| Ania | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anna Dąbrowska |
| Born | January 7, 1981 Chełm, Poland |
| Origin | Poland |
| Genres | retro pop |
| Occupations | musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Sony BMG Poland |
| Website | www.aniadabrowska.com |
Ania [ˈaɲa]; called also with her birthname: Ania Dąbrowska, [ˈaɲa dɔmˈbrɔvska]) is a Polish singer and composer, born January 7, 1981 in Chełm, Poland, performing a retro-inspired blend of pop and soul music. Her inspiration is Polish music of the 1960s as well as music of France. Ania rose to stardom in 2004 and most of her four albums got Platinum certification in Poland. She is one of the most popular Polish female singers and has sold more than 200,000 records in her home country.[1]
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Dąbrowska started her musical education as a teenager. Being in high school, she also attended music school where she learned to play contrabass.[2] During high school she participated in numerous vocal competitions. Dąbrowska first appeared publicly in 2002, as a participant of the first season of Polish edition of a TV program Pop Idol, in Poland called Idol. She managed to reach the final top 10. While in eighth place, she left the show. In the same year, she collaborated with Polish singer Krzysztof Krawczyk on his hit album ...bo marzę i śnię.
In February 2004, Dąbrowska released her debut album, Samotność po zmierzchu (eng. Solitude After Dusk). The record was a commercial success. Popular singles include: "Tego chciałam" (eng. That's What I Wanted), "Charlie, Charlie" (cover of the song by A Camp) and "Inna" (eng. Different) - a song about an alienated girl. The same year she took part in National Festival of Polish Song in Opole with a song "Glory". Dąbrowska became one of the most popular Polish singers, winning several awards including the Eska Music Award. In the fall of 2004 Samotność po zmierzchu achieved Gold certification[3] and the overall sales exceeded 40,000 copies.[4]
Dąbrowska released her second album Kilka historii na ten sam temat (eng. A Few Stories on the Same Subject) in 2006. The songs referred to Polish popular music from the turn of the 1960s and the 1970s. Ania presented her retro-inspired image on the cover of the record as well as in the music video of the single "Trudno mi się przyznać" (eng. It's Hard to Admit). The album gained even greater success than the top-selling debut record (it sold in 50,000 copies[4]) and was praised both by the critics and the public. The most popular single from the album was "Czekam..." (eng. I'm Waiting...). In the end the album became a Platinum Record.[5]
Ania's third album, W spodniach czy w sukience? (eng. In Trousers or in Dress?), was released in June 2008. The first single was "Nigdy więcej nie tańcz ze mną" (eng. Never Dance with Me Again) which enjoyed some success in Poland. The album reached number one in Polish album charts and very soon went Platinum.[5] In the summer of 2008 the title song was released as the next single. In 2009, Ania collaborated with French band Nouvelle Vague and recorded a cover of Robert Palmer's classic song "Johnny and Mary" for their album 3.[6] The song was a radio single in Poland. In the fall her next solo single was released, "Nigdy nie mów nigdy" (eng. Never Say Never), from the movie of the same name.
In April 2010 Dąbrowska released the fourth studio album, Ania Movie, including interpretations of her favourite movie tracks. The record, announced as her last retro-album, debuted at number one in Polish album charts and remains her best-selling record to date. The first music video was shot for Cher's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". In July the same year her first child was born.[7] Her promotional Ania Movie tour was postponed due to a number of reasons, including pregnancy and health problems[8] but eventually turned out a great success later in 2010. In 2011 she became one of the judges in The Voice of Poland.