Blue Café

Biography

Blue Café is a Polish musical group with jazz, soul and Latin influences. The band was formed in Łódź in 1998 and had three consecutive hit singles in Poland in 2002-03. They were nominated in the category Best Polish Act at the 2003 MTV Europe Awards, and are also known internationally for representing Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.

Band members

The original line-up of the band was leader, composer, arranger and keyboardist Paweł Rurak-Sokal, singer Tatiana Okupnik, Viola Danel (guitar), Sebastian Kasprowicz (guitar), Marcin Markuszewski (bass), Piotr Sławiński (trumpet) and Michał Niewiadomski (trombone).
Former members include Łukasz Moszczyński (drums), who died on 15 July 2025, aged 48.

History

Their first single "Español" was released in 2001, with album Fanaberia×Fanaberia2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Espaniol3:232Lap mnie bejbe4:123Bari sax4:354Boli cisza5:045Buja4:076I'll Be Waiting6:197Kochamy siebie...4:288Sex1:589Devil3:2910Dodaj sobie otuchy3:5811Da-da4:0912Gesty3:5213Kochaj tak...4:1914Kontrabas4:3015Obora5:1516Don't You Wanna Tease Me4:3617Get Over3:50 following in late 2002.
Blue Café submitted "You May Be in Love", a track from Fanaberia, to the 2003 Polish Eurovision Song Contest selection, where it made the final, finishing in third place. It subsequently topped the Polish chart when released as a single. The following year, the band took part in the Eurovision selection again with "Love Song", a Latin-flavoured track from their second album Demi-sec×Demi-Sec4 December 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Złość4:002Ręce do góry3:353Love Song2:574Do nieba, do piekła2:455Da me amor3:026I Dream of...4:097Francuski4:068Uśmiech w stronę Milesa3:479I Love Jazz4:2610Sweet Love5:0611Share Your Love3:5612Sunny Days3:1313Equal4:0714By My Side4:0615Bez tytułu2:2616Bida3:2917Vivat Goran2:3818I Remember3:2019Dodaj sobie3:5820Kocham siebie4:3021Obora2:2822Espaniol3:23. In a close televoting and SMS result, "Love Song" emerged the winner, earning Blue Café the Polish ticket for the 49th Eurovision Song Contest. 2004 was the year in which a pre-qualifying semi-final was introduced to Eurovision; however, Ich Troje's top 10 finish for Poland the previous year meant that Blue Café gained automatic entry to the final, which was held in Istanbul on 15 May. Five members - Okupnik, Rurak-Sokal, Sławiński, Niewiadomski and newcomer Piotr Grąbkowski - appeared on stage on the night of the contest, when "Love Song" finished in 17th place of 24 entries.
Okupnik decided to leave the band in 2005, and was replaced as lead singer by Dominika Gawęda. The band's fourth and most recent album, Four Seasons×Four Seasons14 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Czas nie będzie czekał3:532The Girl in Red4:093Seven Days3:454Niewiele mam3:405Baby Cry4:286I Don't Miss You at All4:237Freedom (Tribute to Frida Kahlo)4:348Lolita4:009Part of My Soul4:1210Stay2:5711Believe2:4412Wonderful3:1213The Real Me4:4014Four Seasons3:49, was released in 2008.