Maria Peszek

Maria Peszek
Maria Peszek performing at the 2021 Warsaw Equality Parade
Born (1973-09-09) 9 September 1973 (age 51)
Wrocław, Poland
Alma materAST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków
Occupation(s)singer, songwriter, actress
Years active1993–present
Parent(s)Jan Peszek
Teresa Peszek
RelativesBłażej Peszek (brother)
Musical career
GenresIndie pop, alternative rock, shock rock
LabelsKayax, Agora, Mystic Production, Warner Music Poland

Maria Teresa Peszek (born 9 September 1973[1]) is a Polish singer, songwriter and actress. She embarked on a professional acting career in the early 1990s and went on to appear in over 40 stage plays, as well as a number of feature films and television series. In 2005, Peszek released her debut album, the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Miasto mania, followed by Maria Awaria (2008) and Jezus Maria Peszek (2012) which both topped the Polish albums chart and received favourable reviews. Peszek is noted for controversial lyrics and subjects of her work, often revolving around sexuality, politics, social norms and religion.

Biography

Peszek was born in Wrocław, Poland into a family of actors.[2] Having appeared as a child in several theatre and TV productions in the 1980s, she officially debuted in a theatrical adaptation of Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass in 1995 at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, where she graduated from an acting school the following year.[2]

Her debut album, Miasto mania, was released in October 2005 by Kayax, an independent label co-founded by Polish singer Kayah. The material on the album drew inspiration from Poland's capital, Warsaw, and served as a musical background to a multi-media theatre play of the same title which premiered simultaneously.[3] It spawned the popular lead single "Moje miasto" and was a critical and commercial success, eventually reaching platinum certification for selling in over 30,000 copies.[4] In 2006, Peszek won the Fryderyk award for the Best New Act[1] and released an extended play Mania siku which consisted of live recordings and new songs.[5]

September 2008 saw the release of her next album, entitled Maria Awaria, promoted by the songs "Ciało" and "Rosół". The album explicitly dealt with the concept of human sexuality and caused many controversies, especially in the conservative right wing media.[6][7] Nonetheless, it gathered numerous flattering reviews and became her first number 1 album in the Polish albums chart. It was certified platinum in less than a month[8] and won the Paszport Polityki award in 2009.[9] Peszek embarked on a long tour to support the album, which continued with breaks into late 2010. In 2011 she contributed a theme song to a controversial Polish film Z miłości.

Peszek's third studio album, Jezus Maria Peszek, was released in October 2012 through Mystic Production, preceded by the single "Ludzie psy". Prior to recording the album, Peszek had suffered from nervous breakdown which was widely discussed across Polish media and reflected in the album's lyrics.[10] The album was a criticism towards organized religion, patriotism and social norms which caused further controversies. It was another major success, gathering highly flattering reviews, debuting atop Polish albums chart[11] and eventually receiving platinum certification.[12] Peszek toured internationally to promote the album, performing concerts in Poland, England, Ireland and Czech Republic, which resulted in the live release JEZUS is aLIVE (2014).

Her fourth album, Karabin, was released in February 2016 by Warner Music Poland and explored such topics as freedom, hate speech and individualism. It spawned the popular lead single "Polska A B C i D" and the controversial "Modern Holocaust". Although it did not match the critical success of its predecessors, it went gold in Poland in just over a month.[13] To promote the album, Peszek again toured in Poland, Ireland, England and Czech Republic. In October 2017, Peszek released the single "Ophelia" recorded for her brother's stage adaptation of Hamlet.

Peszek began working on new material during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, she released "Virunga", a song dedicated to the Polish LGBT community, which she performed live at the 2021 Warsaw Equality Parade.[14] Her fifth studio album, titled Ave Maria, was released in September 2021[15] and aparat from advocating the rights of women and sexual minorities, it criticised Poland's conservative politics and child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The album debuted atop the Polish album sales chart. In 2022, she toured in Poland in support of the album, starred in a popular Polish Netflix series Królowa, and released the autobiographical book Naku*wiam zen in collaboration with her father, Jan Peszek.

Personal life

She has been in a relationship with her partner, Edward, since 1992.[16] She is an atheist.[17] Peszek has expressed support for Polish politician Robert Biedroń.[18]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
POL
[19]
Miasto mania
  • Released: 14 October 2005[20]
  • Label: Kayax
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 6
Maria Awaria
  • Released: 22 September 2008[23]
  • Label: Kayax
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 1
  • POL: 2 × Platinum[25]
Jezus Maria Peszek 1
Karabin 2
Ave Maria
  • Released: 10 September 2021[29]
  • Label: Mystic Production
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 1
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
POL
[19]
Najmniejszy koncert świata
  • Released: 2010[30]
  • Label: Agora
  • Formats: digital download
 —
JEZUS is aLIVE 4
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year Title Album
2005 "Moje miasto" Miasto mania
2006 "Nie mam czasu na seks"
"Miły mój"
2008 "Ciało" Maria Awaria
"Rosół"
2009 "Muchomory"
2011 "Znajdziesz mnie znowu" —
2012 "Padam" Jezus Maria Peszek
"Ludzie psy"
2013 "Sorry Polsko"
"Pan nie jest moim pasterzem"
2014 "Wyścigówka" JEZUS is aLIVE
2016 "Polska A B C i D" Karabin
"Modern Holocaust"
"Samotny tata"
"Ej Maria"
2017 "Ophelia" —
2021 "Virunga" Ave Maria
"Ave Maria"
"J*bię to wszystko"
"Barbarka" (feat. Oskar83)

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b "Maria Peszek – Kultura" (in Polish). Onet.pl. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Maria Peszek – Biography". Culture.pl. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  3. ^ "Warszawa. "miasto mania" w Fabryce Trzciny ::: Artykuły ::: Encyklopedia teatru polskiego" (in Polish). encyklopediateatru.pl. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Platynowa Mania" (in Polish). gazeta.pl. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  5. ^ Łukasz Kamiński (3 December 2006). "Specjalna edycja 'Miasto Manii'". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  6. ^ "Kontrowersyjna płyta Marii Peszek" (in Polish). Onet.pl. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  7. ^ "Maria Peszek potępiona!" (in Polish). Interia.pl. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  8. ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD – Archiwum (2008)" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Maria Peszek zwycięska" (in Polish). Interia.pl. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  10. ^ Jacek Żakowski (25 September 2012). "Jacek Żakowski z Marią Peszek o Polsce i nowej płycie | Sorry Polsko – strona 1". Polityka (in Polish). Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  11. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS – Official Retail Sales Chart". olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  12. ^ a b "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD – Archiwum (2012)" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  13. ^ "maria peszek (@mariapeszek_official) • Instagram photos and videos" (in Polish). instagram.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Maria Peszek z mocny utworem o LGBT na Miesiąc Dumy! Artystka powraca z nowym singlem". queer.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  15. ^ Marta Korycka (2 July 2021). "Maria Peszek nago w teledysku do "Ave Maria". "W imię matki, i córki, i brzucha świętego"" (in Polish). gazeta.pl. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Maria i mężczyźni" (in Polish). Interia.pl. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Peszek: "Jak byłam mała, byłam bardzo religijna, teraz nie wierzę"" (in Polish). YouTube. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  18. ^ "InspirATorzy | Maria Peszek | 3 kwietnia 2017" (in Polish). YouTube. 3 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Maria Peszek – Music Charts". acharts.co. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  20. ^ "Maria Peszek – Miasto mania – Muzyka w Interia.pl" (in Polish). Interia.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Gazeta Wyborcza-Stołeczna: "Maria Awaria" Peszek przed premierą – akt – Legnicka Gazeta Teatralna" (in Polish). legnica.pl. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  22. ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD – Archiwum (2006)" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Maria Peszek – Maria Awaria – Muzyka w Interia.pl" (in Polish). Interia.pl. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  24. ^ a b c "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Regulamin" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  25. ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD – Archiwum (2016)" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  26. ^ "Maria Peszek – Jezus Maria Peszek – Muzyka w Interia.pl" (in Polish). Interia.pl. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  27. ^ "Płyta Tygodnia: Maria Peszek – Karabin – Radiofonia" (in Polish). radiofoniakrakow.pl. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  28. ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia – Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD – Archiwum (2017)" (in Polish). zpav.pl. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Maria Peszek "Ave Maria" | CD" (in Polish). mystic.pl. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Najmniejszy Koncert Świata by Maria Peszek". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  31. ^ "JEZUS is aLIVE by Maria Peszek on iTunes". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
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