Musical Digest: Honorata Skarbek "Recepta"

[Cue tapping a microphone on an illuminated stage]

“Is this thing on?”

Ok. Great. Now that you can all hear, it’s time for another different type of musical digest. It’s been a while, there have been a lot of great lyrics that have passed through my eardrums, but also a lot of questionable renditions. Don’t worry though…this particular one isn’t exactly in that realm.

Growing up Polish in a predominantly western world, a culmination of western influences were always very prominent. When I arrived in the States, I had to immerse myself deeply into the Anglophone culture, the language, the slang and such. The beautiful thing about the English language is that it’s cool, dynamic and has a major influence on pop culture globally.

The power of its influence is so massive that almost anybody who isn’t a native speaker always either learns it over time or takes lessons from the very beginning to be as fluent as possible because let’s face it…it opens a lot of doors. Naturally, it also tempts a lot of international artists in various facets of the music and film industry to create in that language.

Which brings me to the focal point of this article; Ms. Honorata Skarbek who is a Polish singer, songwriter, influencer and business woman. I should also preface this by saying I adore Honorata so much because she is an anomaly in a rather very black-and-white society that is Poland and this critique is by no means a diss.

Honorata Skarbek has four amazing full-length albums under her belt. My only problem with her art is that it’s trying way too hard to be attractive to western listeners. I’m not sure if she is trying to permeate that wall that’d separate her from her grassroots audience in Poland to that of the audience in the United States, England or Canada. In trying to attract these audiences, Honorata has recorded songs completely in English or has found herself interjecting words and phrases here and there.

Perhaps this is another subjective point of view, but I find this extremely perplexing. Why westernize lyrics when Honorata prides herself for being very, very articulate in Polish? In fact, in a lot of her livestreams on Instagram or former YouTube blogs, she has emphasized her love for enunciating, discovering and cultivating Polish words and rediscovering Polish language all together. When she announced her split from her record label over creative differences, I was excited because independent artists have a lot more autonomy in what they want to do. I’m not mad at her for not getting it right on the first try; I loved “Perseidy” because it was incredibly relatable in terms of speaking about the ease of losing yourself in party drugs and the night life, seeing stars from the heat of the dance floor and the exhaustion of coming out the club at dawn. I also loved it and streamed it for days on end because it was overflowing with a myriad of beautiful Polish synonyms and prose. It was phenomenal, yet not fully hitting the tipping point.

In the eyes of an actual Western listener with a bit of an understanding as to how Polish pop culture works…westernizing your style, your language, your demeanor just doesn’t work. That said, Honorata is not the first Polish artist to do this and certainly won’t be the last. The streams also speak for themselves and they clearly illustrate that her audiences prefer her Polish songs.

In the past, Honorata has received a lot of flack for trying to appease the mainstream. In the age of streaming though, people aren’t susceptible to the mainstream. They need something raw, unfiltered, and genuine. They need something different so that when that one stubborn friend finally hands over the aux cord, they can show off their latest musical find.

In the past, Honorata has also been blamed for clashing creative ideas and copying other artists. In Honorata’s defense, in the sphere of pop music, it’s hard for certain ideas not to repeat. The concept of glittery bath water, shiny disco balls, confetti on the floor with ripped tights is hardly a replica of an innovative photo shoot. Honorata is a bubbly figure, the typical “girl next door” with a million ideas flowing through her mind. From the number of times I’ve heard Honorata speak, both in interviews and streams, she is the embodiment of a true Capricorn.

From one fellow Capricorn to another, I appreciate and admire her hustle. The reason she is so misunderstood in Poland is because she was able to monetize an entire career purely online; advertisements, marketing campaigns, fast fashion dropshipping merchandise, YouTube vlogs, BTS videos of what happens on the set of their music videos curated by herself, collaborations with a variety of fun brands and of course music have all been Honorata’s legacy. She didn’t need to come to America to attain the proverbial “American Dream” because she created a version of her own dream on sovereign land. For many people abroad that get nostalgic or sentimental for Polish art, music or books, this is the true definition of success…and it is.

In Honorata’s latest release, “Recepta” loosely translating to “Prescription”, Honorata tries to express and show both sides of herself; the one that is shiny, glossy, and plastic perfect and another side which shows how she is vulnerable, authentic, and fragile to negative feedback, the chaos, and noise. Hence she needs a prescription to get rid of the symptoms that are making her sick, robbing her of sleep and tranquility, stemming from fake friends and even faker admirers who are rooting for her to fail. The white noise overpowers the harmony that is keeping her in a peaceful state of mind. She’s alluding to her pent up frustration towards the naysayers and “haters” she has encountered online in her 15 years of social media influence.

For me, this song is a breath of fresh air. It’s coming at a time where the artist is no longer afraid to unleash; even though Honorata has taken quite a backseat in creating music, she is becoming a lot more inspired and motivated by the people who are immersed in her art. Whatever direction she chooses to take in her entrepreneurial pursuits, I’m a fan.

For all my international music fans, you can stream “Recepta” on all music streaming services now.