„Sing” album release party will take place on the 2nd of April 2016 in Klub Żak in Gdańsk.
Joanna Bielawska introduced her Asia i Koty project to a wider Polish audience in 2012 when she released her debut album entitled “Miserable Miaow”. It presented her fascination with simple songs, acoustic melodies and electronic influences which, when put together, created a beautiful landscape of melancholic and distinctive songs. Asia i Koty is a singer/songwriter who composes, plays electric guitar and experiments with loop stations herself. It’s a minimalistic songwriting, enhanced by multi-layered harmonies and mantric repeats. Joanna’s singing voice is the most distinguished element – it’s deeply moving, clear and mature.
In Asia i Koty’s music one can spot fragility but also dark mood, simple melodies but also musical experiments. Moreover, the artist co-created four albums with her former group, Folder. After she had released her debut solo album she also collaborated with several bands or ephemeral projects, like “Nasiono Swap Singers”, co-created Karol Schwarz All Stars’ “Hi, Mom!” album, took part in two editions of Pure Phase Ensemble at the first and the third SpaceFest! festival. Apart from these, she started two new projects deriving from electronic music: Morgaine Fay – a duo based on ambient and noise synthesizer and electric guitar sounds; and Kthx NFZ – a solo techno project.
The second album entitled “Sing” will be released on the 2nd of April 2016 on the Nasiono Records label that Bielawska has been associated with from the very beginning of her career. As the title indicates, this album is about singing and vocals play the major role in it. Asia i Koty intertwines here various musical inspirations, among which one can sense the spirit of Angel Olsen, Cat Power or Julianna Barwick. The music is based on the sound of an electric guitar but Janna Bielawska reaches also for an acoustic guitar, piano, loops her instruments or enhances them with a subtle beat. The artist states that this album is about the importance of singing songs in her life and about a constant struggle with herself, about the barriers we create for ourselves:
“Sing” is a chronicle of my battle with depression, pathologically low self-esteem and persisting lack of faith in myself. The songs were written without any prior planning – they are the result of spontaneous home recording sessions which occurred when I had a chance to turn my self-loathing into creative energy. The song “Sing” is about a constant state of self-doubt which paralyses and prevents from doing anything most of the time. “Miracle I Hate” is presenting my fascination by the way how the state of depression can totally distort the perception of oneself. Because how is it possible to relish the world that surrounds you and at the same time thoroughly hate yourself and your life which after all is a miracle too? “In the Morning” is about the strokes of hope and life energy – and how quick they tend to slip through your fingers. “All I Ask Take My Hand” is about the things a depressed person expects from their loved ones. Depression destroys not only the person suffering from it but also the loved ones who tend to take responsibility for the illness. Even though they are not to blame in the slightest. In most of the cases, depression has nothing to do with whatever is happening around us. It comes and goes without any notice. In a slip of a second it can take the whole meaning of life away, but not forever. That’s why sometimes it’s enough just to hold each other’s hands and to wait for the meaning to come back.
For further information go to: www.facebook.com/asiaikoty