Małgorzata Śłąska

**Małgorzata Śłąska** (born 13 February 1954) is a Zatranian singer and songwriter. An iconic figure of 1980s Zatranian popular culture, Śłąska has achieved success both as a member of the musical duo Szafir and as a solo artist.

Śłąska was born and raised in the city of Mysłolaska, and moved to Wazada to begin a music career after completing her secondary education in 1972. After several months performing as a nightclub singer, Śłąska joined the female vocal group Birdie Doo in 1973, although the group achieved little success and disbanded the following year. In 1974, she auditioned for and was accepted into the pop vocal group Jego i Jej, with which she achieved a number of modest pop hits from 1974 until her departure from the group in 1977. After leaving the group, she and her boyfriend and former bandmate Dawid Żebroszewski formed the duo Szafir. With Szafir, Śłąska released five number-one albums, seven number-one singles, and 19 top ten singles, becoming one of the most successful Zatranian musical acts of all-time. The group disbanded in 1986, following the end of Śłąska and Żebroszewski's romantic relationship.

Following the disbandment of Szafir, Śłąska signed a solo recording contract with Apollonia Records to begin her solo career. She released her debut solo single "Bądź" in March 1987, becoming her first solo number-one hit. The single was followed by the release of her debut solo studio album *Kobieta na polowaniu* (1987), charting within the top five in Zatrania. After a brief pause from the music industry to prioritize her personal life, Śłąska returned in 1991, with the release of the single "Chodzić po wodzie," which went on to become her second solo number-one hit and the most successful single of 1991 in Zatrania. The single's parent album, *Czarodziejka* (1991), saw similar levels of success, becoming Śłąska's only solo number-one album and producing five further top ten singles. Śłąska has gone on to release three other studio albums in her career: *Ta dziewczyna* (1998), *Lwica* (2006), and *Sto sposobów, by powiedzieć, że cię kocham* (2015).

## Early life and education

Śłąska was born on 13 February 1954 in Mysłolaska to parents Władimir Śłąski (1924–2007) and Jadwiga Śłąska (née *Jedlińska*; 1926–2012). Her father worked as a veterinarian, while her mother was a music teacher. Śłąska was first introduced to music and performing at a young age through her mother, and she has called her mother her "biggest fan." Śłąska was raised as the youngest of three children and only daughter; her elder brothers are Paweł (born 1950) and Anatoly (born 1952).

Śłąska began her education in 1960, attending a private, coeducational, primary school in Mysłolaska. While in primary school, Śłąska was a self-described "attention hog," who gravitated towards performance and the dramatic arts. She was additionally a popular student, having been elected queen of her primary school prom. She graduated from primary school in 1969, and afterwards enrolled in a music conservatory to study vocal performance. She graduated with her secondary school diploma from the conservatory in 1972, opting not to pursue post-secondary education in order to pursue a professional music career.

## Music career

### 1972–1977: Early career

After graduating from secondary school in 1972, Śłąska moved to Wazada in order to begin a career in the music industry. She soon found work as a nightclub singer, and worked during the day as a salesgirl at a boutique in order to make rent. After several months, Śłąska grew tired of nightclub performances, finding the work unfulfilling and low-paying. In February 1973, she attended an open audition organized by Szipak Records to find singers for a female vocal group. She passed the audition and was one of four female vocalists cast in the group, called Birdie Doo. The group released their debut single "Jak ptak" in August 1973, which failed to gain traction in the Zatranian music industry. They later released the follow-up singles "Mój chłopak" and "Złamane głosy" in October 1973 and January 1974, respectively, both of which were also commercial failures. Birdie Doo was dropped by their record label in March 1974, and disbanded the following month.

Following Birdie Doo, Śłąska attended an audition for a mixed-sex vocal group in June 1974. She was ultimately accepted into the six-member group, named Jego i Jej, along with singers Angelika Jeżewska, Borys Wójno, Dawid Żebroszewski, Kuba Kopański, and Weronika Jackiewicz. The group was soon signed to Oprodisiak Records and released their debut single "Moja Walentynka" in November 1974, which became a modest hit on the Zatranian pop charts. With the group, Śłąska released two studio albums: *Jego i Jej* (1975) and *Lubimy imprezować* (1976), both of which were moderately successful in Zatrania. Internal struggles reached the group in 1977, due to disagreements between members on its musical direction. Śłąska and Żebroszewski, whom had begun a romantic relationship in 1975, both wanted the group to begin releasing disco singles, which had recently begun dominating the music charts, while the other members and group management were opposed to the proposed musical shift. In November 1977, Śłąska and Żebroszewski were fired by the group's management over the disagreement, and Jego i Jej continued as a quartet.

### 1978–1986: Szafir

*Main article: Szafir*
After being fired from Jego i Jej in 1977, Śłąska and Żebroszewski opted to form a musical duo, calling themselves Szafir. They signed a recording contract with Apollonia Records in December 1977, and chose to brand themselves as a disco act. They released their debut single, "Morderstwo w dyskotece," in November 1978, which became a modest disco hit in Zatrania. This was followed by the release of their self-titled debut studio album in in January 1979, which was also a modest hit. Szafir had their breakthrough the following year, after representing Zatrania in the Eureavision Song Contest 1980 with the song "Kocham cię czule." Despite only placing thirteenth in the competition, the song became their first number-one hit in Zatrania, and was followed by the release of their first number-one album, *Kocham cię*, in September 1980. The single and its parent album saw a departure from disco music, with the duo being most influenced by the emerging synth-pop and new wave genres.

In the aftermath of their breakout success in 1980, Szafir went on to release four further studio albums: *Żany żany!* (1981), *Wideoteka* (1983), *Kochanie* (1984), and *Poszanowanie* (1985), all of which charted at number-one in Zatrania. They also set a record of notching seven number-one hits: "Kocham cię czule," "Żany żany!," "Ucieknij ze mną," "Wideoteka," "Magia," "Kobiecy świat," "Kochanie," and "Okłamywać mnie," in addition to 19 total top ten hits throughout their career. Śłąska and Żebroszewski ended their romantic relationship in November 1985, followed by the disbandment of the group in March 1986.

### 1987–1990: Solo career, *Kobieta na polowaniu*, and hiatus

Following the end of Szafir, Śłąska signed a solo recording contract with Apollonia and confirmed that she would be pursuing a solo career. Wanting to forge her own path in music and not be merely seen as a continuation of Szafir, Śłąska opted to fine tune her sound, abandoning much of the new wave and synth-pop elements featured in the work of Szafir. She later released the single "Bądź" in March 1987, a pop rock ballad with self-penned lyrics rumored to be about her break-up with Żebroszewski. The song was a hit in Zatrania, becoming Śłąska's first solo number-one hit. The single was followed by the release of the album *Kobieta na polowaniu* in May 1987. Much like its lead single, the album was a departure from the sound of Szafir, featuring a rockier edge and more urban production. The album was ultimately also a success, charting in the top five in Zatrania, and was promoted with the Kobieta na polowaniu Tour, Śłąska's first solo concert tour. Also in 1987, Śłąska had a cameo in the film *Videotheque*, performing a Ditrovian language version of Szafir's 1983 single "Magia."

After the completion of the tour in 1987, Śłąska stated to the press that she was eager to begin work on her sophomore solo studio album. Plans for a follow-up album soon began to stall, after suffering from a miscarriage in 1988 and later getting married in 1989. Following the birth of her son in 1990, Śłąska stated that she was on a hiatus in order to prioritize her family life and "explore being a wife and mother."

### 1991–1997: *Czarodziejka* and second hiatus

In February 1991, Śłąska revealed in an interview that she had begun work on a second solo studio album, and that she had ended her hiatus from music. This was followed by the release of the single "Chodzić po wodzie" in June 1991. Musically, the song was an even starker departure from the music of Szafir, being a keyboard and guitar-led pop and dance-pop sung featuring powerful vocals sung by Śłąska. The song went on to become a smash-hit, becoming Śłąska's second solo chart-topper, sitting atop the Zatranian singles chart for 12 consecutive weeks, setting a new record in the process; additionally, the song became the most commercially successful song of 1991 in the nation, and the biggest hit of Śłąska's career. The song's success was partially attributed to the circulation of its popular music video on Zatranian music television channels.

"Chodzić po wodzie" was followed by the release of the studio album *Czarodziejka* in September 1991. *Czarodziejka* became Śłąska's sole number-one solo album, and was the second-most commercially successful album of the year in Zatrania. The album produced a number of hit singles for Śłąska, including the top ten hits "On," "Piosenka miłosna," "Czekając (Na jego telefon)," "Lód," and the number-one hit "W moich koszmarach." She promoted the album with the Czarodziejka World Tour, becoming her first solo concert tour to perform shows internationally, and the highest-grossing concert tour of her career. After the completion of the tour in October 1992, Śłąska announced that she would be beginning a second hiatus from the music industry in order to prioritize her family life.

### 1998–present: *Ta dziewczyna* and semi-retirement

Following a six year musical hiatus to prioritize motherhood, Śłąska returned to the music industry with the surprise release of her third solo studio album *Ta dziewczyna* in November 1998. Musically, the album was described as adult contemporary, a stark departure from the styles she performed earlier in her career. The album spawned one single, "Latać jak orzeł," which did not perform well commercially. *Ta dziewczyna* ultimately peaked at number-eight on the Zatranian albums chart, and Śłąska subsequently began another musical hiatus. In 2002, Śłąska stated that she had went into "semi-retirement" from the music industry.

Śłąska later released a second adult contemporary studio album, titled *Lwica*, in June 2006. The album was independently released, as Śłąska's recording contract had since expired, and it did not chart on any international music chart. Her fifth solo studio album, *Sto sposobów, by powiedzieć, że cię kocham*, was later independently released in May 2015, reaching number-29 on the Zatranian albums chart. The album was promoted by a small concert tour, which performed shows at small venues in Zatrania and Lungary.

## Personal life

Śłąska was in a romantic relationship with former bandmate Dawid Żebroszewski from 1975 until 1985. They were rumored to have become engaged in 1982, although they denied these rumors. Śłąska and Żebroszewski announced their break-up in November 1985, with media reports suggesting the reasons for their break-up being Żebroszewski's attempts to control their musical direction and career.

Śłąska began dating Zatranian attorney Tomasz Kukułka in 1986, after being introduced by mutual friends. They became engaged in 1988, and married the following year. Śłąska and Kukułka have two children together: Dominik (born 1990) and Stefania (born 1994). In 1993, the family relocated to Vecker, Southeast Veckerland in Lungary, where they currently reside; Śłąska has stated that the family moved to Lungary because she did not want her children to have to grow up as children of a celebrity, following numerous incidents involving the paparazzi with her son. The family also owns an apartment in Wazada. Śłąska is fluent in Zatranian, Lungarian, and Ditrovian.

## Discography

*See also: Szafir discography*
*Main article: Małgorzata Śłąska discography*
* *Kobieta na polowaniu* (1987)
* *Czarodziejka* (1991)
* *Ta dziewczyna* (1998)
* *Lwica* (2006)
* *Sto sposobów, by powiedzieć, że cię kocham* (2015)

## Concert tours

* Kobieta na polowaniu Tour (1987)
* Czarodziejka World Tour (1991–92)
* Małgorzata Śłąska Concert Tour (2015)

## Awards and nominations

*See also: Awards and nominations received by Szafir*
*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Małgorzata Śłąska*