CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE MUSIC SHOWCASE: THE NEW WAVE OF EUROPEAN MUSIC

Warsaw, Poland – The Empower Poland Foundation invited us to this event focused on the new independent music scene from Central and Eastern Europe, and I was truly surprised by the high level of performances.

The day started with a panel on the state of Polish music led by Anna Ceynowa, president of Empower Poland, who presented some very interesting statistics and highlighted the fact that Polish music consumption in Poland is growing significantly. Later, Tamara Kaminska introduced Music Week Poland, which promises to be another key event for the development of Polish music.

Kasia Nowicka from Radio 357, Patrycja Łobaczewska from Believe, and Anna Plaskota from Ekipa Music, along with Thomas Bisballe from Warm, discussed various strategies that artists should adopt to promote their music. The key takeaway was that promotion must be a 360-degree effort, including radio, playlists, and social media presence—while always staying true to the artist’s creative vision and never forcing anything.

Marcin Bakiewicz (Antyradio Poland), Goran Komericki (KRT-HR2 Croatia), and Mihala Velicu (Kiss FM Romania) then gave presentations on the role of radio in their respective countries. It became clear that radio is more alive than ever and that each nation maintains a strong local identity. In Poland and Croatia (as in France, for example), radio stations are required to include a quota of local music in their programming. Upon further investigation, I found that this pattern is repeated in many other countries, such as Latvia (where the director of music from Latvia’s public radio was present), where there is strong support for music in the native language.

The afternoon panels concluded with Gary Smith (ADE, Paris Electronic Week, TalkFest, and Eurosonic Daytime Programmer), Davor Franjic (Dallas Records), Agnese Cimuska-Rekke (Music Latvia), and Aleksandra Ulinska (Las Management), who reminded us of the importance of multimedia presence in today’s world but also emphasized that true talent is essential to stand out.

At Food Town at Fabryka Norblina, a cross-media space in central Warsaw, the Showcase evening kicked off with Victoria, who delivered an energetic show blending powerful rock with her signature dream-pop style. Her band played exceptionally well, and I was impressed by the overall high level. Victoria had great stage presence and managed to deeply connect with the audience.

Next, local star Kaeyra took the stage, treating us to a high-quality showcase where she even played instruments herself alongside an outstanding band. Kaeyra has already broken out beyond Poland, making it onto the charts in France, Sweden, and Cyprus, and she proved on stage that she truly deserves her success!

The third act was Bianca Tilici from Romania, who performed solo but proved that dance, stage presence, and energy can be enough—no elaborate stage design needed. Her performance felt like an electrifying workout session, engaging the audience with a unique and high-quality act. Bianca seems poised to become Romania’s next global star, and we know how capable Romania is of producing worldwide hits!

Then came KUBA, the first male artist of the night, who moved us with his music—clean sound, well-crafted songs, and a heartfelt performance. His influences are diverse, and I believe Kuba excels both in connecting with the audience and commanding the stage. He demonstrated that he is already at an international level.

Next up was Daria Marx, a rising Polish star with international potential. Raised between London and the USA, she thinks in English and draws inspiration from British and American music, both in lyrics and performance style. Her show and unique, refined look reflected this influence.

Then, the most original act of the evening took the stage: Sw@da x Niczos. Up until this point, all performances had been in English, but now we went to the extreme opposite—a project featuring songs in Podlachian dialect (from Poland’s Podlachia region) and Belarusian, in a completely new genre they call “Podlasie Bounce”—a mix of dance, urban, and Podlachian folk traditions. To me, this is exactly the kind of uniqueness I hope the European Indie Music Network represents—not just English-language music but diverse, authentic sounds. There is a common belief that being “international” means singing in English, but I think true international success comes from exporting and showcasing your uniqueness, even in your native language. Of course, this depends on the artist’s background and musical influences, but I hope Podlasie Bounce catches on—it got us all dancing, even if we didn’t understand the lyrics!

The night ended with The Siids, a Croatian dark-rock band whose music transcended time with its incredibly powerful, mature sound. The two members had fantastic stage presence, blending electronic elements with live percussion, including a drum machine and an acoustic drum that resonated through the entire venue.

Conclusion

I want to thank Empower Poland for the kind invitation and for giving me the opportunity to explore Warsaw, including the beautiful Royal Castle and the Chopin Museum. I came away convinced that Poland has a strong musical soul and a deep appreciation for both local and international music. The future will be fascinating to watch as Poland’s artists continue to blend global and local influences—after all, the performers we saw tonight were already world-class!

(Also, considering that Warsaw Chopin Airport’s code is WAW—almost like .wave—I should have known music is a big deal here! 😆)

Article made by Alessandro Cicioni