An experienced artist making her debut as a songwriter. An optimist with a great sense of humour. Ewa Bem is speaking about her new album and passion.

„Kakadu” is your latest CD - it was launched on the market quite recently. You are an experienced artist, but with this record you’ve made your debut as a songwriter. Why did you decide to start writing lyrics?

During my career I have sung many lyrics by brilliant authors, including Wojtek M³ynarski, Jeremi Przybora, Agnieszka Osiecka, and it has never occurred to me I could match them. But during the years of contact with the top quality art I have learnt this and that, and decided to try to take my first independent steps in this field. Whether successfully or not - I leave it to the judgment of the audience, but I must admit that I had great fun doing that and I am satisfied with the result. It’s worth adding that the author of all the music is Joachim Mencel, a Cracovian artist, and the title of the first single and video clip is “I Love You, And I Don’t”


And why „Kakadu”?

In my opinion the title sounds original and intriguing, but I must admit that it’s a little accidental. During our work on the record Joachim Mencel presented to me one of his compositions using the skat ‘kakadu’. I liked the word so much that I decided to make it the title of the whole album.

One of the songs goes: “Everybody is running, I am running too, I am so tired with this run/But in spite of the rush, I can’t catch up what I’m chasing” This text can be understood in various ways, but I was provoked to ask a question whether we live in the times when young people keep running after something, chasing something? Career, fame, money. And only few of them achieve their goals. Don’t you think that sometimes it’s worth to slow down, to stop. To relish life. And if we are doing something with passion and love, success comes just like that. How was it in your case?

I devote much of my time to my family, to my beloved ones. This is reflected in my lyrics: I value love, relations with people. Also, a well-run home where everybody feels looked after and well cared of. Such attitude sometimes requires that I should slacken my pace, reflect, chat  quietly. I love that. On the other hand however, the work on my albums and concerts thrust me in the whirl of events. But music is may passion, that’s why I let myself be carried by the wave, but from time to time I love to retreat from the public eye.

Love is very important to you. You’ve spoken about it openly in many interviews. Where do you get so much calm and joy from? Is it possible to learn that? [smile]. Are you a born optimist?

I am not only an optimist – God gave me a sense of humour as well. These abilities are useful when I face the challenges of life. I approach life very calmly and joyfully. You can certainly learn to distance yourself from life. As I said before, love is very important. It is the driving force behind our life and work and makes them meaningful. And love gives us strength to face reality over and over again.

I would like to refer to the main subject of this issue: ‘Culture 50+’. We want to emphasise that no other profession - except those connected with culture - shows that you can work, create, fulfil yourself, satisfy your passions and use your talent regardless of your age. That a mature artist is often better than a young one. What is your opinion about that?

I value and respect young artists very much. They bring the air of modernity, world novelties in art. I learn a lot from them. Owing to them my mind is open on new technologies – I have my own website, my profile in MySpace, I use electronic mail. And as for art and satisfying one’s passions – age is not important. It’s true that a mature artist is usually more experienced and this experience may be reflected in his/her lyrics. But young people also have their strong points [laugh].

What can young artists learn from mature ones?

They can learn artistic skills and respect for work. My generation didn’t use technical “tricks” to facilitate our work. What counted was being well-prepared for work, passion and talent, and real artistic skills. Today I can see more plastic, artificiality, claptrap and shoddiness. They are not attributed to young age only – they are rather a sign of the times – people want to make their life and work easier. On the other hand, it’s certainly worth learning from the young how to use modern tools, and first of all, it’s worth boosting the batteries with their freshness and enthusiasm.
 
You have two daughters. What would you like to communicate to them through your work?

I hope that I manage to show them how to juggle professional work and successful private life. I would like them to maintain a balance in all that. Not to become engrossed in the mad rush and to be able to enjoy each day. To remember about good manners, to be witty, womanly, and warm.

Do you feel rather ‘a woman artist’ or ‘a working woman’?

Being an artist involves not only creativity, but also hard, although very interesting, work. I mean frequent concerts, interviews at the most impossible hours. So it’s really hard to separate being an artist from being a working woman, you even shouldn’t do that.

Finally, I want to ask you what ‘enterprise in culture’ means to you?

In our Polish conditions enterprise in culture means acting “despite everything” – despite the lack of money, support, relevant regulations. Therefore I admire those who, in small community centres, organize reviews, festivals and fantastic cultural events. There is also another, brutal entrepreneurship, trampling upon all values, but it doesn’t have much to do with culture, rather with low cunning [laugh].