guitar parts with the highest quality I can achieve. Normally, when the song is 95% ready and I still feel something is missing, I try to fine-tune it. Sometimes the song is ready after 3-4 weeks from the beginning; other times, it takes up to half a year.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: It would surely be a lot of rejection and difficulties with breaking through. It’s definitely not the easiest career to choose, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nothing else, maybe except shooting videos, would give me as much pleasure as making music.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I have played many great gigs, festivals and so on in my life as a musician with different bands, but I’m definitely most proud of finally recording my own album. I’m quite thrilled to be able to publish it at the beginning of 2024.
Thanks again for inviting me and I hope that your readers will enjoy my music!
