Justyna Steczkowska

Biography

Justyna Maria Steczkowska (Polish pronunciation: [juˈstɨna stɛt͡ʂˈkɔfska]; born 2 August 1972) is a Polish singer and songwriter. She represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Sama", finishing in 18th place overall with 15 points, representing the country again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "Gaja", finishing in 14th place overall with 156 points.

Early life and musical roots

She was born in Rzeszów, in the Subcarpathian region of southeastern Poland. She is the fourth of nine children of Danuta and Stanisław Steczkowski, a music teacher and conductor.
When she was five years old, she moved with her family to Stalowa Wola, where she attended the Ignacy Jan Paderewski State Music School. In 1991, she graduated from a music high school belonging to the Music School Complex No. 1 in Rzeszów. Later she moved to Gdańsk to study at a musical academy but she dropped out to focus on singing. She played violin in a family band and was a singer in rock and jazz bands before embarking on a solo career.

Breakthrough with "Boskie Buenos"

In 1994, Steczkowska participated in auditions for a television talent show Szansa na sukces. Dissatisfied with her performance of a song "Nie przynoś mi kwiatów, dziewczyno" by Trubadurzy, she was given another chance to compete. She came to prominence in June 1994 when she eventually won the show with the performance of Maanam's hit "Boskie Buenos (Buenos Aires)". Afterwards, the same year, she performed her first non-album single "Moja intymność×Moja intymność2003 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Boskie Buenos (Buenos Aires)3:372Dziewczyna Szamana3:523Sama2:544Grawitacja4:185Oko za oko, słowo za słowo2:406Kosmiczna rewolucja4:177Kryminalna miłość4:148Nie kochani3:449Na koniec świata4:2510Za dużo wiesz4:4611Za karę3:3612Podróżując4:3913Moja intymność4:3514Modlitwa4:0115Zazdroszczę Ci4:1916Jeszcze nie, pająku4:1917Karuzela z Madonnami2:3818I kuku (wiatr)5:50" at the 31st National Festival of Polish Song in Opole where she won the main "Karolinka" award and was notably praised by Irena Santor, one of the legends of the Polish music.

Eurovision Song Contest debut

As a promising young artist, Steczkowska was selected to represent Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Sama" (transl. Alone). With the track characterized by its introspective and melancholic tone, set in a minor key with folky, downbeat elements, she finished in 18th place overall with 15 points.

Career-defining Dziewczyna Szamana

After winning the final of the Baltic Countries Song Festival in July 1995, Steczkowska began preparations for her first record. She worked closely with Grzegorz Ciechowski, a well-known musician who specifically used a pen name Ewa Omernik and with whom she spent a few months recording in Kazimierz Dolny.
In March 1996, Steczkowska's debut solo album was released. Combining esoteric themes and jazz-influenced production, Dziewczyna Szamana was both a critical and commercial success. The title track, along with singles like "Grawitacja" and "Oko za oko, słowo za słowo", remain staples of her repertoire and are among her most iconic songs. In April 1997, Steczkowska was triumphant, having earned four Fryderyk awards for every category in which she was nominated.

Evolving sound and collaborations

After the debut, in October 1997, Steczkowska released the album Naga, an optimistically melancholic follow-up to the previous record, most known for a single "Za karę". In August 1999, she composed the soundtrack album produced by her brother for the film Na koniec świata×Na Koniec Świata1999 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Dusza Moja2:462Balon1:283Duch Lasu2:104Teresa I Wiktor1:445Świadek2:096Japończyk2:197Gwałt0:488Nigdy1:389Miłość2:0610Sen2:0811Przytul Mnie1:4512Burza1:2213Wspomnienie4:2914Maja1:1015Kołysanka0:2216Szaleństwo1:1517Śmierć Teresy2:2618Ćma1:3719Dusza Moja Ulatuje1:1120Na Koniec Świata4:28 promoted by the trip hop title track.
A year later, she released Dzień i noc marked by the single "Kosmiczna rewolucja". This album saw her embrace new musical landscape leaning into electronic. On this record, she collaborated with other prominent Polish female artists, Katarzyna Nosowska and Edyta Bartosiewicz.
In November 2001, Steczkowska released a collaborative album Mów do mnie jeszcze with Paweł Deląg, where they used poems by William Shakespeare, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Jonasz Kofta, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, or Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska.
Seeking to produce something enduring and beyond musical trends, Steczkowska collaborated with renowned producer Mateusz Pospieszalski and lyricist Roman Kołakowski, and in October 2002 released the album Alkimja×Alkimja2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Świt! Świt!6:182Bulbes3:333Graj, klezmerska kapelo!3:544Genesis6:465Herszełe Ostropoler5:226Morenica4:497Śpiewaj „Yidl Mitn Fidl”3:358Ad-lo-jada3:419Austeria4:2510Wędrowni sztukmistrzowie6:4511Kwiaty więdnące5:0212Mako-maszme-lon5:0713Wszyscy braćmi być powinni4:3514Pieśń o Bet-lechem5:2015Hava Nagila - piękna jest chwila!4:15. Inspired by Ashkenazi Jewish culture, featuring songs sung in Hebrew, Aramaic, Ladino, and Yiddish, the album earned her a Fryderyk award for Ethno-Folk Album of the Year.
In 2004, she released Femme Fatale, an album of her interpretations of songs originally performed by famous Polish and international female singers, inspired by figures like Kalina Jędrusik, Anna German, Marilyn Monroe, Édith Piaf, Dalida, and Marlene Dietrich.
Afterwards, Steczkowska focused on more pop-leaning albums, Daj mi chwilę×Daj mi chwilę25 March 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1To tylko złudzenie (to nie miłość)2:192W przód i w tył2:523Tu i tu2:544Daj mi chwilę3:395Tajemnice uczuć3:516Choć wieje, pada, grzmi3:007Nocą3:108Babie lato3:239Czas2:5510Aż po życia kres3:1511Białe pola3:2912Wracam do domu4:22 (2007) with elements of smooth jazz and To mój czas×To mój czas2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1To Mój Czas3:222Tylko Ty Znasz Te Zaklęcia4:523Tango3:504Nieposłuszny Dłoniom Mym4:475One4:096Odnajdę Cię3:587Proszę Cię - Skłam4:048Dlaczego Ty3:449Kim Tu Jestem3:5710Dom (Moja Przystań)3:3411Korytarze (Bonus Track)3:42 (2009) with a variety of styles; she also self-composed two collections of lullabies for children Puchowe kołysanki (2008 and 2013). In 2012, she released XV , an album with Gothic rock, techno and trip-hop reinterpretations of her earlier songs with some new tracks, which ultimately saw her reembrace ambient, mystical and oriental fascinations, cemented by Anima  (2014) and All Is One  (2019). The latter was her first exclusively English-language record and was originally available for free, released under an alter ego pseudonym Maria Magdalena.
Her further discography includes Szamanka (2022), and Steczkowska Demarczyk (2023) as well as other collaborative albums: cabaret-inspired Mezalianse×Mezalianse24 February 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Herbatka3:042Na ryby2:223Zmierzch3:044Bez Ciebie3:005Stacyjka Zdrój3:096Nie budźcie mnie3:037Smutny deszczyk2:578Utwierdź mnie2:509Dobranoc, już czas na sen4:1910Do Ciebie szłam4:2211Upiorny twist2:42 (2011) with Maciej Maleńczuk and Balkan-influenced I na co mi to było? (2015) with Boban Marković.

Witch Tarohoro and Eurovision comeback

On 29 December 2023, Steczkowska released a single "Witch Tarohoro×WITCH TAROHORO29 November 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1WITCH Tarohoro3:022Ty lustrem świata2:403SLAVIC3:294GAJA2:295Nasz wspólny świat3:086Nieznany raj3:037Poznam siebie2:388Każda fala znajdzie brzeg2:329Domek z kart3:0810Czas w Tobie mija3:4111Dom naszego ojca2:5012Domek z kart (radio edit)2:22", the song she chose to perform at Poland's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. She finished second, losing to Luna. "Witch Tarohoro", however, would become a title track of her album blending themes of Slavic mythology, spirituality, and nature, released in November 2024. Next year she won the national final of Poland's national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with another song from this album, "Gaja". Steczkowska represented Poland again after three decades. Her gap of 30 years between two participations breaks the previous record of 24 years set by Anna Vissi between her entries for Cyprus in 1982 and Greece in 2006. She advanced to the final of the competition in the first semifinal on 13 May 2025. In the grand final on 17 May 2025, she placed 14th with 156 points. As a result, the song "Gaja" entered Spotify's global Viral 50 chart, making Steczkowska the first Polish female artist to achieve this milestone. It also appeared on Spotify's Top 50 – Poland chart and numerous editorial playlists on the platform. On 23 May 2025, she performed during Polsat Hit Festival 2025 in the "Radiowy Przebój Roku" concert. On 25 June, she took part in the "Wrocław Przyszłości" concert, which was broadcast by Polsat. Two days later, she performed the song Silver for Monsters from the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt during the European Music Celebration in Poznań, marking the end of Poland's presidency of the Council of the European Union. During the summer of the same year, she hosted the weekly radio show Diva w kapciach on RMF FM. On 10 July, she released the summer club single Tańcz. In the same month, the single Pójdę tam by Staszek z Gór was released, featuring Steczkowska as a guest artist. On 27 September, she performed during Polsat's concert Roztańczony Narodowy. On 16 November, she made a guest appearance in the final episode of the 30th season of Dancing with the Stars. Taniec z gwiazdami. In early December, she released a compilation album of Christmas songs and carols titled Kolędy i Pastorałki. On Christmas Eve, Polsat broadcast the musical special Wielkie Kolędowanie z Polsatem featuring Steczkowska, and on New Year's Eve she performed at TVP2's Sylwester z Dwójką.
In January 2026, as part of the 30th anniversary of the release of her debut album, she published a dance version of the song Oko za oko from that album, remixed by her son Leon. In February, she presented a new dance version of Dziewczyna Szamana, followed at the end of March by Stu policjantów. At the same time, she announced the release of the lead single promoting her duets album Mezalianse×Mezalianse24 February 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Herbatka3:042Na ryby2:223Zmierzch3:044Bez Ciebie3:005Stacyjka Zdrój3:096Nie budźcie mnie3:037Smutny deszczyk2:578Utwierdź mnie2:509Dobranoc, już czas na sen4:1910Do Ciebie szłam4:2211Upiorny twist2:42. The first single was Mamacita, recorded with Skolim. Additionally, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her artistic career, she embarked on a jubilee concert tour featuring repertoire from her previous albums. The series began with the project Maria Magdalena. All Is One in a planetarium. In April, the artist planned performances featuring the repertoire of Ewa Demarczyk, followed from September by the Roma Symfonica tour. On 22 May 2026, she is scheduled to perform during Polsat Hit Festival 2026 in Sopot. On 5 June, she is set to celebrate her 30th artistic anniversary with a jubilee recital during the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, broadcast by TVP1.

Other ventures

Apart from her music endeavours, she has starred in the films Billboard and Na koniec świata ("To the End of the World"). She was also a runner-up in season six of the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars in 2007, co-hosted the Polish version of Dancing on Ice in 2008, was a coach on The Voice of Poland in seasons 2, 4–5, and 12–14, with two of her contestants winning the competition, and has served as a judge on the Polish version of Your Face Sounds Familiar since 2024. She has appeared in several advertising campaigns, and designed her own clothing collection for girls. She is actively involved in charity work.

Legacy

Steczkowska is known for her four-octave vocal range. She has won numerous music awards, including six Fryderyk awards, two Wiktor awards, a Superjedynka and a Bursztynowy Słowik. She has also been honored with the Bronze Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, and has been ranked among Forbes Poland's most valuable stars of Polish show business numerous times.