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Joy Magazine (CZE).

INSTINCT MAGAZINE ENGLISH TRANSLATION (PART 2)

By the way, why did you leave university?

I couldn't manage to study and sing in two countries – not physically, not mentally. I was also a judge in the Czech version of Pop Idol. I had time to do concerts, but I couldn’t make any new music. Soon I wouldn’t have any new material to perform with; and what about my friends and family? Even though it was a great university, the only thing I’m going to study is the school of life. 10 years in show business taught me something so in the future I want to mainly focus on singing and business.

What business exactly?

It may sound weird, but I’m an owner of a company, which deals with everything I do. From music through advertisement, projects with my participation, such as the 10 years on scene concert, to keeping my own e-shop, charity second hand or planning future activities, which includes my dream of having my own restaurant, because I love to cook. Anyways it taught me responsibility. Now I am a boss of my own business, which is great, but at the same time everyone’s waiting for my decisions. And if they are wrong, it’s all my fault. But I have to say, that this responsibility is much more valuable to me than studying law.

You mentioned that you do concerts in both Czech Republic and Poland. What is the biggest difference between your Polish and Czech fans?

I could write a book about this topic. Long story short, polish fans got to know me when I was 15 years old through my song Cicho, When I was a young lady with high heels. Here I came to the scene being a child. And people seem to still remember me like that. Many 30-year-old feel embarrassed because they listen to my music. Some of them even come to me and say sorry. Not so long ago one 45-year-old women came to me saying that she’s a bit ashamed that such an old lady listens to me. I told her that it’s fine – no one says that my fans need to be younger than me. Besides I’m really grateful for fans with fine taste. And 45-years-old lady is not OLD!

That’s why Czech media keeps saying you are more sexy in Poland than in the Czech Republic?

Well, today they can say really anything… But well, the reason is that in Poland they are much more interested in fashion than people here. They have the world’s perspective, so when I appear on some event in clothes made by polish designer, they get excited about it and write about it well. They know how to compliment, which is nice. But when I wear the same clothes here, it’s wrong and media says that Farna doesn’t have any taste. That’s ridiculous. Plus I find it a pity wear only a black long skirts being just 22 years old. I have a lot of time for that. That’s why I like to wear controversial clothes sometimes. And that’s why I’m reconciled with the fact that I’m never going to be understood in here when it comes to fashion.

You’re Polish with Czech citizenship. Which country is closer to you?

I love the Czech Republic and I’m happy that I was born here. I have a lot of friends here, my band, my boyfriend, but I’m Polish. So when there’s a football match Czech Republic – Poland, I’m rooting for Poland. I’m openly confessing this in a Czech magazine, because I’m often being accused of saying different things to Czech and Polish media. One time some people in here even advised me not to talk too much about my Polish nationality, because I could lose part of my fans here. That I have to know how do Czech people see Polish ones!

How?

As an racketeers. But I think that comes out from stereotypes. I don’t want to defend Polish people, because when they left Poland and think, that God doesn’t see them, they are able of doing bad things. On the other hand I know that they love Czech Republic and Czech people. They love Czech humour and the way how we can make fun of ourselves. They are excited about how liberal Czech Republic is, how the country isn’t so closely connected with faith. In my opinion overlooking Polish people isn’t right. And I personally want to show Czech people, that Polish ones can be nice.

In what country do media more talk about your relationship with Martin?

I think both of them the same, because private things do interest people the most the same all over the world. A lot of people think that dating a boy from your band is a pro, but sometimes it’s a con. Sometimes it’s not easy, but it’s important to divide the personal life from work life.

That’s why your new song Na ostří nože (On a knife edge) is about relationship?

That song is about that every relationship needs to be taken care of. I had this old photo at home, portraying an old couple and it said that how’s possible, that they managed to be together for so long. Their answer was, that at their times, when something went wrong, it was being fixed, not thrown away. That’s so accurate! And when I was recently chopping something for diner, I told my boyfriend, that we have to buy a new knife, because this one is completely blunt.  And he said, what if we tried to sharpen it first? And at that moment I thought about that picture and I realised how much it says about a relationship as well. You need to take care of a relationship as well, from time to time fix something, if it gets broken. Throwing away at the first moment when things get wrong and getting a new relationship instead isn’t a solution. So every relationship needs to be sharpen just the same as the knife, only then it can work.

Being a boyfriend of such a popular singer needs to be very difficult for most men, especially, when the singer is their boss. How does your boyfriend manage that?

For now it’s fine. I’m definitely not a boss at home, I wouldn’t even want to be. I’d rather be taken care of like every other girl. But in my band I have to have the last word, because I take all the responsibility for that. And that demands a confident man who has balls. And the one I have definitely has!

INSTINCT MAGAZINE ENGLISH TRANSLATION (PART 1)

What is the first thing you see, when you look back to those 10 years on scene?

First I see a lot of work. I released 11 CD’s/DVD’s total. I managed to succeed in both the Czech Republic and Polish markets, which I consider a really huge victory. But what makes me happy the most is the fact that after those 10 years I’m still here, because when I started many people were saying that I’m going to last just one or two years. Time showed them that they were wrong, which makes me happy. I also feel that the time flew by so quickly.

Have you ever come through a time, that you wouldn’t be happy about now?

If I’ve ever been so cocky that I’d slap myself now for that? No, I don’t think that. And I owe it to my parents, because they always cared and they managed that I didn’t go all crazy. Sure, it’s amazing when hundreds of people are screaming under the stage. My horoscope sign is Leo, so it pleases me to be in the middle of this kind of attention and I’ve always enjoyed that. In the other hand i knew that when fans say „I love you“, it’s not real. They don’t know me personally, they are my fans, not my boyfriend. Only he knows me, knows my flaws and truly loves me, even when I’m not in the mood or hungry. So at these times I’ve always said to myself: „Calm down! What’s happening today doesn’t have to happen in a few years.“

Did you realise that while being in puberty?

It’s probably weird, but I’m convinced, I haven’t been in puberty yet. I’ve never got sick of my parents, they never annoyed me. I’ve never been in a conflict with them, because I’ve always realised that they had to have limited lives because of me. My dad drove me to every concert while my mom stayed home with my siblings. And one time they became „the parents of Ewa Farna“, which changed their lives. Plus I’ve always been in other places, so I could appreciate being back home. Unlike other teenagers I’ve never wanted to leave the house as soon as possible.

What did those 10 years in showbiz give you?

I’ve learned that there are concerts, projects and songs, that go great, and also those ones, that just don’t work. But the important thing is to not go crazy. Music career is a rollercoaster. At the age of 12 you can be on the top, because you have a hit song, at 15 you can drop a bit lower, because you happen to not have a hit song, at 18 you can find yourself at the bottom, because you’re writing a song that is – in your opinion – really great and personal, but radio doesn’t want to play it, and at 22 you can be on the top again, because radio decides to play your new song. It’s a lot of pressure, and it’s hard to try not to break.

What on the other hand did those 10 years take away from you?

It took away from  my anonymity and privacy. It also took away some people. I’m definitely not saying that I didn’t have any childhood, I had and I enjoyed it, but in a different way. My student life would be different, I would have different friends. I’ve always got on well more with older people, who work just like me. Sometimes I actually feel like a young-old.

In what sense?

In music. It gets harder and harder to be  authentic to your listeners. I’ve been working since I was really young, but I couldn’t sing to my 15 year old listeners about taxes. Not that I’ve wanted to sing about taxes, there’s just a difference between studying and already working. I’m trying to sing about general topics and problems, such as problems with love, friends, every day things or gaining weight.

That’s why you released a single called „Mám boky jako skříň“ (a cover version of All about that base from Meghan Trainor with funny Czech lyrics, that mean basically the same as the cover; the exact translation is:  Hips like a cupboard, where you make fun of your own body?

That was a coincidence! One night I went to an event, where composers play their new things and copywriters sing their lyrics. I was hoping I could find some new copywriters there. My friend Patricie started to sing Mám boky jako skříň there. I told her that it was brilliant, funny and I could relate to it but it can’t be her who can sing that song. It has to be someone with curves, someone who has the balls to sing it. So I sang it, because I have the hips.

One must have a perspective to do such thing…

I think I have perspective. But one can have all the perspective in the world, but if media keeps writing only how many weight did that person gain or lose, or how awful that person looks in that dress, one starts to feel, that the music, which is the cause of popularity, no longer matters. Plus reading about myself how bad I look all the time is really tough for me. But I won’t give up and that’s why I sang Patricie’s great lyrics. I wanted to say, what I think about my hips, and shut everyone’s mouth.

And did you succeed?

In one hand definitely. With Patricie and my boyfriend we shot a videoclip. It was all meant to be only for fun, but radio started to play the song and it became a hit that my fans want me to sing on every concert. It delivered confidence to many girls. They keep coming to me after concerts and saying, how much it helps them in the world where they only see photo shopped models as a beauty ideal. They are saying, that I gave them a reason not to be ashamed of their weight. Some of them also said that I changed their lives, which is nice.

And on the other hand?

In the other hand the song became such a huge hit, that the original authors noticed it and they didn’t like it. They rejected our request to release the song as official. That means that you can watch the clip on YouTube, but not on my official channel. I can sing the song on concerts, but not in the national TV or put it on a CD. I don’t get it – they would get money from it. Anyways, they made their decision and there’s nothing I cant do about it.

Thanks to Tereza for the translation.

NEW COVER PIC

From Instinkt Magazine (Cze).