Ralph Kaminski | |
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 Kaminski in 2023 | |
| Born | Rafał Stanisław Kamiński (1990-11-08)November 8, 1990 (age 35) Jasło, Poland |
| Alma mater | Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Codarts University for the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
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| Labels | Fonobo |
| Website | ralphkaminski |
Musical artist | |
Rafał Stanisław Kamiński (Polish pronunciation:[ˈrafaw kaˈmiɲskʲi]; born 8 November 1990), known professionally asRalph Kaminski, is a Polishsinger-songwriter,record producer andmulti-instrumentalist.[1] His works are often characterized by experimentation withmusical styles, includingalternative pop andchamber music. He received twoFryderyk Awards at the2022 Fryderyk Awards Gala as well asBest Polish Act at the2022 MTV Europe Music Awards.
He was born and raised inJasło in southern Poland. His mother is a teacher. He has a younger brother, Wiktor. His cousin is a fellow singerMichał Szpak, Kaminski himself confirmed this on theKuba Wojewódzki talk show.[2]
He developed an interest in music as a child. At the age of 11, Kaminski started attending vocal classes at the Jasło Cultural Centre. He studied art and music before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 2010. Kaminski graduated from the Jazz and Popular Music Department at theStanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music inGdańsk. He also studied at the Pop Department ofCodarts University for the Arts inRotterdam.[3][4] In 2010, he composed his first song entitled "The Hill". In 2011, he performed the song at the International Carpathia Festival and won the Grand Prix.[5] In 2012, he released his first single "Don't Know Why" and one year later started performing with his band consisting of seven members called My Best Band in the World.[5]
In 2009, he appeared in one of the episodes ofTVP2 programmeSzansa na Sukces, performing a song byPerfect "Objazdowe nieme kino". In 2012 he took part in thesecond edition of theTVN talent showX Factor; he performedNorah Jones' song "Don't Know Why" during the auditions. He was eliminated at thebootcamp stage.[6]
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On 6 June 2016, he performed at the "Alternative Stage" concert during the53rd National Festival of Polish Songs in Opole. On 14 November, he released his debut studio album entitled "Morze". The album was promoted with the singles: "Podobno", "Zawsze", and "Meybick Song". In 2017, he performed at theOpen'er Festival, and in June 2018, he performed at theOrange Warsaw Festival.[7]
In 2019, he won the final of the 40th Actor Song Review (Polish:Przegląd Piosenki Aktorskiej) inWrocław, thanks to his "Welcome To Our Fairytale" performance from the musical based onAcademy of Mr. Kleks, and "On the Corner" written byAgnieszka Osiecka.[8] In August that year, he performed at thePol'and'Rock Festival. On 22 November, he released his second studio album entitled "Młodość" (Youth), which reached number 17 onthe official sales list in Poland.[9] The album is seen as a nostalgic journey to the1980s music and contains autobiographical andqueer elements.[5] He also participated in the Talent Is Not A Crime project recording a song "Czy ty słyszysz mnie?" (Can You Hear Me?) withDaria Zawiałow, Michał Kush and Schafter.[5]
In 2020, he became a recipient of theGrzegorz Ciechowski Artistic Award of theCity of Toruń.[10]
In 2021, he released his third solo album entitledKora, which is a tribute toOlga Jackowska, the lead vocalist ofMaanamrock band and an icon of PolishNew Wave music who died in 2018.[5] The same year he won thePaszport Polityki conferred by thePolityka weekly news magazine in the Popular Music category.[11]
In 2022, he received twoFryderyk Awards for his 2021 albumKora. He won in the Artist of the Year andSung Poetry categories.[12] The same year, he also wonBest Polish Act at the2022 MTV Europe Music Awards.[13]
In the spring of 2017, he fell ill withdepression.[14] He talked about the illness and two years ofpsychotherapy in the song "D Club" from his albumMłodość.[15] He is a vegetarian.[16]
He mentionedABBA,Amy Winehouse,Culture Club,David Bowie,George Michael,Tom Odell,Diana Ross andMGMT among the artists whose music he values the most.[17] He also namedAbel Korzeniowski andZbigniew Preisner among his favouritefilm score composers.[18]
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