Ola Bienkowska
Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland | Established. Jan 01, 2020 | SELF
Music
Press
"Tej polskiej wokalistce udalo sie stworzyc niebanalna zimowa ballade, która przyciaga uwage juz od pierwszych dzwieków." - musicis.pl
Zadziwiajaco potrafi skupic na sobie uwage pierwszymi, pojedynczymi dzwiekami, by po chwili juz zupelnie zawladnac sluchajacym, wciagajac klimatem swojego silnego, nie pozbawionego jednak delikatnosci glosu. Wlasnie, z jednej strony wrecz wladczosc ogarniajaca wszystko wokól - wiec i ciebie, drogi sluchaczu - z drugiej skrywana potrzeba, zal, ból, kobiecosc? Moge potwierdzic, ze emocji oddanych w perfekcyjny sposób bedzie wiecej. Kobiety zapewne odbiora je bardzo osobiscie, lecz chyba nie tylko dla nich tworzy swoje piosenki. Drodzy panowie, przyjdzie i na nas czas, by dojrzec... - NaTemat.pl (Piotr Bielawski)
The first thing a listener notices about Polish singer-songwriter Ola Bienkowska is the serenity imbued in her vocals. Angelic and smooth, her singing makes her album 'Re´sume´' one that is pretty easy to consume, but it's not for everyone. Many of the tracks are a touch too soft for a regular pop listener, yet great for someone looking for a more polished jazzy album. Even when the surprising guitar riffs show up on a song like, 'In Pursuit (Things That I'd Do)', Bienkowska's sense of sweetness is what stands out. She is particularly adept at lyric-writing, making a fine showing of love songs that lack clichéd sentiments, an anomaly for even the most accomplished songwriters. On 'Secondhand' she turns proverb, 'The clothes don't make the man' on its head: 'The clothes don't make the man/when they're positively secondhand'. It's that creativity that could land her a wider audience than just those used to lighter fare. - Billboard Discoveries
The first thing a listener notices about Polish singer-songwriter Ola Bienkowska is the serenity imbued in her vocals. Angelic and smooth, her singing makes her album 'Re´sume´' one that is pretty easy to consume, but it's not for everyone. Many of the tracks are a touch too soft for a regular pop listener, yet great for someone looking for a more polished jazzy album. Even when the surprising guitar riffs show up on a song like, 'In Pursuit (Things That I'd Do)', Bienkowska's sense of sweetness is what stands out. She is particularly adept at lyric-writing, making a fine showing of love songs that lack clichéd sentiments, an anomaly for even the most accomplished songwriters. On 'Secondhand' she turns proverb, 'The clothes don't make the man' on its head: 'The clothes don't make the man/when they're positively secondhand'. It's that creativity that could land her a wider audience than just those used to lighter fare. - Billboard Discoveries
..."Es wird aber auch deutlich, wie weit die Musik von Pink Floyd ihrer Zeit voraus war. Und das gilt nicht nur für "Money", das heute gut als Hymne der weltweiten "Occupy"-Bewegung herhalten könnte. Ein glasklarer Sound sowie überragende Soli, der ergreifende Gesang von Ola Bienkowska bei "The Greatest Gig In The Sky" sowie fein abgestimmte Gitarrenarbeit vermitteln den Songs mehr seelischer Wärme." - BERND SCHUKNECHT, http://nachrichten.rp-online.de
"Ein Höhepunkt ist Ola Bienkowskas Gesangssolo bei "Great Gig in the Sky", das einem eine Gänsehaut bescheren kann. Viel Jubel für die gebürtige Polin, bevor es bei Klängen und Bildern dann sogar psychedelisch wird." - http://www.stimme.de, Oct 2011
En speciell eloge till körtjejerna som förhöjer låtarna med sina ljuva stämmor, speciellt Ola Bienkowska under ”The great gig in the sky” som tar låten till nya höjder, vars toner endast kan mätas mätas av Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) - Jonas Persson for www.festivalphoto.net, review of Brit Floyd at Kulturbolaget, Malmö, 12/10/2011
"Ola Bienkowska’s accurate and goose-bump-prompting rendition of The Great Gig in the Sky so perfectly recalls the original that even the staunchest Pink Floyd devotees would be hard-pressed to hear a difference." - Pittsburgh Examiner (Andrew Vermillion) 2010
"Highlights include a celestial rendition of ‘Great gig in the sky’ with Ola Bienkowska singing her heart out." - Mark Williams blog Review of BritFloyd Royal Albert Hall 2011
"But it’s first class stuff from a seven-strong band underpinned by three backing singers – one of whom, Ola Bienkowska’s soaring vocals near lifted the roof off on Great Gig in the Sky." - Liverpool ECHO, 2011
"Os primeiros grandes aplausos da noite foram para Ola Bienkowska, pela brilhante prestação vocal em "The Great Gig in the Sky", que foi acompanhada de fotografias de Richard Wright, falecido em 2008." - hardrock zone - blog,TAPFS review - Lisbon 2010
"And female soloist Ola Bienkowska won a deserved ovation for captivating version of Great Gig in the Sky." - Nottigham Post (Lisa Cherry-Dowes)
"Ola Bienkowska's delivery of 'The Great Gig In The Sky', with images of the late Rick Wright shimmering behind her, was one of the emotional high points of the evening." - Daily Info, Oxford (Andrew Bell)
"Ola Bienkowska's vocals during The Great Gig In The Sky are mesmerising..." - Chris High blog
Ale wedlug mnie najwieksza chyba gwiazda jednak okazala sie Ola Bienkowska. Jej glos jest niesamowity, choc znamy jej glos, slyszelismy go czy to w podkladach czy towarzyszac innym artystom (...), absolutnie zafascynowala nie tylko mnie, wielu obecnych pewnie zaczelo szukac informacji o jej osobie i udziale w tym projekcie – skad? Jak to? Rewelacja. Cieszy mnie, kiedy nasi artysci odnosza sukces – mniejszy czy wiekszy – za granica. Szkoda tylko, ze najlepsi wokalisci musza wyjezdzac z kraju....Naczelny. - Artrock.pl
"Ola Bienkowska's soaring vocals on The Great Gig In the Sky were exceptional." - Mid Sussex Times (Neil Wallis)
"The breathtaking vocals of "The Great Gig in the Sky" felt, quite simply, like an unprecedented slap in the face; something new, something big, something truly amazing. Soaring notes, real emotion and a believably strong delivery leaves you wondering: just what is this wonderful message that this woman really wants the world to know?" - WLCT Preston (Anna Newby)
„I myself was left with bated breath at the MEN Arena when APF delivered their version of The Great Gig in The Sky. Ola, one pretty, petite Polish singer with a larger-than-life soulful voice made all the difference. If there were proof that the band could come up with an even better rendition of the original (at least the studio version), this was the case". - The Times Of Malta (Eric Montfort)
"With lasers reflecting off the bald heads in the crowd, Brit Floyd treated us to some of the all time greats: Nobody Home, Another Brick in the Wall, Money and a terrific version of Great Gig in the Sky, in which backing singer Ola Bienkowska got a standing ovation for her extraordinary solo. It's clear the seven musicians and three backing vocalists are world class musicians and deliver a truly authentic Floyd experience." - Leicester Mercury (Ian Franklin)
"With lasers reflecting off the bald heads in the crowd, Brit Floyd treated us to some of the all time greats: Nobody Home, Another Brick in the Wall, Money and a terrific version of Great Gig in the Sky, in which backing singer Ola Bienkowska got a standing ovation for her extraordinary solo. It's clear the seven musicians and three backing vocalists are world class musicians and deliver a truly authentic Floyd experience." - Leicester Mercury (Ian Franklin)
„ Highlights of the two and a half hour show included (…) a phenomenal version of The Great Gig In The Sky with backing vocalists Ola Bienkowska and Amy Smith amply filling in for Clare Torry's expressive wailing. " - Manchester Evening News (Dan Stubbs)
Discography
“Résumé (Take One)” – out May 2012
“Résumé” – out Spring 2013
Photos
Bio
www.olabienkowska.com
Slowly but surely, Polish born singer-songwriter Ola Bienkowska is making waves in her native country, delivering an understated batch of jazz and blues flavored pop with a Slavic heart and a western vibe. After years of providing support for artists at home and internationally, backed by the crème de le crème of Polish musicians Ola finally steps into her own with a unique collection of beautifully crafted songs, haunting melodies and heartfelt lyrics on “Résumé (Take One)”.
2012 is a year of firsts for Ola. Her first single “Diggin’” (Bogdan Kondracki version) became Song Of The Day on Polish Radio One and received considerable airplay in several Polish regional stations, hitting No 1 on the Radio Lódz pop chart. The video for Diggin’ aired on VH1 Polska and VIVA Polska as well as Rebel TV, 4Fun and Polish national TVP channels.
Ola has also joined the ranks of several Polish pop and indie household names like Kayah, Natu, Ballady i Romanse or The Warsaw Village Band and many others at Rak’n’Roll Records, donating her single “2000 & Fine” to the Rak’n’Roll cancer foundation.
Following a successful Pledge Music Campaign Ola recorded four of her songs in a live session at the renowned Fabryka Trzciny in Warsaw. Similarly, in November she is shooting a live session for the indie music website Uwolnij Muzyke. December will also see the release of her second single and second video to “2000 And Fine”.
Ola Bienkowska continues to work on new material, while touring throughout Poland with her own band as well as across the USA and Europe with Brit Floyd – The Pink Floyd Tribute show.
Links
