Krystyna Giżowska triumphed in the Polish People’s Republic. “Censorship didn’t apply to me”

By Iris Dominguez On Nov 19, 2023

Krystyna Giżowska in an interview with Plejada:

Sergiusz KrólakPlejada.pl: Do you like celebrating birthdays?

Krystyna Giżowska: Honestly, not anymore. (laughter) Birthdays usually remind me of my PESEL number, so I try not to think about it. I usually celebrate my birthday with my loved ones, unless it’s a birthday, then I invite my friends and we spend time in each other’s company. I have a nice group of people with whom we have known each other for a long time and it is a pleasure to spend this day.

I’ll be 70 next year. I always say that if it starts with “-ten”, it’s still OK, but when it starts with “-siet” it’s poplin, unfortunately. (laughter) But I believe that age is just a number and everything is in our heads. If you organize everything in your head, you can not think about this age and feel really good. Age is sometimes overwhelming when you think about these numbers. And this is how you do it. The older I get, the more I do.

Continuation of the material below the video

Krystyna Giżowska reveals the secret of her beauty. “There’s nothing for free”

What are your plans for the upcoming “70”?

Honestly, I can’t look too far ahead with my plans anymore. My plans are, first of all, work, which I love incredibly and have always loved, it has driven me all the time and thanks to that I still have so much energy. I started going to the gym, I’ve been training hard for some time, I have a trainer, it helps me. I am physically fit, I feel better, I want more.

A year or two ago, I gave up on my plans a bit. Pandemic it made you start having dark thoughts and you didn’t know how it would go. At the moment I have a new manager and musicians who are much younger than me. They fuel me with great energy, they make me want to do a lot.

I already know how you practice your form. My friends won’t forgive me if I don’t ask how you take care of your beauty?

Nothing is free! I have been using a beautician for years, although I am very cautious when it comes to deep medicine and for now I manage not to use these methods. I use it primarily needle mesotherapy and lasers that work for me, because of course each skin needs different treatments and each skin reacts differently to them. These 15-20 years of taking care of my skin and using cosmetic treatments have allowed me to keep my skin in good condition.

What about diet?

I changed my diet a lot. Just like I used to eat more meat, now I eat a little less. I love all kinds of grains, I love fish, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Although I have never been a particular carnivore, from time to time I crave a good hamburger, tartare or steak.

I know it’s hard sometimes. Sometimes I also feel like eating after the concert and that’s the worst time. That’s why you need to have a lot of internal discipline to say to yourself: “No, I won’t stuff my stomach overnight!”

Krystyna Giżowska remembers the Polish People’s Republic. “Censorship didn’t apply to me”

It’s impossible not to notice that you’ve been in the media a lot lately, which certainly makes your fans happy. What is the reason for the fact that until recently you practically did not appear on television at all?

Everyone has ups and downs, the sine wave often rules a person’s life. Something has to end for something to begin. As I already said, I have a new manager who believed in me a lot and it’s worth showing that my generation is still in shape and that we have our audience. What surprises me most, in a positive sense of the word, is when I see a lot of young people at concerts who say that they discovered cool lyrics in my songs. In fact, in the years of my “five minutes”, i.e. in the 1980s, a lot of attention was paid to texts and to making sure they told a closed story. So maybe that’s why these songs still exist today and people keep coming back to them?

Krystyna Giżowska

The 1980s you mentioned were the time PRL, which many Poles remember with great sentiment. How do you remember that time?

It’s hard to feel bad about your youth. Every time when we are young, when we want to conquer the world and when we have beautiful dreams, is beautiful, regardless of the political option that rules.

I also remember my youth fondly, because at that time the amateur movement in which I participated was really active. I have undertaken various beautiful projects with cultural centers, including: I went to art workshops. There were a lot of things going on that interested me. I have lived with music since I was a child, which may sound trivial because every artist says so, but the fact is that I love it and I still do it with passion. Back then, I wasn’t interested in politics, I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform, I wanted to learn, I had friends, I had fun like any other young person. Usually, as the years go by, you remember your youth very well, and I feel the same way. Moreover, I grew up in a small town where life is completely different than in big cities.

At that time, you often went to concerts abroad. Which trip do you remember best?

It’s beautiful that at a time when I couldn’t go abroad except by giving concerts, thanks to my work I could go to places I probably would never have gone to. I have the best memories Cuba — because of the sun, beautiful climate, ocean, sand, palm trees, and generally a postcard-like view. It was a wonderful trip. We didn’t have much time, but I licked Kuby a little, including: I looked at it Ernest Hemingway’s cottageI saw some too Havana.

Another unforgettable trip? Japan! I was there for half a year with the girls from the “Sabat” dance group. We performed in a club, but we only played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the rest of the days were free. The organizers showed us various interesting things that could be seen in Japan. That’s where I went to Disneyland for the first time! There I rode a high-speed train there for the first time, which did not exist in Europe, I saw all the temples there, we celebrated the Cherry Blossom Festival, etc. The organizers wanted to show us as much as possible. I have amazing memories of Japan.

I have many beautiful memories. I always dreamed of traveling the world. I go to concerts, and I can also see something. I have always been very excited about every trip. It makes me happy, I love exploring, I love walking, I love walking.

Artists often mention that during the Polish People’s Republic they complained about problems with the censorship that was in force at that time. How often have you had to deal with the lyrics of your songs being interfered with?

It didn’t concern me, because this problem was faced by writers and songwriters who had to change their texts because they were, for example, politically incorrect. I was a singer, so I usually received the texts after censorship, although I know there were problems with it.

Whose texts do you like the most?

There are young people who pay great attention to texts. Ania Wyszkoni tells cool stories. and Beata Kozidrak! I have always liked her lyrics, since the beginning of time, when they started with Bajm.

You can read the rest of the article below the video:

Krystyna Giżowska about the situation in Poland. “I don’t want to get involved in politics”

The last few years, just like the period of the Polish People’s Republic, arouse extreme opinions among people. It’s no secret that we have become deeply divided as a society. What do you think about this?

There is nothing worse than dividing a family, a nation, children, parents. The worst wars of faith and civil wars started from this. I have never accepted it and I do not accept it. I think the worst thing that can happen is when a quarreling family doesn’t sit at the table together. Fortunately, I don’t have this problem, but I know families like this and it must be extremely painful for everyone.

I don’t want to get involved in politics. I prefer to do what I do best. I have always been a very independent person, I have never taken sides because I always thought I should be apolitical. Of course, I always knew that I should have my own mind and think wisely. However, I try not to talk about politics because I don’t want to listen or read comments later that I’m talking about something I don’t know anything about. I don’t need such comments.

Artists have the opportunity to often unite those who are divided.

That’s how it should be and I remember it always being that way. You can say a lot through songs, but you don’t necessarily have to say anything.

What do your concert plans look like for the coming months?

November is still intense, I have concerts waiting for me. Then, as usual, I will have more respite in December and January. And February? I’m taking a vacation and we’re going skiing in a larger group. And in March, a lot of work begins.

How do you rest?

I have a lot of people around me at work, so in my free time I need rest, silence and solitude. I spend every free moment, if I have it, in my beloved Człuchów, the town where I grew up. I like this place, it’s beautiful. Pomeranian Lake District, Bory Tucholskie, lots of lakes… And completely different air! Two or three days of silence, peace, work in the garden, isolation from everyone are enough for me.

Sometimes I have to take a vacation because I’m getting old. This profession means constant adrenaline rushes. There are also rehearsals, but what tires me the most is traveling from one place to another where the concerts are held. Hours spent in the car take a bit of a toll. The concerts themselves are fun for me, I love it.

The beautiful thing is that you still want to perform.

Oh yes! When you work, you have to get up, you have to do something for yourself, you have to get ready, you have to recharge yourself by going somewhere. This is very important because the body adapts to such a day in a completely different way.

In the context of artists, there is a lot of talk about their pensions, it is an extremely important topic. You wouldn’t have to work anymore either.

I once read some nonsense on the Internet that I was complaining about mine retirement. I have never spoken about my pension in my life!

My pension is 30 earned years, certainly not 1.1 thousand. PLN, just a little more. I never liked talking about it because it doesn’t matter. If I wanted to count only on retirement, I would stay at home and do nothing. And I want to and I simply like to work!