Polish Aspirations: On Edyta Górniak’s Song "To nie ja!"
Marcin Bogucki
mbogucki@uw.edu.plUniversity of Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5349-1208
Abstract
This article analyses Edyta Górniak’s song To nie ja!, which placed second at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. Górniak’s entry can be seen as an example of the transformation discourse of the postcommunist 1990s, in which the question of Polish aspirations is raised. The article focuses on press discourses that present the main narratives of success and scandal in the mainstream media, supplementing them with existing biographical and autobiographical sources. In addition, the article analyses the song, linking it with the political reality of the early 1990s in Poland. It concludes with a reflection on the role of nation branding in the country’s first ESC entry, filling a knowledge gap existing in Eurovision Studies.
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Keywords:
Eurovision Song Contest, Edyta Górniak, Poland, nation branding, postcommunismReferences
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Authors
Marcin Boguckimbogucki@uw.edu.pl
University of Warsaw Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5349-1208
Marcin Bogucki - PhD, graduate of cultural studies, art history and musicology, assistant profesor at the University of Warsaw (Institute of Polish Culture, Section for Theatre and Performance). His research focuses on the cultural history of music and modern staging of opera. Recently he also has been developing projects on queer performances and the Eurovision Song Contest, especially in the context of Central and Eastern Europe. Member of the Polish Society for Theatre Research, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music—Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe branch, and the Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l’Eurovision
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