Maryla Rodowicz

Born in Poland, Maryla Rodowiz had risen by the mid-90s to rank among the nation’s leading rock and pop exports, repeatedly landing high on domestic charts. She had earlier performed with the rock band Rózowe Czuby, where her repertoire ranged across dance, new wave, and hip-hop. In her solo recordings she has also explored traditional Gypsy material and children’s lullabies alongside mainstream pop. Active since the 1960s, she eventually became Poland’s most successful singer, collecting multiple awards and a long list of hit singles. A committed live performer, she staged 1990s concerts around a unifying gold motif; the self-designed gold outfits she created for herself and every member of her backing band became a signature feature of her regular stage and television appearances. The 1995 album Zlota Maryla that documented this period yielded the additional hit singles ‘Najwieksza Milosc, Najciezszy Grzech’ and ‘Dworzec’. A team of writers and musicians she assembled across decades supplied the Polish lyrics for her recordings. Buyers of the album could also enter a contest offering a gold-painted Fiat Punta as the prize.