Edyta Górniak
Perla - Edycja Specjalna

Edyta Górniak (Ziebice, Poland, 1972) is perhaps the only Polish singer who has successfully sold outside the borders of her country.

Artistically born at just 14 years old, her career has been a long succession of great successes, initially only within the Warsaw Pact countries, but then, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, also in the West. She became known to the general public in 1994 with “To Nie Ja,” and from that moment her international career continued unstoppable, especially throughout the nineties.

"Perla - Edycja Specjalna" is a collection of all the greatest hits of Górniak from the beginnings until 2003, the year the collection was released. Initially, it was conceived as an international album titled "Invisible," then rendered by Pomaton Kompania Muzyczna and EMI as a greatest hits for the Polish audience. It is a double CD featuring the most interesting moments of her career, plus some unreleased tracks. A must is indeed “To Nie Ja,” in which the singer demonstrates her great vocal and technical skills, launching into high notes that showcase her capabilities.

Among the greatest hits from the past, performed in both Polish and English, we remember “The Story So Far,” “Sleep With Me” (which arrived in Italy thanks to a cover by Lola Ponce and Casino Royale), “Make it Happen” and the cover of the timeless “Calling You,” by Jevetta Steele, from the film Bagdad Café. Among the new successes stands out “Nie Prosze O Wiecej,” in which Edyta asks her man not to spoil their beautiful story, and then two dance-pop tracks: one in Polish, “Jak Najdalej” and one in English, “Impossible,” which for a long time have dominated the dance floors in Central Europe.

Particular attention should be given to the collaboration with actresses and singers Anna Mamczur, Katarzyna Groniec, and Monika Brodka in the admirable execution of “Batumi,” a cover of the famous (at least in the former Soviet bloc countries) fifties hit by Filipinki. The four artists chirp a catchy and cute tune, also aided by the peculiar sounds of the Polish language: the song was part of a theatrical show in which the four participated. Truly delightful. For the rest, "Perla - Edycja Specjalna" is, in my opinion, the best way to explore the career and especially the artistic qualities of this singer, actress, and showgirl who is totally unknown in Italy, but who has long since artistically ventured across the ocean, winning over the challenging North American audience. Recently, Edyta Górniak also revealed herself as a talented amateur dancer when, participating as a contestant in the USA version of “Dancing With the Stars,” she secured the highest spot on the podium.

In my opinion, Edyta Górniak deserves more attention in our country: she is a complete singer, a good actress, is also very beautiful (which doesn’t hurt), and she could provide good musical moments in Italy as well.