Wiktor Fejkiel (Interia Muzyka): You have been releasing singles for several years now, you also have the “DD EP” behind you, but only now you have your debut full-length album “DOMINIKA DANIELA”. What were your feelings before publication?
Dominika Płonka: While waiting for the premiere, I felt exactly like I felt in the 9th month of pregnancy. I can’t compare it to anything else, even though I’ve never had a child. It seems to me that women simply feel similar tension and impatience at the end of pregnancy. I really wanted this album to come out already. I was very excited that this material was finally reaching ears other than mine and my producers’. There was great impatience and waiting for Christmas. I’m happy and excited that it’s now available everywhere.
Is the burden of the premiere completely different than last year’s EP?
– I think so. I actually had the concept for the EP a year before its release, the ending was already being created quite spontaneously and I didn’t feel as much pressure as I do now. It is worth emphasizing that I am not talking about such pressure from outside, but rather from myself. I want it all to be perfect, because a debut is a debut, it’s only published once.
Were you able to implement all the ideas you wanted on it?
– Considering how many ideas I often come up with at random moments, definitely not (laughter). So as not to forget them, I try to write them down in my notebook, but it doesn’t always help. When I go to the studio, where these ideas are also verified, it seems to me that it is a natural process that somewhere a few of them were dropped. Or, for example, I started doing something and then it didn’t work at all, so I had to give it up. There are four songs that did not make it onto the album, but not because they are worse, they just didn’t fit with the material for me. Then I thought I would give them space on the deluxe version of the album, but I don’t know if they will be released. In addition to all this, there is another database of ideas that are only now bubbling in my head and will be created after the album. So there’s probably too much of it to fit into 12 songs.
The album opens with “princess type beat”, where you decided to invite Kacha as a guest. What is the background of this cooperation?
– I thought a lot about the features on this album. In the context of “type beat princess”, it all started somewhere with a production by my brother Dawid Płonka, which reminded me of something that even sounded more like Kacha’s song than mine. I remember that at the beginning I was a little ashamed to talk to her, but I managed to talk to her live. I wanted to meet her at Next Fest. I went to her place after the concert to buy her vinyl and I felt such warm energy from her that I decided to take courage and write to her about this feat later on Instagram. She was very willing to do it to record, and for me her verse is just perfect. So we didn’t sit together in the studio, we did it remotely, but I also felt that she understood the theme of the song very well and it all went very smoothly.
This is not the only collaboration on this album, because we can hear Dziarma in the song “PrzyJEDŹ”. How did you manage to find a common musical language? Because apart from her guest at your place, you covered her on the “Wifey Mixtape” for the song “Above the Clouds”…
– Our common producer Miroff connected us with Dziarma. She is the main figure who united both my and her last musical project. The cooperation between us was quite spontaneous. Dziarma created her “Wifey Mixtape” in my studio, which is why she became acquainted with my work. She liked it so much that she even came to my concert once, which I played for psychology students in Warsaw. And so we got along. Later, these two songs were created quite naturally. I had some scraps of songs and Dziarma played them very neatly and quickly. This also showed me the huge differences we have in songwriting. She is a person who can come to the studio, take a notebook and write brilliant text, and I need to think calmly outside the studio. But I think the final effect is really cool.
You had another guest project, with Rosalie. and Chloe Martini in the song “MAGMA”. Why wasn’t this song finally included on the album?
– “MAGMA” was never written with an album in mind, it was just supposed to be a collab equal to mine, Rosalie. and Chloe Martini. Later, at the stage of making the album, I realized that there were quite few of these feats, and Rosalie was the only one for Kacha and Dziarma. as the third one, it fits perfectly. I started to think hard about what to do with it, but in the end I decided that “I don’t have time for SB” was communicated as the first single, and “MAGMA” was created at a completely different time. Would she be angry and offended by “DOMINICE DANIELI”? I think not, because this single is consistent with the album.
As you can see, you collaborate a lot with artists who often revolve around rap. What’s more, you also often balance on the border between pop-alternative and rap…
– Rap is the genre I listen to the most – I think that’s why. Rap and electronica. But it seems to me that this is the most rap. Doja Cat is a rapper I love but will never be. It’s just that sometimes I have moments when I listen to too much music like this and I think that I want it too. This is where such arousals as “I don’t sleep” or “ddtrickz” arise. I like rap because it is as honest as possible and this is mainly what I have in common with my work. I also like to throw out everything that’s inside me in my lyrics.
Would you call yourself a rapper?
– Probably not… I would love to sing again to a more hip-hop song, like for example with Miły ATZ, but I wouldn’t call myself a rapper. I also have the impression that this term is somehow pejorative in our country. Maybe it’s in my head, I have this image colored by various articles. I like to rap or recite sometimes, but that’s all.
If you’re not a rapper, can you be called a pop star (laughter)? I’m referring here to the closing track of your album titled “POP”. There you also give the impression that you treat the term “pop” quite pejoratively…
– Definitely sooner, although I have the impression that in my case it’s all very smooth. A year ago, for example, on the occasion of “DD EP”, it was said that I am the hope of Polish R&B. I really like to juggle it. At the moment, I don’t like to limit myself to one genre. Maybe it’s because I also try to listen to very diverse music. Recently This happened to me, for example, with Dua Lipa or Charli XCX – I heard their latest projects and immediately wanted to do similar things. However, being called a pop singer is perfectly fine for me.
Looking at “DOMINIKA DANIELA”, do you see your progress compared to the EP, or were these songs all created at the same time?
– Most of the songs were written after the EP. From my perspective, it’s hard for me to see this progress because I look at myself every day. From the outside, however, I heard from many people that they noticed my vocal development, especially after concerts where the feedback was positive. I would like to work more on my voice, but everyday life – working from 9 to 5, music broadcasts – sometimes makes it difficult.
I have to ask you about the cover of this album. Why did you choose a photo in a swimming cap? Is there any inside joke in this?
– The pool photo was taken by my boyfriend while on vacation in Lisbon. She was completely spontaneous. The photo was taken at 15 degrees, it was raining, which is not visible in the photo. Despite this, I was very involved because we decided that in addition to the cover session, we would try to take a photo in the water with a swimming cap. Why a cap? It’s a bit of an inside joke between me and my Instagram followers. I once posted a post in which I wrote that my ex-boyfriend had never seen me wearing a swimming cap, which was such a light diss on him that he didn’t get to know me well enough for us to go to the swimming pool together uninhibited. I noticed that these stories attracted a lot of interest, and many girls started liking them. On the wave of this enthusiasm, I started adding photos wearing a bonnet. Girls started writing to me that they were ashamed to go to swimming pools where swimming caps were required. It was surprising and interesting at the same time, so I thought it was worth normalizing it. Now girls send me photos of themselves in bonnets and start wearing them again, saying that thanks to me they are overcoming their shame barrier.
“DOMINIKA DANIELA” is a coherent album, which is not the norm today. Do you think that the coherence of long-playing materials must be opposed to the promotion of “TikTok” music? Can this be reconciled somehow?
– It’s a constant fight. In an ideal world, artists would release long, thoughtful albums rather than focusing on promotion on TikTok. It has to be balanced somehow, because I want each song to have its chance. I ask myself how much effort I can put into promoting it so that it reaches as many listeners as possible. Even though you have to take into account the times we live in, I still try to stick to the concept of the album. It’s not easy, but I think I’m finding balance in it.
You mentioned inspirations. Can you name some others that are heard on this album? Is what you listen to consistent with what you create?
– Yes, for sure. A cool example is the song “ddtrickz”, which was inspired by the rapper Bb Trickz. I also have a lot of sympathy for the album “Radical Optimism” by Dua Lipa. Of course I listen to different artists, like Charlie XX, but also Clairo, although maybe it’s not as clear in my work.
Your songs are often produced by your brother, Dawid Płonka. Are you a hidden musical duo for life?
– I can’t imagine making music without Dawid. Of course, I cooperate with other producers, but I mainly think about him when creating new material. Our cooperation always brings exciting results. Dawid is a huge support for me, and the fact that I also plan to take part in his production project shows that our musical bond is very strong. So I’m not afraid to say that we are a duo for life.
With everything going on promoting the new album, are you planning a fall tour?
– We are still thinking about the route. We have two premiere concerts planned in Krakow and Warsaw, which are very exciting for me. We will observe listeners’ reactions to the album and based on this we will think about further locations. We also released T-shirts and vinyl, which is a dream come true for me. This vinyl has a lot of emotional and visual value for me because its interior contains scans of my diary notes. I think this will be a unique piece for collectors.