Szafir

**Szafir** (Ditrovian: *Sapphire*) was a Zatranian pop duo consisting of vocalists Małgorzata Śłąska and Dawid Żebroszewski. One of the most successful Zatranian musical acts of all-time, the duo achieved widespread fame and recognition throughout the nation in the 1980s.

Śłąska and Żebroszewski were in a romantic relationship and members of the Zatranian pop group Jego i Jej in the mid-1970s. Following the group's breakup in 1977, Śłąska and Żebroszewski formed Szafir. They later made their debut as a disco act the following year, releasing the single "Morderstwo w dyskotece," which became a modest hit in the country. The single was followed by the release of their debut album *Szafir* (1979), which also became a modest disco hit in Zatrania. The following year, the group was internally selected to represent Zatrania in the Eureavision Song Contest 1980, the nation's first participation in the contest. They competed with the song "Kocham cię czule," placing thirteenth in the competition. Despite their placement, the song became a smash hit in Zatrania, and launched the group's career.

After the success of "Kocham cię czule," the group released their second studio album *Kocham cię* (1980), which became their first chart-topping album in Zatrania. The album and its lead single saw a departure from the group's disco origins, instead being a pop album rooted in the emerging synth-pop and new wave genres, a sound which they kept for the remainder of their career as a duo. Following *Kocham cię*, the group released four other studio albums in their history: *Żany żany!* (1981), *Wideoteka* (1983), *Kochanie* (1984), and *Poszanowanie* (1985), all of which charted at number-one in Zatrania. They additionally achieved 19 top ten singles as a duo, including the number-one hits "Kocham cię czule," "Żany żany!," "Ucieknij ze mną," "Wideoteka," "Magia," "Kobiecy świat," "Kochanie," and "Okłamywać mnie," making them the Zatranian act with the most number-one hits of all-time in the nation.

Śłąska and Żebroszewski ended their romantic relationship in 1985, which led to the downfall of the group. Following the release of their fifth studio album *Poszanowanie* that year, and the completion of its promotion in 1986, the duo disbanded. Both Śłąska and Żebroszewski went on to have successful careers as solo artists, while Szafir is regarded by the Zatranian media as an icon of 1980s Zatranian popular culture.

## History

### 1977–1978: Formation and *Szafir*

In 1974, Małgorzata Śłąska and Dawid Żebroszewski first met while auditioning for the Zatranian pop group Jego i Jej. They were ultimately both accepted into the group, and soon after began a romantic relationship. The group released a string of pop hits in Zatrania between 1974 and 1977, before internal struggles within the group over its musical direction began to emerge, with Śłąska and Żebroszewski wanting to release disco singles, which was beginning its pop culture dominance at the time, while other members and the group's management disagreed. Śłąska and Żebroszewski were later fired by the group's management in November 1977 due to the disagreement, and formed Szafir as a duo afterwards. The following month, they signed a recording contract with Apollonia Records.

Szafir made their musical debut in November 1978, releasing the disco single "Morderstwo w dyskotece." The single was a modest hit within Zatrania, peaking within the top forty in the country's singles charts, while also being circulated in discotheques. The single was followed by the release of the group's debut self-titled studio album in January 1979. Like its lead single, the parent album was also a modest hit, reaching the top twenty in Zatrania, and also producing a handful of other modest disco hits in Zatrania. The duo promoted the album with a small tour performing in discotheques throughout the nation.

### 1979–1980: Eurovision Song Contest, breakthrough, and *Kocham cię*

In December 1979, Szafir applied to be contestants in *Krajowy konkurs piosenki 1980*, the competition established to select Zatrania's representative in their first-ever participation in the Eureavision Song Contest. Their application was ultimately accepted, and they competed in the televised competition on 9 February 1980 with their song "Kocham cię czule." The song was a departure from the disco releases featured on their debut studio album, instead being a pop ballad with influence from synth-pop and new wave, two emerging genres that were steadily beginning to eclipse disco in mainstream popularity. They ultimately won the competition, receiving the right to represent Zatrania at the Eureavision Song Contest 1980. Their performance in *Krajowy konkurs piosenki 1980* was highly-publicized and controversial in Zatrania, due to the romantic gestures made between Śłąska and Żebroszewski throughout, and by their decision to end the performance with a passionate kiss. Conservatives decried the performance as unfit for family television, although neither the duo nor Telewizja Zatrańska (TWZ) were censored or penalized by the Zatranian government for the performance. The political media cited the government's decision not to censure the performance or penalize those involved as evidence that the government of Roman Strzałkowski would be significantly more liberal than that of his father.

Szafir competed in the Eureavision Song Contest 1980 in The Hidewind with "Kocham cię czule" on 17 May 1980, becoming the first act to represent Zatrania and to perform in the Zatranian language. Their performance featured the same controversial kiss as featured in the national selection, although it did not garner nearly as much controversy internationally as it did domestically. At the end of the competition, the duo placed thirteenth out of 21 countries. Despite the lackluster result, "Kocham cię czule" went on to become a smash hit in Zatrania, becoming the duo's first number-one hit. Following the song's success, the duo released their second studio album *Kocham cię* in September 1980, becoming their first chart-topping album in Zatrania. To promote the album, Szafir toured Zatrania and were frequent guests on television music programs and events.

### 1981–1983: *Żany żany!* and *Wideoteka*

After the success of *Kocham cię*, the duo began a partnership with Zatranian record producer Szymon Drabik for their upcoming third studio album. Their first single produced by Drabik, "Żany żany!," was later released in June 1981. Released alongside a popular music video, "Żany żany!" became widely circulated on Zatranian music television stations, radio stations, and nightclubs, becoming the most successful single of the year in Zatrania, and the group's second number-one hit. Sonically, the single saw the duo further capitalizing on their shift towards new wave and synth-pop music. Their third studio album of the same name was later released in August 1981, becoming their second chart-topping album. The album produced a number of additional successful singles, including the chart-topping hit "Ucieknij ze mną" and three top five hits. The album was promoted by the duo's largest concert tour to date, performing shows in both small venues and large arenas such as Kopuła in Wazada and Grudków Arena. The group also performed shows internationally in East Lungary and Chusoslaveria.

In the aftermath of the success of *Żany żany!*, Szafir and Drabik were asked by Michał Szempliński to contribute the music to his upcoming film. Śłąska, Żebroszewski, and Drabik were given an advanced copy of the script, and immediately began work on writing and recording a soundtrack album to be released along with the film. The film, *Wideoteka*, was later released in November 1983, with the soundtrack album being released one week prior. Both the album and film were preceded by the release of the single "Wideoteka" in June 1983, released both to promote the film and the soundtrack album. The song saw a stylistic shift for the duo, incorporating a darker lyrical theme and sound, chosen in order to complement the dark tone of the film. "Wideoteka" went on to become the group's fourth number-one single, and was the best-selling song of 1983 and 1984, and one of the best-selling Zatranian singles of the 1980s. It has since gone on to become one of the duo's signature songs, and has been performed in all of their live performances since. The accompanying soundtrack album was also a commercial success, becoming the duo's third chart-topping album and the best-selling album in Zatrania of 1984. The album also produced the number-one singles "Magia" and "Kobiecy świat," the former of which was performed by Szafir in a cameo appearance in the film.

### 1984–1986: *Kochanie*, *Poszanowanie* and disbandment

After completing *Wideteka*, Szafir ended their partnership with Drabik and began work on their fifth studio album with a number of record producers. They released the single "Namaluj mi obraz" in July 1984, although it underperformed commercially, peaking at only number-34 in Zatrania. After the underperformance, the duo contacted Drabik and asked to resume their partnership. They later released the single "Kochanie," written and produced by Drabik, in November 1984, going on to become their seventh number-one hit. Their fifth studio album of the same name was later released in December 1984, becoming their fourth consecutive chart-topping album.

Following the album's release, the duo canceled a planned concert tour, citing Śłąska's health issues as the reason for the cancelation. Nevertheless, Zatranian tabloids began reporting that the couple was experiencing relationship issues and were on the verge of splitting up. Śłąska and Żebroszewski vehemently denied the rumors, and announced plans for their sixth studio album. Once again ending their partnership with Drabik, they later released the single "Okłamywać mnie" in August 1985, becoming the final number-one hit of their career. Their final studio album *Poszanowanie* was later released in November 1985. Later that month, the duo published a statement confirming that they had mutually decided to end their romantic relationship, but would not be disbanding Szafir. In the aftermath, the duo embarked on a concert tour which performed shows in Zatrania, Chusoslaveria, and East Lungary, concluding in March 1986. Following the conclusion of the tour, Śłąska and Żebroszewski put out a joint statement confirming that they had decided to disband Szafir in order to each begin solo careers.

## Members

* Małgorzata Śłąska (born 13 February 1954) – lead vocals
* Dawid Żebroszewski (born 1 September 1954) – lead vocals

## Discography

*Main article: Szafir discography*
* *Szafir* (1979)
* *Kocham cię* (1980)
* *Żany żany!* (1981)
* *Wideoteka* (1983)
* *Kochanie* (1984)
* *Poszanowanie* (1985)

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Szafir*