Artist description Mieczysław (Mietek) Szcześniak is one of the finest Polish singers: he sings both pop and jazz; he is particularly devoted to soul. He is said to be "a white man with a black voice". He was born in 1964 in Kalisz, Poland. As a six-year-old boy, he would sing with "Ikary" group and, as a teenager, he started his cooperation with FUNK FACTORY group from Wrocław, Poland. With this group, he made his very first recordings for the Polish Radio. Prizes in various song competitions opened for the door Mietek to the competition of debuts at the Polish Song Festival in Opole in 1985, the most important festival of this type in Poland. He then won the main prize. In 1897, Mietek started his studies at the Academy of Music in Katowice at the Faculty of Jazz and Light Music. In the same year, he performed at the "Jazz Jamboree" International Festival with WALK AWAY ensemble and SŁAWOMIR KULPOWICZ GROUP. He would then represent the Polish Radio at the International Song Festival Sopot'89, where he again won the main prize: the Amber Nightingale and the Journalists' Award. "Niby nowy" ["Allegedly New"] is the title of the debut album released by "Polskie Nagrania" in 1990, which includes pieces by Jerzy Dobrzyński with lyrics full of humour by Justyna Holm. Up to 1992, Mietek performed with a recital including jazz standards, soul and blues. This is when Mietek came back to the roots, to the music he loves. Since 1993, Mietek has had strong ties with Christian music. This is when he started his joint work with NEW LIFE M. group and DEUS MEUS choir. He has published five records with these artists. In 1997, the Artist signed a contract with Pomaton EMI concern. So far, the following records have come out: "Raduj się świecie" ["Rejoice, the World"]: Christmas carols "Czarno na białym" ["Down in Black and White"] "Spoza nas" ["From Outside Us"] In 1999, he recorded, together with Edyta G�rniak, "Dumka na dwa serca" ["A Song for Two Hearts"], a song to promote "Ogniem i mieczem" ["With Fire and Sword"], a Polish film epic, based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, a Noble Prize Winner in literature in 1905. Mietek has won three times the Music Award of the Polish Phonographic Market: as the best singer of the years of 1998, 1999 and 2000. His "Down in Black and White" album was nominated as an album of the year (in 1998) and the song "Dumka na dwa serca" was nominated in the song of the year category (1999). Mietek represented Poland in Euro Vision'99 International Song Competition in Israel. 23 countries participated in this contest. He then performed at the Polish Song Festival in Opole and later in Sopot where, together with an international team of artists, on the first day of the Festival, devoted to folk music, he performed a song "Prababcia" ["A Great Grandmother"] concluding that evening. This song presented the values of a multicultural society. Year 2000 saw again a performance in Opole, this time at the concert of premieres. The song entitled "Zaczekam - całe życie" ["I Will Wait - the Whole of My Life"] won the second place at this concert. "Spoza nas" ["From Outside Us"] album was released a few months later. This one is - contrary to the previous one - stylistically diversified: from ballads and soul through cha-cha and bossa nova to somewhat more rough sounds. Most of the lyrics are by the singer himself; you can also find an excerpt from the Biblical "Song of Songs" and a poem by one of the most noted contemporary Polish poets, the Reverend Jan Twardowski. The circle of musicians - and what musicians! - is very wide, too. The soloist is being accompanied by the following: Lenny White, drums, Paulinho Garcia, a Brazilian guitarist, two Cuban musicians - Jose Torres and Reynaldo Antonio Ceballo Hechavarria, Kayah, Marcin Pospieszalski, Mika Urbaniak, the Golec Brothers and others. This is already a tradition for this musician to include in the programme one English song: this time "Can't Buy Me Love" by the Beatles. There is something more to this one: a rap by Mika Urbaniak. The motto of the album is the words from a poem by Jan Twardowski: "... because all that happens to us comes from outside us". The turn of millennium is a busy time for Mietek: concerts, promotion of the new CD and guest performances in a few productions, like TV concerts: at Christmas, with "Arka Noego" [Noah's Ark] children's' ensemble, which is enormously popular in Poland these days; at Easter, with a Christian choir "Trzecia Godzina Dnia" [The Third Hour of the Day] (soul, gospel and pop). Both concerts were released on records: "Arka Noego and Friends: Carols and Songs Live" and "TGD Life". In winter, Mietek participated in a recording session of songs for yet another film super production: "W pustyni i w puszczy" [In the Desert and in the Jungle] (once again, based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz) with music by Krzesimir Dębski.

Artist History He participated in many a festival, to mention a few of them: "Gold Orfeo" Festival in Bulgaria: the main prize and Mister Elegantiarum Award, "Intertalent" Festival in Austria: the main prize and Grand Prix, "Cesme" Festival in Turkey: the main prize, and FIDOF in Nashiville, USA: the Gold Record of the City of Music.

Location Warszawa, Pl - Poland

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