Justyna Steczkowska: Eurovision talks about mutual respect and love. These are very noble demands.
“Queen of Europe”, “Mother of Eurovision”…these are just some of the labels that have already stuck to Justyna Steczkowska. On Saturday, in the grand final of this year’s festival, the artist will once again compete for the viewers’ votes. Of course, a win or a place on the podium would be a kind of artistic buckle, a closing circle of 30 years on stage. But that is now entirely up to us. A few days before the grand finale, in an interview with Filip Cuprych, Justyna talks about her emotions, hopes, impressions and expectations connected with the biggest song fest in Europe.
Filip Cyprych: Are you one of those people who have always watched Eurovision?
Justyna Steczkowska: Yes, I watched the festival for many years, but about 10 years ago I started to have doubts, and I think even the organisers themselves started to look for a specific formula, because there was too much going on there apart from the music. And they finally found their way and it really became a very precise, very well-constructed television show, which is watched by more than 200,000,000 people all over the world. A huge community of extremely creative people was developed in the process and it was a huge success. If anyone likes this type of show, there is no better one.
And did the young Justina in front of the TV ever suspect, or perhaps dream, that one day it would be her that people would be looking at on the world’s biggest stage?
Let me tell you a story like this…when I was a small child, I was coming back from church one day with my dad. It was already very dark. We were alone. At one point we saw a star falling from the sky. And my dad then told me to think of a dream, because it was bound to come true. And I thought to myself then that I wanted to sing. And I was only about four years old. That image is very vivid in my mind. I was always first at the piano, I always listened to my dad’s instructions. He was a wonderful man to me and he was the one who taught me to sing in a technical sense. He was my first and most important teacher. I have been singing all my life. If you have a passion for something, all the other things happen by themselves. Opportunities come to you, and earnings, and people who support you. Sometimes you have to wait years for that. But the driving force is always love and passion for what you do. And that’s also how Eurovision came into my life.
The rest of the article can be found under the video below
What were your emotions when Edyta Górniak was not only the first to represent Poland, but also achieved such a high position?
God, it was amazing. Eurovision is a bit like a sporting competition, although quite a lot of aggression happens in sport. When someone loses, they sometimes have a lot of anger, venom inside them. It’s not like that in music. Here, someone wins and it’s accompanied by very positive emotions. It was like that 30 years ago and it’s like that now. These are really nice moments for everyone. Although it still depends on the people. Some people have a lot of pressure to win, others have no pressure at all and are happy to be here. I feel great here, I’m part of the Eurovision family. I’m glad that I’ve found the strength and the will to come back here, to fight for myself and, at the same time, to disenchant these last years, because, in fact, our greatest success was Edyta’s performance.
Well, yes, but it would seem that this was the beginning of the “staircase” for every subsequent representative, because, inevitably, to this day, the expectations are that someone will not only perform better than Edyta, but will also win the festival. Isn’t that an additional burden that lingers somewhere in the mind?
You know what…I’m already 52 years old (laughs), so I don’t put so much pressure on myself that I have to live up to someone else’s expectations. I do everything to the best of my ability, I give my heart , time, energy, money to it and I’m happy that it’s working out. What will the result be? It really doesn’t depend on me. Sometimes there are fantastic artists who are not appreciated at all. That was the case, for example, with this year’s Belgian representative. I was led to believe that he would also enter the final, but it didn’t happen. I couldn’t understand it. Eurovision is unpredictable and that’s also why people get so emotional. Sometimes you can have the best ratings and nothing comes of it. It is one big roulette. But I stress, it’s worth taking part in the festival because it’s watched by so many people who remember the artists in question and often follow them later.
When you stood on the Eurovision stage for the first time, the internet in Poland was just in its infancy. Today it is actually the internet that decides what this Eurovision should be like. You said recently that such is the demand of the times, that nowadays it is not only the voice that counts, but also what is happening around. Screens, visuals, smoke, fire, gadgets that don’t always make sense. Don’t you get the feeling that in many cases what should be important has stopped?
Not really. Look, there are, after all, ballads where nothing visually happens. There is only the performer and nothing else. But there are also very abstract performances, very powerful, and they too can make it into the top ten. Some people prefer this and others prefer that. Everyone is different and has their own taste. Has the point of Eurovision been lost because of this? I don’t think so. I think it has regained that sense by showing an extremely diverse and colourful world, by talking about mutual respect, about love. These are very noble postulates.
Today you might think…OK, the trials are behind you, the semi-finals are behind you, but it’s only now that the real battle begins….
…it is true.
The way we, as an audience, perceive you is that you’re a singer, so you’re going to go out and sing because that’s your profession. To us, that’s obvious. But what goes on in the mind of a star of your format when he or she stands in front of an audience of 200 million with a three-minute live performance?
The pressure is there. Admittedly, when I go on stage, I am always very well prepared for it. With a lot of people we spent a lot of time and energy preparing for Eurovision, we were looking for things that would surprise the audience, move them. We had to dress it all up in concrete visions, sounds. All this work I have to show the whole world in just three minutes. I’ll tell you what’s going on in my head – happiness, euphoria, gratitude for being there, that the Poles gave me this chance and sent me to Eurovision again, because this is my last chance to take part in this festival. I will not pick up the gauntlet again
I deliberately use the term ¨star¨, because you have your position, you have your earned status, you are SOMEONE. Didn’t the question run through your head, for a moment, to yourself ¨Why did I decide to do this¨?
I don’t feel like a star, I don’t treat myself like a star….
…But that’s not your role, it’s ours, your audience’s….
…but to be honest, I don’t even know what that means today. I am an artist who has worked diligently for her successes for many years. I search, I give people a lot of good energy, I ask them questions, sometimes I make them think, sometimes I move them, sometimes I entertain them. It all comes from the heart. I still want to develop, to feel, to be moved by the fact that we can walk this path together. That’s what’s most important and most beautiful about my profession… being with other people, asking questions together and finding meaning in everything we do. Celebrity has nothing to do with that. A star is someone who is constantly visible. And I can be invisible and still tell different stories, through which I myself also grow.
You say that you have a very strong bond with the other festival participants, that you all like each other, that there are hugs, smiles. But even when you say that this one or that one is great, phenomenal, fantastic, you have to silently think to yourself ‘damn, they’re threatening me’.
(Laughs) I know that’s the way most people think. But it depends on who you are, what stage of life you’re at and what you carry with you. As you say, that’s what I thought those 30 years ago. I was a young girl struggling to get noticed. Now I don’t fight for it because I know it’s not the meaning of my life. For me, being at Eurovision again is another step in my development. I don’t feel threatened in any way. This is music. It’s not a sport. Believe me, many times I myself have run to the dressing rooms of artists who have delighted me to congratulate them. They congratulated me too. It is clear that someone has to win, but that is not the priority. What is important to me are the feelings and emotions that can be experienced here. That will always stay with me. It’s not that you lost, it’s that you were here, that you were part of something beautiful that moved people. And if victory comes, that’s great. If it doesn’t – that’s great too.
Do negative comments against you have any effect on you? You say that we are all different, so people have the right to say they don’t like something. But after all, if it didn’t matter to you, you wouldn’t be an artist with the sensitivity you have.
Yes, but I look at it differently. I used to be very hurt by such comments. Yes, nowadays it also happens that a word hits me in the heart and hurts, because I have not been immune enough to it before. I am always open to constructive criticism, I don’t take it personally and I say to myself “maybe you should really think about it”. Those who write ugly, harsh, unnecessary comments show their history. That doesn’t apply to me, because I’m not the one writing it. What you send from yourself will come back to you. This is obvious. Sometimes I find it hard to understand the haters. If you don’t want something in your space, don’t bother with it. You focus on the wrong thing and that unnecessary energy then follows you. What for? There will always be people unhappy about something. For me, the most important thing is not to hurt anyone, to support people, to understand them, to respect them. Everyone takes responsibility for what they say, what they do, how they behave. There is me, there are my fans, there are also the haters. As you can see, there is a place on earth for all of us. I don’t get angry at anyone, I don’t avenge anyone. There is no such thing in me. The vast majority are happy for me to represent Poland.
It is well known that the festival itself can be a springboard to an international career. ABBA, Celine Dion…these artists didn’t used to be loud and recognisable on a global scale. In that case, doesn’t a thought like ¨Why shouldn’t it happen to me too?¨ After all, there is no expiry date for you, by your own admission, you are 152 years old, so why not dream of some equivalent international career?
(Laughs) Yes, I’m 152 years old and I look 52. You know…if it has to come, it will come. I have a lot of work in my country that I dedicate myself to and here is my audience that I love. A career in the world is all about investment. Someone would have to see huge potential in it, put up huge money, because it’s business as usual. An artist is only human with his emotions and with the art he creates. I’m not going to conquer the world by myself, because I don’t feel the need. I have a family, children, I would have to go to another country…. if it happens and I have the strength to bear it, it could be another valuable experience. But as I say, I don’t have that need.
Justyna, thank you for the interview and good luck in the final.
This is me thanking you very much and sending my warmest regards to everyone. And thank you already in advance for every vote you cast for me on Saturday.
Filip Cuprych
