Agata Karczewska (check!) creates music on the border between American folk and country. In 2019, her debut album “I'm Not Good at Having Fun” was released, which was nominated for a Fryderyk in the Blues Album of the Year category. She also received the Mateusz award from Radio Trójka for young artists.
A wider audience could meet her in the spring of 2017 – then the singer and guitarist appeared in the reactivated “Idol” in Polsat, which she said goodbye to in the club stage. The juror said goodbye to her with tears in her eyes Ewa Farnawho could not fully come to terms with this verdict.
In 2020, the artist qualified for the finals of the prestigious American International Songwriting Competition. He has performed on Pol'And'Rock Festival (ex Woodstock stop), Open'er Festival in Gdynia, Festival in Jarocin, Spring Break in Poznań, Halfway Festival in Białystok. She also gave concerts in Portugal, Germany, Slovenia, France and the Czech Republic. It was preceded by, among others, Nosowska or duo Mazolewski/Porter.
Agata Karczewska will be one of the participants NEXT FEST Music Showcase & Conference in Poznań – will perform on April 20 at The Dubliner Irish Pub (starting at 9:30 p.m.).
As part of the Estrada Poznańska project, she created a piece “No Way to Say Goodbye” in a duet with John Porter. Their collaboration continued with the album released in June 2023 “On The Wrong Planet”, which received excellent reviews (including 5th place in the Polish summary of last year on the Muzyka Interia website). At the end of March, the album also received a Fryderyk award (blues album of the year).
Michał Boroń, Interia: Apart from congratulations for Fryderyk, there is an immediate question – why does the winner of this award need an event such as Next Fest, intended primarily as support for debutants?
Agata Karczewska: – Thank you. The title of Much's album “Notorious Debutants” immediately comes to mind. I feel a bit like I have to constantly debut. I think sometimes people forget that not only beginners need support. As an artist who creates quite niche music in Poland, such as alternative country or Americana, I have problems with reaching a wider audience. This is also due to the fact that I am not released by any major label, so my promotional possibilities are much more modest. Next Fest is another great opportunity to remind people and let them know that I am here and still writing songs.
What would you like to take away from Next Fest – as a performer and a participant? You've already been to Spring Break, so you know what it's like and what it looks like.
– Next Fest is intended to be an event that attracts people looking for new sounds and inspiration. I really like this idea. I like all this wandering around Poznań from club to club and absorbing new music. As an artist, I would like at least a few people to learn country music after my concert and come back to my songs later.
Does showcase offer, to a greater extent than other festivals, the opportunity to observe other performers and exchange knowledge and experiences? Have you set yourself any goals for your performance in Poznań?
– The showcase formula is definitely more conducive to expanding contacts, and you always come back from such an event with a few new acquaintances. As an introverted person, this is usually a challenge for me, but I intend to be very open and curious about what other artists will have to present.
It's obvious that the industry has noticed you a while ago, because you have also been nominated for the Fryderyk 2020 award for your album “I'm Not Good At Having Fun”. Do you feel that you are no longer a completely anonymous person, that it is a little easier for you?
– Unfortunately, in the music industry, which is incredibly dynamic, such moments of “fame” pass quickly and there is no point in focusing on them. I try to think about whether I am recognizable and focus on my artistic work. Of course, being noticed by the industry is very nice, but it's not like being nominated for a Fryderyk or even receiving a statuette changes everything.
You told Interia that you survived and saw everything in terms of coping on stage on your own. It motivates me or, on the contrary, if I've done everything and it doesn't translate into better proposals or new offers, it can be discouraging. How is it for you?
– Of course, I have moments of doubt, which is usually related to the fact that I put all my effort into something and then it does not bring the desired results. Fortunately, these are only moments and I manage to get over them quickly. I think that I am already an experienced and conscious enough artist that I know that achieving success takes time and a lot of work. There is no point in expecting there will be no obstacles, because it is easy to be disappointed.
A wider audience got to know you even before your cooperation with John Porter – thanks to the TV “Idol”, in which Ewa Farna burst into tears when it turned out that you were eliminated from the program. Looking back from the perspective of several years, was it worth it? Would you repeat this experience, on this or another station? Or rather never again?
– I absolutely do not regret participating in this program. I went to “Idol” with specific assumptions and a goal, which luckily I managed to achieve. Thanks to the TV appearance, people found out about me and I met my manager, with whom we still work today. The TV show also gives you a lot of knowledge about what you don't want. For me, it was a one-time experience that just made sense to me at that point in my life. I am not going to any more programs of this type.
Can such appearance on TV in a talent show be compared to the idea of a showcase? In fact, both here and there are competition for the listeners' attention and time.
– I think it can be compared to some extent, because it is a bit like the experience of exposing yourself to the judgment of others. People's attention is dispersed, you need to be able to focus the listeners' attention. What is much more interesting about showcasing than on television is that artists present their own songs. They are on a real stage, in front of real people, and live performances quickly verify a lot of things that are easy to hide using the magic of television. For me, naturally, the most intriguing are people who write their own songs, talent shows promote great singers rather than songwriters.
You recently released the single “Dark Horse”, which announces your new album, can you tell us more? Do you feel like such a dark horse, do you identify with this slogan?
– I feel like a bit of a dark horse, because not only do I play country, but I also sing in English. But I don't mind this role at all. If at least one person thanks to me thinks that this is country music, it's not that bad after all, I will be very happy. “Dark Horse” is a preview of my EP, which will be released in the fall. You can expect sad cowboy songs.
On this occasion, the phrase about a black horse with a broken leg was mentioned. Would you rather change this system, the broadly understood world and its rules, or simply reach more broadly this niche but quite large group of people who come from the “wrong planets”?
– I feel very good where I am. What I would like to change is to get rid of the harmful stereotypes associated with country music in Poland. I also dream that there would be a little more authenticity and less calculation in the musical world. Of course, I have ambitions to conquer the world, but I would prefer a smaller but devoted group of sensitive people from “wrong planets” than crowds of listeners who will not understand what I am singing about.
You had the opportunity to perform, among others: at Pol'and'Rock, Open'er, Jarocin or Halfway in Białystok. It looks pretty cool on paper, but what exactly was it like for you? Important moments, valuable lessons or the awareness that you are somewhere for a slightly random audience?
– Sometimes you meet the most interesting people in the most surprising and accidental situations. Each performance in a new place is a valuable experience and I remember all of the above-mentioned festivals with emotion. The place in Białystok was definitely Halfway, because it was intimate, alternative and focused on listening to music. I am extremely sorry that this festival has ceased to exist. But meeting a completely different audience during Jarocin or Pol'and'Rock was also very interesting. Such situations build artistic identity and really strengthen it.
We started with Fryderyk, we end with Fryderyk. Will there be a continuation of what I called Me And That Woman, the project with John Porter?
– It was originally a one-album project, so we don't plan a continuation. I think both John and I want to focus on our solo stuff. But there's no point in completely scrapping this idea, maybe we'll record something together someday. We are in constant contact and our friendship will not die when the project ends.