The clip for the single “Czekany” begins with a car ride. Dorota Gardias he drives an old convertible Beetle. She parks in front of the garage where she is rehearsing with the band. “I was looking for an idea for this music video and I thought I had to be real” – Dorota Gardias says PAP Life. “I remember the atmosphere of such places very well from my childhood. My dad was a musician, he had his own band and rehearsals took place in the garage,” he recalls.
I admit that “Ice axes” it's a song about dreams and that it's worth making them come true. “When I turned 40, I decided to do it, and singing was one of my dreams. And it gives me a lot of joy,” says the 43-year-old.
“Czekany” is the second single by Gardias. The first one, “Ahead of Yourself”, premiered at the end of last year. It was a completely different atmosphere, much calmer. “‘Ice axes’ was actually my first song, but I felt that it wasn't the right moment to show it yet,” reveals Gardias. “That's why I left it for later and debuted with the song ‘Ahead’, which is much calmer. Then I heard: ‘We expected something different, because you are so sharp and sharp’. And I just didn't want to make any big boom or fireworks, but just start singing softly and safely. IN ‘Ice axes’ there's a lot of emotion and I think this song is right for now. It was ready a few months earlier, but I wanted it to be released in spring, when everything comes to life,” she explains.
Gardias is a co-author of the lyrics, composed the music herself and came up with an idea for a music video that clearly refers to the 80s. Just like the music. You can hear synthesizers and electric guitars. The star admits that the music of the 80s is very close to her.
“I was born in 1980, I grew up listening to music Maanamu, Małgorzata Ostrowska and Bajmu. I knew all their songs because we listened to a lot of this music at home. And she shaped me. It was colorful, there were amazing lyrics, great interpretations. When Beata Kozidrak she sang ‘Monkey and me’, it was like a spectacle. That's why I thought to myself: ‘Okay, if I want to be at peace with myself, what should I record?’ And I knew right away that it had to be this atmosphere,” says Gardias.
Where did the intriguing title of the second single come from? “An ice ax is a tool used in climbing. I love the mountains, I hike in the mountains. In the mountains we have different situations, we are on the peaks, in the valleys. In the fog, in the rain, in the sun, so there is also a reference to what I do every day , i.e. the weather. For me, mountains and the weather are life. When we climb a five- or six-thousand-meter peak, we take small steps, no one jumps straight to the top; you have to get tired, sweat, slide off the rock. And the best thing is, that reaching the very top is as pleasant as the road you travel. And that's what this song is about. We go through life on different paths, behind one peak there is always another peak: ‘Another peak ahead of me. I stick ice axes into the walls. The body is working, the heart is pulsating'”- he says.
“But there is also a thread that sometimes we have to cut off the old ropes, because the ones that are supposed to help us climb are worn out and limit us. In life, we also have to cut off the old ropes. I did that. I cut myself off from people who, somewhere along the way, They accompanied me, but they limited me a lot and pulled me down. And I want to follow my own path. Maybe it won't be K2 or Mount Everest, but it's not about proving anything to anyone or even to myself. I have my peaks, I will climb them I will gain my own way and I will enjoy them,” says the presenter.
TVN viewers got to know Gardias' vocal talent two years ago, when she took part in the program “Mask Singer”. The idea of the show was that people not professionally involved in music performed well-known songs in disguise, and the jury, using clues, tried to guess who was behind the disguise. The people who, according to the audience, sang the best and remained anonymous the longest, advanced to the next stages. Gardias in disguise Rose she charmed both the jury and the audience.
Her singing career began in childhood: “I have a video recording, I was six or seven years old, of me singing ‘A can of crumbs’ at some wedding my dad played at. He has always taught me different songs. I performed on stage as a child Tomaszów Cultural Center, because I come from Tomaszów Lubelski, I took part in all possible kindergarten and school song competitions. Then, from the seventh grade of primary school, throughout high school and university, I sang in various music bands, from cover bands to rock bands,' she recalls.
Everything indicated that Dorota Gardias would connect her life with the stage. But that didn't happen. Why? “I don't know, maybe it was also a matter of the wrong band. I had neither money nor satisfaction from singing. But then television appeared. I was 18-19 years old when I started working at Polsat in the program ‘Go for it’then I found myself in Television Lublin and there I stood in front of the camera, and then I got into TVN and so twenty years passed. I have never regretted it, television gave me many opportunities. I think I have achieved a lot, but I have reached a point where I could feel some emptiness or professional burnout. After all, I've been here for so long, I've covered all the paths,' he confides.
She adds: “I certainly don't sing as well technically as I would like to. But technique is not everything. Personality, expression, and the way of communicating are important in singing, and I don't miss that. I admit that it was a difficult decision to to start performing on stage again. I was simply afraid of being judged by everyone around me. But I thought it couldn't affect me because I was doing it primarily for myself.”
Gardias recalls that she went to music school, but did not finish it. Today I regret it very much. “I think I had an amazing talent, I played the guitar quite well and that was kind of my curse. I felt very confident, but unfortunately I came to school with some bad habits when it came to holding my hand, so I had to work a lot. And my dad thought that I'm so talented, I'm doing great, so you don't need to motivate me, sit with me and practice. And at this stage of learning, technique and regularity are very important. I'll be honest – I don't want to blame my parents here, but I lacked parental support. I'm alone I am a parent and I know that it depends on me whether my daughter will play the violin or practice. Because she would rather go with her friends and play on the patio or play on the computer,” he says.
Daughter of Gardias, 10-year-old Hania he goes to music school, practices the violin and can count on full support from his mother. “The role of a parent is to motivate. But if Hanka came to me and said:
‘Mom, I really don't like this violin, it bothers me, I don't want it’, then I would give up. I don't want to force anything, I don't transfer my dreams to her. Hania goes to music school, plays the violin, which is the instrument she chose, although I tried to dissuade her from doing so, because it is even more difficult than the guitar. But she liked the violin so much that I couldn't refuse her. She's doing great, she's starting to play some melodies by ear. But she has crises along the way and then I help her get through them,” she says. According to the presenter, Hania also has vocal talent, sings beautifully and perhaps one day she will appear on stage with her.
And what other plans does Gardias have for the future? “My third single will be released in a few months. Now, for the first time, together with my music manager, we are organizing a tour of six acoustic concerts in the north-eastern part of Poland. In addition, I perform at closed events that I run, and the concert is an additional attraction. So far, I have sung covers , and now my first song has been added to the repertoire, and now my second one. I have wonderful musicians. They are real professionals who play with the biggest names in Polish music. So this is also a confirmation for me that the quality of what I do is good and There is simply no shame. I also receive confirmation from many people who know about it that I have an ear for music,” he says.
Finally, he states: “I want to sing because it gives me pleasure, not to make a career or to please anyone.”
Iza Komendołowicz