Justyna Steczkowska

Early life and musical roots

She was born in Rzeszów, in the Subcarpathian region of southeastern Poland. She is the fourth of nine children of Danuta and Stanisław Steczkowski, a music teacher and conductor.

When she was five years old, she moved with her family to Stalowa Wola, where she attended the Ignacy Jan Paderewski State Music School. In 1991, she graduated from a music high school belonging to the Music School Complex No. 1 in Rzeszów. Later she moved to Gdańsk to study at a musical academy but she dropped out to focus on singing.^[2] She played violin in a family band and was a singer in rock and jazz bands before embarking on a solo career.

Breakthrough with "Boskie Buenos"

In 1994, Steczkowska participated in auditions for a television talent show Szansa na sukces. Dissatisfied with her performance of a song "Nie przynoś mi kwiatów, dziewczyno" by Trubadurzy,^[2] she was given another chance to compete. She came to prominence in June 1994 when she eventually won the show with the performance of Maanam's hit "Boskie Buenos (Buenos Aires)".^[3] Afterwards, the same year, she performed her first non-album single "Moja intymność" at the 31st National Festival of Polish Song in Opole where she won the main "Karolinka" award and was notably praised by Irena Santor, one of the legends of the Polish music.^[4]

Eurovision Song Contest debut

As a promising young artist, Steczkowska was selected to represent Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Sama" (transl. Alone). With the track characterized by its introspective and melancholic tone, set in a minor key with folky, downbeat elements, she finished in 18th place overall with 15 points.^[5]

Career-defining Dziewczyna Szamana

After winning the final of the Baltic Countries Song Festival in July 1995, Steczkowska began preparations for her first record. She worked closely with Grzegorz Ciechowski, a well-known musician who specifically used a pen name Ewa Omernik and with whom she spent a few months recording in Kazimierz Dolny.^[6]

In March 1996, Steczkowska's debut solo album was released. Combining esoteric themes and jazz-influenced production, Dziewczyna Szamana was both a critical and commercial success. The title track, along with singles like "Grawitacja" and "Oko za oko, słowo za słowo", remain staples of her repertoire and are among her most iconic songs. In April 1997, Steczkowska was triumphant, having earned four Fryderyk awards for every category in which she was nominated.

Evolving sound and collaborations

After the debut, in October 1997, Steczkowska released the album Naga [pl], an optimistically melancholic follow-up to the previous record, most known for a single "Za karę". In August 1999, she composed the soundtrack album produced by her brother for the film Na koniec świata promoted by the trip hop title track.

A year later, she released Dzień i noc [pl] marked by the single "Kosmiczna rewolucja". This album saw her embrace new musical landscape leaning into electronic. On this record, she collaborated with other prominent Polish female artists, Katarzyna Nosowska and Edyta Bartosiewicz.

In November 2001, Steczkowska released a collaborative album Mów do mnie jeszcze [pl] with Paweł Deląg, where they used poems by William Shakespeare, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Jonasz Kofta, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, or Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska.

Seeking to produce something enduring and beyond musical trends,^[7] Steczkowska collaborated with renowned producer Mateusz Pospieszalski and lyricist Roman Kołakowski, and in October 2002 released the album Alkimja [pl]. Inspired by Ashkenazi Jewish culture, featuring songs sung in Hebrew, Aramaic, Ladino, and Yiddish, the album earned her a Fryderyk award for Ethno-Folk Album of the Year.

In 2004, she released Femme Fatale [pl], an album of her interpretations of songs originally performed by famous Polish and international female singers, inspired by figures like Kalina Jędrusik, Anna German, Marilyn Monroe, Édith Piaf, Dalida, and Marlene Dietrich.^[8]

Afterwards, Steczkowska focused on more pop-leaning albums, Daj mi chwilę [pl] (2007) with elements of smooth jazz and To mój czas [pl] (2009) with a variety of styles; she also self-composed two collections of lullabies for children Puchowe kołysanki [pl] (2008 and 2013). In 2012, she released XV  [pl], an album with Gothic rock, techno and trip-hop reinterpretations of her earlier songs with some new tracks, which ultimately saw her reembrace ambient, mystical and oriental fascinations, cemented by Anima  [pl] (2014) and All Is One  [pl] (2019). The latter was her first exclusively English-language record and was originally available for free, released under an alter ego pseudonym Maria Magdalena.^[9]

Her further discography includes Szamanka [pl] (2022), and Steczkowska Demarczyk (2023) as well as other collaborative albums: cabaret-inspired Mezalianse [pl] (2011) with Maciej Maleńczuk and Balkan-influenced I na co mi to było? [pl] (2015) with Boban Marković.

Witch Tarohoro and Eurovision comeback

On 29 December 2023, Steczkowska released a single "Witch Tarohoro", the song she chose to perform at Poland's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. She finished second, losing to Luna.^[10] "Witch Tarohoro", however, would become a title track of her album blending themes of Slavic mythology, spirituality, and nature, released in November 2024.^[11] Next year she won the national final of Poland's national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with another song from this album, "Gaja". Steczkowska represented Poland again after three decades.^[12] Her gap of 30 years between two participations breaks the previous record of 24 years set by Anna Vissi between her entries for Cyprus in 1982 and Greece in 2006.^[13] She advanced to the final of the competition in the first semifinal on 13 May 2025.^[14] In the grand final on 17 May 2025, she placed 14th with 156 points.

Solo albums

Children dedicated albums

Collaborative albums

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s