Hey (band)
Encyclopedia
Hey is a Polish
rock
band founded in Szczecin
in 1991 by guitarist Piotr Banach and lead singer Kasia Nosowska
. It is one of the most popular Polish music acts of the 1990s.
Although Hey sometimes described themselves as the first Polish grunge
band, their melodic, guitar-driven rock and eclectic appearance owed more to New Wave
and heavy metal
influences; their first three albums contained songs in both Polish
and English
. During the band's mid-1990s heyday, they sold out stadiums throughout Poland, and attempted to break into the English-language market with a series of concerts overseas and an English version of their 1995 album ?. When this failed to arouse interest, the band began to write in Polish only, and gradually adopted a harder-edged, more industrial
-influenced sound. Overall, the band has sold over 2.2 million album copies.
In addition, Nosowska has also enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist. She has released five solo albums that derive more from an electronica
style.
Live Albums
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band founded in Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
in 1991 by guitarist Piotr Banach and lead singer Kasia Nosowska
Kasia Nosowska
Katarzyna Nosowska is the lead singer of the Polish rock band Hey. She is also known for her solo career, which in contrast to Hey's guitar-driven rock delves more into electronica...
. It is one of the most popular Polish music acts of the 1990s.
Although Hey sometimes described themselves as the first Polish grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band, their melodic, guitar-driven rock and eclectic appearance owed more to New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
influences; their first three albums contained songs in both Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. During the band's mid-1990s heyday, they sold out stadiums throughout Poland, and attempted to break into the English-language market with a series of concerts overseas and an English version of their 1995 album ?. When this failed to arouse interest, the band began to write in Polish only, and gradually adopted a harder-edged, more industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
-influenced sound. Overall, the band has sold over 2.2 million album copies.
In addition, Nosowska has also enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist. She has released five solo albums that derive more from an electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
style.
Current line-up
- Katarzyna Nosowska (vocals)
- Paweł Krawczyk (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Marcin Żabiełowicz (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Robert Ligiewicz (drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussion) - Jacek Chrzanowski (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
)
Discography
Studio Albums- Fire (1993)
- Ho! (1994)
- Heledore (mini-album, 1995)
- ? (1995)
- ? (1995) [English version]
- Karma (1997)
- Hey (1999)
- [sic!] (2001)
- Music.Music (2003)
- Echosystem (2005)
- Echosystem DVD (2006)
- Miłość! Uwaga! Ratunku! Pomocy! (2009)
Live Albums
- Live! (1994)
- Live - Special edition not for sale (1994)
- Koncertowy (2003)
- Przystanek Woodstock 2004 (DVD, 2004)
- MTV Unplugged (2007)