Kayah (singer)

Kayah
Kayah in 2023
Born
Katarzyna Magdalena Szczot

(1967-11-05) 5 November 1967 (age 56)
Warsaw, Poland
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • producer
  • television and radio personality
Years active1984–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitewww.kayah.pl

Katarzyna Magdalena Rooijens (née Szczot; born 5 November 1967 in Warsaw[1]), professionally known as Kayah, is a Polish singer-songwriter performing a variety of music genres, including pop, soul, jazz, world[2] and dance.[3] She has also experimented with disco, funk, electronica as well as Balkan and Jewish music.[4]

Kayah released her first self-written album in 1995 and has since established herself as one of the most critically and commercially successful Polish singers.[5] She is one of the most awarded artists by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV)[6] and has placed fourth on Polish music magazine Machina's list of "50 best Polish female singers".[7] Kayah has sold over one million records in Poland[8] and most of her albums have been certified platinum or gold by ZPAV. Particularly successful was the 1999 collaborative album Kayah i Bregović, recorded with Yugoslav musician Goran Bregović, which was certified diamond for selling over 700,000 copies, and spawned hit singles "Śpij kochanie, śpij" and "Prawy do lewego". Her other hits include "Fleciki", "Na językach", "Supermenka", "Testosteron", "Prócz ciebie, nic" with Polish singer Krzysztof Kiljański and "Po co" with Israeli musician Idan Raichel. She has also collaborated with Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora.[9]

In the early 2000s, Kayah co-founded her own record label, Kayax, which has since signed many successful artists and released numerous critically acclaimed albums. She has also hosted a number of television and radio shows and occasionally appeared in TV series and films in Poland. Kayah has also been outspoken politically, having supported Poland's Women's Party and the Committee for the Defence of Democracy.[10] She is also an ally and supporter of the Polish LGBT community.[11][12]

  1. ^ "Kayah" (in Polish). Filmweb. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  2. ^ Sylwia Czerniak (2015). "Czy world music po polsku ma szansę podbić świat?" (in Polish). menmagazine.pl. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  3. ^ David Peter Wesolowski. "Kayah Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Kayah - transorientalny powrót do world music" (in Polish). musicis.pl. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Kayah and Toxique – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London". britevents.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Nominees and Winners :: Fryderyk music award :: Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry – FRYDERYKOWY "TOP"" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  7. ^ "50 najlepszych polskich wokalistek" (in Polish). machina.pl. 17 December 2010. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  8. ^ Romek Rogowiecki (27 September 2003). "Pole position". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Kayah, Cesária Evora - Embarcacao". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  10. ^ Elvis Strzelecki (13 November 2017). "Wanna szampana i artystyczna niezależność. Jedyna taka artystka na polskim rynku: Kayah" (in Polish). igimag.pl. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Kayah - rozmowa w ramach akcji "tolerancja jest kozak"" (in Polish). YouTube. 17 October 2020. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Kayah wspiera LGBT" (in Polish). zyciestolicy.com.pl. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021.