Doda (singer)

For other uses, see Doda (disambiguation).
Doda

Doda at a benefit concert in 2010
Background information
Birth name Dorota Rabczewska
Born February 15, 1984
Ciechanów, Poland
Genres Pop, pop rock
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 2000–present
Labels Universal Music Poland, FM Productions
Website Official Website

Dorota Rabczewska (born February 15, 1984), more commonly known as Doda, is a Polish musical artist, among the most successful Polish artists in terms of number of prizes won. She was first known as a member of the Polish rock band Virgin. After the group disbanded in 2007 she continued with a solo career.[1] She was featured on CNN, as the tenth most famous Pole in history.[2] In 2011, Polish magazine Viva! put her among ten most influential women in Poland.[3]

Biography

Doda was born in Ciechanów, Poland. In her youth, she was coached in athletics for four years (long jump, 100 metres). She won the Championships at Voivodeship for 1000 and 600 meters and shot put. She also won bronze in the Polish Championships. She then quit sports for a musical career. Doda started this career as a teenager, at the Buffo Theater in Warsaw. Simultaneously, she took singing lessons from Elżbieta Zapendowska, one of the most famous singing teachers in Poland. She gained popularity due to her participation in the reality show The Bar.

2000-2007: Virgin era

After auditioning at the age of 16, Doda became the vocalist of the Polish hard rock band Virgin. In 2002 they made their debut by releasing on 16 September their first studio album titled Virgin. It was promoted by two singles: "To Ty" and "Mam Tylko Ciebie". To promote the band and the album further, Doda took part in the reality TV series called The Bar.

Two years after their debut, the band released their second album called Bimbo which was released on May 17, 2004. The album debuted at number one on the Polish Album Sales Chart. The first single was Dżaga", which became their first mainstream hit. In the video, which also featured Radosław Majdan - Polish goalkeeper and Doda's future husband, they are seen having sex. The next singles were ballads "Kolejny Raz" and "Nie Zawiedź Mnie". Virgin also embarked on their first tournee "Bimbo Tour". The album was their first gold record.

After a line-up change the group performed their new single, power-ballad "Znak Pokoju", at the Sopot International Song Festival and won its Viewers' Choice Award. It also was their breakthrough hit on the radio. On 17 October 2005, they released their third and final studio album called Ficca, this time with more radio-friendly pop-rock sound. It was promoted by their second tour called "Ficca Tour". The next single was ballad "Dwie Bajki".

In April 2006, Doda was rushed to hospital due to a problem with her intervertebral disc making the band fall into a hiatus for a while. After having complicated spinal surgery she returned with a voice role on the Polish version of the film Asterix and the Vikings taking the role of Abba. Later that year, the group released their new hit called "Szansa", which was inspired by Doda's surgery. That song also won the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole and then the new version of Ficca was released, which spent 6 weeks at number one on the Polish Album Sales Chart. The album was the biggest hit in their career. It has moved more than 100,000 copies and went Triple Platinum.

Doda rejected the proposal to participate in the Polish edition of Dancing with the Stars due to her spinal surgery. The group toured North America, where Doda had to be rushed to hospital a second time due to her spine injury. By the end of the year Doda had terminated her contract with her manager. On January 1, 2007 leader of Virgin, Tomasz Lubert, announced that he would finish his involvement with the band, leading the group to be disbanded while Doda continued her career as a solo artist.

2007-2010: solo career and Diamond Bitch era

Doda on the set of her music video "Nie Daj Się"

In 2007, Doda signed a solo contract with Universal Music Polska. In June she released her first solo single "Katharsis" and the album called Diamond Bitch, on 27 July. To promote the album she began the "Diamond Tour" - some concerts took place outside Poland - in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The album went straight to number one on the Polish Album Sales Chart and stayed there for 5 straight weeks. The next single was "To jest to". But the biggest hit, "Nie Daj Się", was released in June 2008. It gained much airplay on radio stations, topping many of the radio charts, so the expanded version of the latest album was released, which included that song. Later that year Doda starred as herself in the movie of Krzysztof Zanussi, "Serce Na Dłoni". In 2009 she released two more singles from the album: "Rany" and "Dziękuję". "Diamond Bitch" went Platinum with sales of 45,000 units.

In that time Doda won eleven awards at VIVA Comet making her the most successful artist to have won that award in the world - she won Video of the Year for three straight years and the Artist of the Decade award. At the MTV Europe Music Awards she won twice in the category Best Polish Act and in 2009 she took second place in the Best European Act. Doda also received a Superjedynka on 2008 National Festival of Polish Song in Opole as the Best Artist. On April 2010 Doda began the new, one-year tour called "Rock'n'Roll Palace Tour".

2010-2013: The Seven Temptations era

In June 2010, Doda released "Bad Girls" - the first song from her upcoming second solo album "7 Pokus Głównych", which became a big hit, particularly in 2011 after the premiere of its video, delayed by the illness of her boyfriend Nergal, leader of death metal group Behemoth.

On May 2011, Doda inaugurated the one-and-a-half-year "The Seven Temptations Tour", promoting her new album, which was released on 30 May and went Platinum.[4] This time she presented brand new electro-rock music style. The follow-up single was "XXX".[5] In September Doda was nominated again for the MTV Europe Music Awards.[6] She posed for Playboy USA in December of that year.[7] At the end of 2011 Doda became a columnist for the Polish edition of "Maxim", writing for their first two issues[8]

In February 2012 Doda released a song "Kac Wawa", theme from the Polish comedy movie of the same name. In June she released her duet with her best friend and impersonator Dżaga, "Twa energia". At the end of 2012 another single from the latest album was released. It was a collaboration with Polish rap legend Fokus, "Fuck It". Its controversial video with scenes of violence between both artists, was banned on TV. However, without any media support on a day of its premiere on YouTube it was watched million times and by 2015 it has been watched over 7 million times. The last single from the album was the haunty electro-ballad "Electrode", released in 2013.

In December 2012 Doda signed a new solo contract with EMI Music Poland - since 2014 part of Warner Music Poland. Then she began recordings of her third solo album. In May 2013, Doda embarked on her brand new, one-and-a-half-year "Fly High Tour" - the first in her career filmed for the video premiere and recorded for her live album, finally released on DVD and CD in March 2014.

In October 2013 she released single "Wkręceni (High Life)", recorded for the Polish comedy movie "Wkręceni". The same year she gained two nominations for World Music Awards.

In 2014 she signed with Universal Music Polska again and released her new single "Riotka".

Personal life

Doda was born to Wanda and Paweł Rabczewski. She has a nine years older half-brother Rafał with the same mother. He became her road manager. She also has a twelve years older half-brother Grzegorz and 16 years younger half-sister Paulina with the same father, but she hasn't contacts with them.

In 2003 she met her future husband Polish goalkeeper, Radosław Majdan. He later proposed to her during their vacation in Jerusalem, Israel, and they were married on the 5th of March, 2005. But three years later in May 2008 the couple were divorced.

Doda in 2007.

On May 9, 2009 it became public that she had a relationship with the frontman of the blackened death metal band Behemoth, Adam Darski (aka Nergal).[9] In December 2009, the couple got engaged.[10] In March 2011 it was reported the couple had called off the engagement and broken up.[11]

Doda is a member of Mensa International.[12]

Blasphemy charges

In May 2010, the Warsaw prosecutor's office charged Doda with the crime of "offending religious sensibilities" for remarking in a year-earlier television interview that she believed more in dinosaurs than she did in the Bible because "it is hard to believe in something written by people who drank too much wine and smoked herbal cigarettes."[13] In January 2012 she was found guilty and fined 5,000 złoty by local court Warszawa-Mokotów.[14] Her appeal was not effective. In June 2012 district court in Warsaw upheld the verdict of the local court.[15]

Some of Polish publicists, as politician Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, logician Wojciech Krysztofiak, pharmacologist Jerzy Vetulani and members of Palikot's Movement criticized the judgment.[16][17][18][19] Doda commented that "she was a victim of Polish anachronistic jurisdiction" and said that she will submit the case to European Court of Human Rights for consideration.[20]

Discography

Further information: Virgin (band) § Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
POL
[21]
Diamond Bitch
  • Released: July 30, 2007[22]
  • Label: Universal Music Poland
  • Formats: CD, CD+DVD, digital download[23]
1
7 Pokus Głównych
  • Released: May 30, 2011[26]
  • Label: Universal Music Poland
  • Formats: CD, digital download[27]
4
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
POL
[21]
Fly High Tour Live
  • Released: March 14, 2014[29]
  • Label: FM Productions/Warner Music Poland
  • Formats: CD+DVD, digital download[30]
17
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
POL
[31]
"Katharsis" 2007 Diamond Bitch
"To jest to"
"Nie daj się" 2008
"Rany" 2009
"Dziękuję"
"Bad Girls" 2010 2 7 pokus głównych
"XXX" 2011
"Kac Wawa" 2012 Kac Wawa (soundtrack)
"Fuck It" (feat. Fokus) 7 pokus głównych
"Electrode" 2013
"Wkręceni (High Life)"[32] 3 Fly High Tour Live
"Riotka" 2014 4 TBC
As a featured artist
"Muzyki moc" (VIVA & Friends) 2010 2 Viva - 10 years
"Twa Energia" (Dżaga & Doda) 2012 Afterlife
"Hej" (Lubert feat. Doda) 2014 Z miłości do muzyki
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

Title Year Directed Album
"Katharsis" 2007 Anna Maliszewska Diamond Bitch
"Nie Daj Się" 2008
"Rany" 2009 Dorota Rabczewska/Bo Martin
"Dziękuję" Anna Maliszewska
"Muzyki moc" (VIVA & Friends) 2010 Jacek Szymczak Viva - 10 years
"Bad Girls" 2011 Dorota Rabczewska The Seven Temptations
"XXX" Takumi Koyama
"Kac Wawa" 2012 Dorota Rabczewska Kac Wawa (soundtrack)
"Twa Energia" (& Dżaga) Bartosz Łukasiuk, Patryk Grabarczyk Afterlife
"Fuck it" Xawery Żuławski The Seven Temptations
"Titanium" Dorota Rabczewska non-album single
"Electrode" 2013 Jarek Bolińsko The Seven Temptations
"Wkręceni (High Life)" 2014 Dorota Rabczewska Fly High Tour Live
"Riotka" Michał Bolland non-album single

Tours

Name Year
"Diamond Tour" 2007-2010
"Rock'n'Roll Palace Tour" 2010-2011
"The Seven Temptations Tour" 2011–2013
"Fly High Tour" 2013–2015

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Asterix and the Vikings AbbaVoice in Polish dubbing
2008 Serce na dłoniDodaAs herself

Awards

References

  1. "7 Pokus Głównych". CNN. 2011-06-06.
  2. "Famous Poles through the ages". CNN. 2008-10-03. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  3. "10 najbardziej wpływowych kobiet na okładkach Vivy!". VIVA!. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  4. "30 maja premiera" (in Polish). doda-music.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  5. "SINGLE!". dodaqueen.com. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  6. "NOMINACJA DO EMA MTV 2011". doda-music.com. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  7. Doda w "Playboyu"! Magazine Fakt.pl
  8. "Doda felietonistką Maxima" (in Polish). cozatydzien.plejada.pl. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  9. "Doda oficjalnie z Nergalem?" (in Polish). muzyka.interia.pl. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  10. "News Poland - Mega-wedding in Polish show business". 5 January 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  11. "BEHEMOTH Frontman Dumps Polish Pop-Star Girlfriend?". blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  12. "Polscy Mensanie" (in Polish). Mensa Polska. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  13. Day, Matthew (2010-05-05). "Pop star claims Bible written by drunks". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  14. "Doda skazana za obrazę uczuć religijnych" (in Polish). Rzeczpospolita. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  15. "Doda skazana za obrazę uczuć religijnych" (in Polish). 18 June 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  16. Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (21 June 2012). "Sąd średniowieczny" (in Polish). Gazeta Wyborcza. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  17. Wojciech Krysztofiak (20 June 2012). "Doda jest niewinna" (in Polish). Gazeta Wyborcza. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  18. Jerzy Vetulani (6 July 2012). "Jakie zioła palili ci napruci winem?" (in Polish). vetulani.wordpress.com. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  19. "Doda skazana za obrazę uczuć - Ruch Palikota protestuje" (in Polish). ruchpalikota.salon24.pl. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  20. Magda Rigamonti (2 July 2012). "Doda: jestem ofiarą polskiego zacofanego sądownictwa" (in Polish). Wprost. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  21. 21.0 21.1 http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=409&lang=
    http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=706&lang=
    http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=856&lang=
  22. http://muzyka.interia.pl/plyty/plyta/doda-diamond-bitch,215927
  23. https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/diamond-bitch/id384383760
  24. 24.0 24.1 http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/regulamin.php
  25. http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/platynoweplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2007#title
  26. http://muzyka.interia.pl/plyty/plyta/doda-siedem-pokus-glownych,301988
  27. https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/7-pokus-glownych/id445622927
  28. http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/platynoweplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2011#title
  29. http://olis.onyx.pl/plyty/index.asp?idplyty=3989
  30. https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/fly-high-tour-live/id828949450
  31. http://zpav.pl/rankingi/listy/airplay/video.php?idlisty=330
    http://web.archive.org/web/20131029202615/http://zpav.pl/rankingi/listy/airplay/nowosci.php?idlisty=11190
    http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/airplays/pozostale/archiwum.php?year=2010&typ=tv&idlisty=83#title
    http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/airplays/pozostale/archiwum.php?year=2015&typ=nowosci&idlisty=1525#title
  32. https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/wkreceni-single/id725647711

External links

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