Stanisław Sojka

Stanisław Joachim Sojka (26 April 1959 – 21 August 2025), also known as Stanisław Soyka, was a Polish jazz and pop singer, pianist and composer.

Beginnings and breakthrough

Sojka began performing as a boy soprano in Gliwice Cathedral Choir, when he was seven years old. At the same time he was also a second-grade violin student at the State Musical School in Gliwice. His musical education was continued at the Music High School in Katowice and completed with a master's degree in arrangement and composing from the Akademia Muzyczna im. K. Szymanowskiego w Katowicach.

Soyka made his professional debut on stage in November 1978, when he performed at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw in the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" series. He presented a recital, inspired by classic jazz, soul and R&B, including songs by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles and George Gershwin, but also traditional Polish Christmas carols and folklore tunes. The concert was recorded and released in 1979 as Soyka's debut album entitled Don't You Cry. In that year Stanisław Soyka won the top prize at Lubelskie Spotkania Jazzowe (Lublin Jazz Conference).

Over the next six years, he released three more jazz albums and one of religious music. He was named the best Polish jazz vocalist by readers of the magazine Jazz Forum, from 1983 to 1988. In the same period Soyka also recorded some pop songs for Polish Radio, which were later collected on the album Radioaktywny, released in 1989.

Pop career In 1986, Soyka signed a two-year record deal with RCA in Germany. There he recorded his first pop and first international album, entitled simply Stanisław Sojka. Among the producers was Harold Faltermeyer. Before the album he also produced Soyka's single "Spirit of the West", recorded for an ad campaign for West cigarettes. The album was a commercial flop, but it was a success in his native Poland. In 1988, Soyka returned to Poland and formed a duet with guitarist Janusz Iwański "Janina" from the Polish jazz group Tie Break. They recorded and performed together until 1994.

In 1991, Soyka recorded his most famous and best-selling album, Acoustic, co-produced by Dieter Meier from Yello. It brought hits like Cud niepamięci and Play It Again. In 1992 he was named the Best Polish Star of 1991 by the readers of "Popcorn" magazine for teenagers. His next album Neopositive from 1992 repeated the commercial success of Acoustic, thanks to the huge hit Tolerancja, which became the biggest of his career. In that year he also won the Bursztynowy Słowik – Grand Prix of Sopot International Song Festival. Another album, Radical Graża from 1994, was less successful, as were all his subsequent albums.

New directions In 1995, Soyka decided to compose music for poetry and chose William Shakespeare's sonnets, translated into Polish. The album Sonety Shakespeare was released in 1995 and his English version Soyka Sings Shakespeare's Sonnets four years later. Soyka gave the Polish version as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II, during her 1996 visit to Poland. In 2003, he composed music for the poem "Roman Triptych" written by Pope John Paul II and recorded the album Tryptyk rzymski. He presented these songs live in front of the Pope in the Vatican.

In 2001, Soyka recorded the last religious album of his career, Polskie pieśni wielkopostne with forgotten Polish Lenten songs. But Soyka did not neglect pop music and between those albums released Nr 17 in 1998, Soykanova in 2002 and album with covers Soyka Sings Love Songs in 2004. In 2007, he formed his new band Soyka Sextet Plus. In 2008 Soyka recorded as a guest artist two songs with rapper Gorzki, including one with Bizarre from D12 and one reggae song with composer and producer Krakowski. Soyka's first studio album in five years, Studio Wąchock, was released in October 2009.

Soyka won two Fryderyk Awards: as "Best Male Vocalist" of 1994 (on the first ceremony) and for the "Best Poetic Music Album" of 2003.

Death Sojka died on 21 August 2025, at the age of 66.

He was found in his hotel room after failing to appear at the Sopot Festival

State decoration

Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, 2009 by Lech Kaczyński (Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta)

Discography

Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales CertificationsPOL Don't You Cry Released: 16 April 1979 Label: PolJazz Formats: Vinyl, CD, digital download — Blublula Released: 18 May 1981 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza Formats: Vinyl, CD — Soyka Sings Ellington Released: 19 April 1982 Label: Helicon Formats: CD — Matko, która nas znasz... Released: 27 September 1982 Label: Helicon Formats: CD — Soyka w Piwnicy na Wójtowskiej Released: 1984 Label: PolJazz Formats: CD, digital download — Stanisław Sojka Released: 18 August 1986 Label: RCA Formats: CD — Radioaktywny Released: 16 May 1988 Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza Formats: CD, digital download — Acoustic Released: 19 April 1991 Label: Zic Zac Formats: CD — Sonety Shakespeare Released: 9 October 1995 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD — Nr 17 Released: 30 March 1998 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD — Soyka Sings Shakespeare's Sonnets Released: 23 November 1998 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD — Soykanova Released: 14 October 2002 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD, digital download 50 Soyka Sings Love Songs Released: 8 March 2004 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD, digital download 16 ...Tylko brać Released: 10 September 2010 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download 7 POL: 15,000+ POL: Gold Stanisław Soyka śpiewa 7 wierszy Czesława Miłosza Released: 13 May 2011 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download 17 Stanisław Soyka w hołdzie Mistrzowi Released: 24 April 2012 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download 7 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales CertificationsPOL Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD 43 POL: 50,000+ POL: Gold Złota Kolekcja, Vol. 2 – Życie to krótki sen Released: 21 April 2004 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD 44 Rocznik 59 Released: 28 November 2008 Label: EMI Music Poland Formats: CD (Box set) — Poeci polskiej piosenki – Soyka: Absolutnie nic... Released: 30 April 2013 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Collaborative albums Title Album details Peak chart positions POL — Radical Graża(with Janusz "Janina" Iwański i Kompania) Released: 1994 Label: ESA Formats: CD — Studio Wąchock(with Sekstet Plus) Released: 2 October 2009 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD 23 W blasku światła(with Andrzej Piaseczny) Released: 18 April 2011 Label: QM Music Formats: CD, digital download — Strug. Leśmian. Soyka.(with Adam Strug) Released: 13 May 2014 Label: Universal Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download 22 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Holiday albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales CertificationsPOL — Polskie Pieśni Wielkopostne Released: 31 March 2001 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD 26 Tryptyk Rzymski Released: 15 September 2003 Label: Pomaton EMI Formats: CD 1 POL: 35,000+ "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.