After the change of power in Poland in December 2023, the changes included: the situation of Telewizja Polska, whose previous management was dismissed. Previously president Jacek Kurskiand later Mateusz Matyszkowicz they welcomed disco polo music on the station with open arms.
Will the new authorities want to limit the amount of this genre on television? Such announcements could be read from the statements Tomasz Sygut, i.e. the new director general of Telewizja Polska. In an interview with “Polityka” he admitted that disco polo will disappear from TVP. He also confirmed that loud and very expensive New Year’s Eve “with the same artists singing the same playback songs for years is a thing of the past.” He announced the return of artists who had not appeared on the station for a long time, as well as debutants. “For recent years, this television has had the face of Zenon Martyniuk (check!), which was also not accidental and which outraged many people. It will change. Artists with slightly different musical sensitivities will return to TVP” – said Tomasz Sygut.
They have already commented on these words in an interview with Piotr Parzysz for Plejada Zenek Martyniuk and Marcin Miller, i.e. the biggest disco polo stars. They both seem a bit offended by being treated as second-class artists. “Making disco polo music a symbol of a bygone era is weak and forced. Music should unite, not divide. (…) It’s just sad that the director is turning public television into his farm,” says Miller, echoed by Martyniuk: “It’s obvious “, public television is public television. It has a large reach and a large audience. But I play hundreds of other concerts.”
The leader of the Akcent group seemed to be surprised by the unexpected attack of the general director of TVP. “I haven’t heard this statement. The question is why (Tomasz Sygut) mentioned only Zenek Martyniuk, since many bands performed on TVP: Boys, Classic, Piękni and young – about ten from the disco polo industry. Why me? This is the first time I’ve heard about it.” – he wondered.
The star recalls that among the many concerts he plays annually, those for TVP constituted a small percentage. “I play hundreds of other concerts, and the television ones I played for TVP can be counted on the fingers of one hand,” adds the singer. Martyniuk assures fans that they can still hear him on Polsat, because it is the station he comes from.
“I always perform on Polsat, Disco Polo Live, Polsat Music, my music videos are broadcast there 24 hours a day. That’s where we come from, we started on Polsat television. Of course, appearing on public television is an honor. All those summer tours of Dwójka that were organized by TVP, they were nice concerts, broadcast on television, although not always live. You know, public television is public television. It has a large reach and a large audience. But I play hundreds of other concerts,” he explains.
Marcin Miller from the band Boys, whom Poland loves for its hits, has a similar opinion “Freedom” Whether “You’re crazy”. The singer confessed that Tomasz Sygut’s announcements do not scare him because he is present on all television stations and he does not identify with any political group. “If the director thinks that disco polo music does not suit TVP, too bad. He is the director, I won’t cry, because I have been performing on stage for 34 years, I am doing well and there are other televisions and channels devoted to disco polo music,” he admits. artist.
Against the background of his 34-year career, Miller calls his appearances on TVP “a five-year, insignificant episode.” “I played three, maybe four New Year’s Eve parties for TVP, plus the Roztańczony Narodowy and Roztańczona Polska concerts – that’s all. Even though people pigeonholed us and called us pissies, no one remembers that we were also on Polsat and TVN, including five times with Kuba Wojewódzki, in ‘Dzień Dobry TVN’ or the ‘Mask Singer’ program. If I receive an invitation, I accept it or not. There is no sensation here,” he says.
Marcin Miller believes that New Year’s Eve should be held in a similar way, because people “want to have fun, say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one with a bang and a smile.” “If someone wants to have fun with music from the philharmonic hall, I respect that, I don’t see a problem. Sung poetry – absolutely,” ironizes the 53-year-old disco polo artist. “If the director decides that people will have fun with this type of music, that’s his business. It’s just a pity that he turns public television into his farm. However, it’s nothing new, we’ve seen it before. We’ll see what the consequences will be.” – thinks.
The Boys star is irritated by Sygut’s words that TVP “had the face of Zenon Martyniuk”, because he thinks that Martyniuk is now attacking everyone, even though he never wanted to get involved in politics. “He was invited to TVP, so he came. And now everything is on him. I also preferred not to speak out loud on political issues because I knew what it stinks of. Besides, I am always on the sidelines when it comes to politics,” says Miller.
“I think that music and show business are a cesspool, and politics is a cesspool of power. There are no scruples there. You have to be careful with it,” he adds.
However, Marcin Miller is not afraid of being banned from the public broadcaster. He knows that there are other stations that will be happy to show disco polo concerts. “It’s nothing new for us, we will always cope. We have a group of our fans, Polsat television, which has never left us. I know that my door is always open there and I am welcomed with open arms. Not TVP, it’s another television. And if not television, we have other possibilities of promotion, e.g. social media. All you need is a hit and you will advertise yourself,” he adds.