Have you ever been wondering what the world would be like without the sound? The reality deprived of this wonderful means of expression that is the sounding of surrounding us forests, cities or our dear ones? You probably don’t often appreciate the steady rhythm of rustling trees or energetic tweeting of birds at dawn. The hustle and bustle of the streets regularly makes you mad. That’s why, you truly desire to run away from this diversity of noise and sounds of your everyday life – to rest a little bit and to focus on the things which really absorb you. However, there are some people who have been accompanied by sounds since they were children. Individuals, who can turn each sound and noise of the surrounding them world into music – a means of expression, which becomes a fantastic way to convey accompanying them emotions. When artists find the right words to emphasize the sound of music – it allows their audience to look deep inside themselves through sharing artists’ thoughts on what is important for them and what really shapes their lives.

Expressing what absorbs us through music and text is an amazing gift, which is worth being fostered. Making others affected with love to the power of sounds and words is a mission – a task, which has been taken up by my todays’ interviewee – Basia Janyga, who shares her passion with everyone showing willingness to get to know how to follow their dreams and not to resign from their aspirations.

Passion Piece: Could you tell my readers a few words about yourself?

Basia: I am a girl made of tunes and words, outgoing – a born multitasker. I live with music and I’m passionate about people. I learn from others, and I teach others. My album will soon be released – a collection of thoughts in the shape of beautiful pieces of music.

Passion Piece: How did your adventure with music start?

Basia: My adventure with music has lasted since I (can’t) remember. As a little girl I woke up singing every day. Quite literally – A Fluffy Pussycat with a black patch at 5 am – it was something usual. Later on I started learning how to play the piano, I went to a music school. When I was in primary school I also started my first band.

Passion Piece: When did you come to a conclusion that you would like to follow musical career for good?

Basia: I think I’ve never felt something like that. I do rather get the impression that in a way music is me, that’s why without music – it’s not me.

Passion Piece: How did taking part in the Voice of Poland and working under the watchful eye of Marek Piekarczyk influence your career development?

Basia: I really value Marek, both professionally and personally – we’ve got a nice cordial relation. I didn’t work much with my coach on the show, but Marek and I have been performing together in one play for a few years, so we stay in touch. Marek also invited me to take part in the project called ‘Yugopolis’ – I have still good memories of those days. Participating in the Voice of Poland was also an interesting lesson for me, a kind of new experience. I got to know many wonderful people, with whom I’m still bound together by a strong friendship. The topic of talent shows is quite complex – not everything looks the same in reality as it appears to be on TV. It’s worth having that knowledge before deciding to take part in this type of programs.

Passion Piece: What advice would you give to young vocalists, who are still at the beginning of their musical journey?

Basia: They shouldn’t be scared, they should follow their own paths, learn and consequently move towards their objectives. Too many wonderful, talented people give in to widely accepted patterns and forget to be true to themselves in the futile pursuit of a quick success.

Passion Piece: How did you come up with an idea of setting up The Talent Factory?

Basia: I really wanted to create a special place together with my husband, a place in which kids, teenagers and adults could develop their passions in the atmosphere of support, motivation which would allow them to go beyond their fears and limits. We’ve gathered a great team of wonderful experts in different fields – from musicians through English teachers to coaches – people, who are really devoted to their work. In this way we managed to create The Talent Factory. I just love this place – it’s really something. A good relationship with our clients and high quality of our services is very important to us – it’s an amazing feeling to create conditions in which people can follow their passions and develop so well.

Passion Piece: Are young people eager to take part in such creative extra activities? How does their future look like after leaving the Talent Factory?

Basia: There are more and more such young people! Quite a lot of them stay with us and grow with us for years. However, we’ve also got a big number of adult clients, who upgrade and broaden their skills or just come back to the passions they’ve already forgotten about. Each student has different goals and our task is to create a development track based on their individual objectives. We organize professional concerts, we’ve got our own recording studio – it’s a great occasion for our students to try themselves in various conditions and to obtain some practical knowledge. Many of them gain significant music successes, do better not only at school, but also at work. It makes us really happy!

Passion Piece: How did you start your ongoing cooperation with Kuba Badach and Poluzjanci band?

Basia: I met Kuba during one of the concerts given by Poluzjanci. During one of such events, my husband Roman and I came up with an idea of creating PoluZONE Workshops. Just after the concert we had a chat with Kuba and we presented our concept to him. He was a little bit skeptical of our spontaneous seed of an idea at the stage of our presentation. His reaction had really motivated us to work hard and less than a year later the first edition of our Workshops was held. It was an extremely labor-intensive project.

Passion Piece: Did you expect your Nationwide Musical PoluZone Workshops to be so warmly welcomed by your audience? Did you suspect that they would be continually organized in Jaworzno?

Basia: We were aware of the fact that proper staff and perfect organization would be our quality standard. We also knew that we didn’t want to do mediocre things. We really desired to establish the best musical workshops in this country. Innovative, oriented to natural and practical musical education and real-life exchange of experiences in the Talent Factory atmosphere – free from being judged and compared with others … We truly believed that it would meet some interest of a particular group of people. We gained tools, knowledge, supporters and money to carry out this project. Now, every year, this task seems to get more difficult, as we always try to make the following editions better than the previous ones. So far, we really manage to do it successfully.

Passion Piece: What kind of experience for you was taking part in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest?

Basia: It was a really unexpected experience! I was called by my friend who asked me to be a part of national selections. Later on he really motivated me not to resign from this idea. Today, I know that this experience has had some influence on bringing work on my own album forward. I’m really grateful for that. Participating in the national selections allowed me to see how many kind people I’ve got around me. I was also surprised with the fact that my song was welcomed so warmly despite the fact that my composition wasn’t really a festival song.

Passion Piece: Your composition ‘Never Forget’ is a very beautiful and atmospheric piece. What can we expect from your debut album Kontras.ty?

Basia: Thank you very much! I wrote this song when I was 12 years old and it has grown up together with me. Kontras.ty is a collection of compositions written by my husband and me over the last 10 years. It will be a natural music enriched by synthetic elements. The songs have a meaningful textual message to convey, and the music layer is supposed to emphasize it. Kontras.ty is about femininity, points of view, emotions and feelings. The truth about me, my perception of the world and relationships. Thanks to recording this album I’ve got a chance to cooperate with wonderful people – they’re also in Kontras.ty. Together we create incredible things and I’m sure that these enigmatic vibes will be perceptible for the audience.

Passion Piece: You are a very active person. Have you got any other passions besides music?

Basia: My work is my passion – the stage and The Talent Factory. I also carry out trainings for teachers and students which are mainly related to natural and effective learning. I’m truly interested in self-development and I love inspiring others to develop themselves. It’s my life’s mission. Prosaically, I like sport, skiing and baking cakes.

Passion Piece: Where do you see yourself in the nearest future?

Basia: Above all else in a happy relation with my husband, myself and others. I see myself a little bit at home and a little bit at work. I can see Kontras.ty. and people who give my album all its colors.

Passion Piece: Which motto would you like to share with my readers?

Basia: Many people have said many wise words – I try to benefit from their thoughts. There’s one sentence which accompanies me quite often: I love what I do. I wish you – dear Natalia, and you – my dear Reader to do what you love … and listen to good music!

Passion Piece: Thank you very much for this truly inspiring conversation. I wish you continued professional successes, but not only … I also hope that we will soon have the opportunity to see your debut album on the store shelves and in your fans’ homes.

I believe that this interview and my guest will encourage you to follow your drams and to reach for the things which are the most important for you. Who knows … maybe you’ll have a chance to meet Basia during one of her Workshops?

See you around!

Yours,

Passion Piece

To support Basia and her debut album Kontras.ty, visit the following webiste: www.odpalprojekt.pl

Photos by: Natalia Kaszuba