Hiya Jola, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us a bit where you are from and how you got into music?
I was born in Poland and came to London, UK right after finishing my uni, when I married my Italian husband (hence my Italian surname!).
I far as I can remember, blues, jazz and rock n’ roll were always played at home and so I really grew up with it. Then as a teenager, I loved rock and metal but you couldn’t really buy these albums in Poland then, behind what was called ‘the iron curtain’. It was only when someone brought one back from ‘the west’ that we would organize a little album listening party, We would go through an album in great detail, song by song, analyze the lyrics and so on! I remember to this day such Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath or Deep Purple parties!
A few times I even recorded myself singing a few songs but it was purely as my little secret passion. My adult life led me in a different direction and so I only really got into writing and performing songs just over three years ago.
So I am, actually, an upcoming new artist. But when I started, then it all kind of burst out! I started recording just over two years ago and I just released Shine On Me, my fourth album.
What’s the live music scene like in London right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Oh, the music scene in London, of course, has always been huge whether big concerts or live music in small local venues or pubs. There is so much talent about; if you were a visitor, I would recommend the annual Blues Festival held every January.
Do you think it’s easy to become a victim of our surrounds sometimes?
Oh, yes it’s quite easy because it can feel so comfortable and safe. You’re not at risk of any big disappointment, failure or ridicule which venturing out can lead to. But you really have to, have to leave what feels comfortable if you want to achieve something.
What’s your favourite social media platform to use and why?
I have the biggest and rapidly growing following on my Youtube channel where videos to all my songs are.
You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X. I have my website and, of course, you can find me on all streaming platforms.
We believe it’s essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
Absolutely, it is thanks to social media that an independent artist like me can create his or hers artistic presence and keep gaining audience, especially without backing and investment of a major label.
What’s you view on the music industry today?
I can only repeat that I’m feeling grateful that social media exists or we would have very little variety in music styles.
The music industry seems to be concentrated on what’s being pushed into the world by a few big music companies and they, more or less, feed the public with very similar sounding stuff these days, with not too clear authorship either.
But there is so much more variety out there! I sometimes take a double take at the age ranges of my audience and quite a lot are very young. My audience is really quite evenly distributed anywhere between 24 and 65 and over, even with about 12 % of under 24s. So people really do want to listen to different things and have a big variety of musical tastes which, I believe, are not really catered for by the mainstream Music Industry today.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
The wide age spectrum of my audience is telling me that people will gladly listen to many different styles as long as the song sounds good: it’s got a good rhythm and well sounding tune, the lyrics are interesting, it puts you in a particular mood, it grabs your attention and it evokes some emotion. And this is what I try to base my songs on.
What’s your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
Well, my worst experiences, though not many but there were a few, are usually a result of me forgetting the lyrics.
It doesn’t matter how many times you rehearse the song, it just happens sometimes. I’d start a song and just suddenly forget the second line. I have the third one at the back of my head but not the one I’m supposed to be singing. Or anywhere else in a song, for that matter. It usually happens with songs I haven’t sung many times live.
Well, I feel a total panic inside, but I never, ever try to show it on my face; cool as a cucumber I just come up with any words that can perhaps remotely fit in that space or some ‘Oh’s followed by a word or two from a previous line and a dramatic pose- so far, I seem to have been able to get away with it. I think… Oh, but now you know!
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Yes, indeed! My new album Shine On Me was out on the 2nd January 2026.
It’s going through a full spectrum of blues rock with some tracks more bluesy, some quite rocky, some a strong sounding blues rock. But all are sounding how I feel the song: sometimes rough, sometimes smooth, easy flowing or dramatic, just as the emotion dictates. Catching that raw emotion and expressing it, I would even say acting it with my voice is the most important thing when I write and sing my songs. Much more important that any technical perfection that AI could provide. So check them out!
What was the recording process like?
I do have my little established pattern as to recording. For each song, I will have eight or nine takes of my vocal. Each time I try to sing particular verses, a chorus or even just a line in a slightly different way, perhaps to surprise myself with a version I haven’t thought of before. Often my producer Oliver McKiernan will have a remark or two on what else to do a bit different or what could sound better.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
No, usually any parts I’m not too happy with, I will discuss with my producer and we work it out until I’m happy with the final version. Of course when you listen to yourself finally on the album, you do sometimes think: oh maybe I could have done this or that different. But usually I just put it at the back of my mind for the next song I record. Then I just sing the new song how I feel it at that moment anyway.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Only that I’m already writing and recording songs for my next album which I hope to release this summer. So watch this space!
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