| Gabriela Kulka | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Place: | Warsaw, Poland |
| Instrument: | piano, vocals |
| Genre: | pop, indie pop, jazz |
| Occupation: | Musician, songwriter |
| Label: | Mystic Production |
| Associated Acts: | The Saintbox, Konrad Kucz, Młynarski Plays Młynarski |
| Website: | www.gabakulka.com |
Gabriela Konstancja Kulka-Stajewska (known as Gaba Kulka, born in 1979 in Warsaw, Poland) is an independent Polish artist, songwriter, and performer.
Gabriela Kulka comes from a family of musicians, with her father being a renowned Polish violinist and professor. Although she initially trained in violin, which she played for eight years, she eventually gravitated towards the piano for her songwriting and performances.
Her early albums, "Between Miss Scylla and a Hard Place" (2003) and "Out" (2006), were independently produced. Additionally, she contributed to the demo album "Songs for Wolf", a compilation of cover songs.
In 2009, her third album "Hat, Rabbit" was released by the major label Mystic Production, which garnered her wider popularity. The album achieved gold status in Poland, and Kulka's singles "Niejasności," "Kara Niny," and "Got a Song" gained success on alternative-oriented radio stations. That same year, she collaborated with Polish singer Konrad Kucz on the album "Sleepwalk".
Over seven years of writing and recording, Gabriela Kulka developed the singular style of dark musical theater mixed with jazzy flair and a focus on poetic and quirky lyrics - influenced by Danny Elfman and Kate Bush in equal parts. Her output is strongly influenced by classical music, jazz and pop.
Artists she names as her closest inspirations are, firstly and undeniably - Kate Bush and Tori Amos, but also Peter Gabriel, Kurt Weill, Danny Elfman, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, Chroma Key, Queen, ABBA, Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden (whose songs she performs live) and Madonna.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Out | 47 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hat, Rabbit | 7 |
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| |||||||||||||||||
| Wersje | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Escapist | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kruche |
| — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sleepwalk (with Konrad Kucz) | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rebeka nie zejdzie dziś na kolację (with Młynarski Plays Młynarski) |
| 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Baaba Kulka (with Baaba) |
| 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Directed | Album | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Niejasności" | Hat, Rabbit | [21] | ||
| "Got a Song" (with Konrad Kucz) | Filip Kovcin | Sleepwalk | [22] | ||
| 2014 | "Wielkie wrażenie" | Mads Hemmingsen | The Escapist | [23] |