Have you heard our rendition of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful recorded with Eva Ajbrin’s solo yet? If not, you have some catching up to do!
Frustrated with the fact that her hometown was included in one of the so-called “LGBT-free zones,” Eva reached out to us with an initiative to record this song together in order to broadcast a clear message: You are beautiful no matter what they say. The purpose of recording this song in collaboration with us was to voice her opposition to the exclusion and stigmatisation of queer people. It was simply an offer we couldn’t refuse.
We spent two unforgettable June evenings recording the song in the Dziewczyńskie Centrum Mocy (Girl Power Centre) in Nowa Huta: take after take, we recorded better and better versions of Christina Aguilera’s hit while outside a rainstorm with lightnings and thunders raged, and rivulets of rainwater flowed down the streets, blocking several tram lines. It was quite the experience to join forces with such a talented and good-natured vocalist as Eva!
It’s not everyday that our sound is curated by a sound engineer, a DJ and a cameraman, all of them being Krzysztof Kokosiński (Grandma Enjoys Music), so we used this opportunity to also record Hozier’s Take Me To Church. Have you checked it out yet? Did you like it?
The next stage of our collaboration was recording a music video to accompany the song. It was on a hot, humid July afternoon, and the bushes of Lasek Wolski welcomed us with a host of mosquitoes and ants, and whole swathes of nettles. In spite of all those discomforts, we had quite a lot of fun and the final product certainly makes up for that temporary hardship, filling us with joy and gratitude. Thank you for this opportunity, Eva, for your stoicism in the face of adverse weather, bugs and weeds, and of course, for the brilliant editing of the video!
Take Christina Aguilera’s lyrics to heart, dear rainbow folks. We are here for you and if they come for us, we will not come quietly. We are lucky to have fantastic allies, who oppose any form of discrimination and stigma that we face. Singing with us is just another moving sign of their solidarity – and it’s something any of you can do if you want to join us!