Basia

Country of origin:

Poland

Type of music generally:

Jazz- and Latin-flavoured mainstream pop

Status:

Most recent release, Butterflies (2018)

See also:

Basia's site

Wikipedia entry for Basia

Comparisons:

Sade, Noa

General comments:

Basia's full name is Basia Trzetrzelewska, which is obviously why she goes by her first name in countries where people don't speak Polish. Her first name is pronounced "basha", as I recall, but I have absolutely no clue how to pronounce her last name. She used to be a backup vocalist with the pop/jazz band Matt Bianco (remember "whose side are you onnnnnn?") and then embarked on a solo career in the late 80s. As I remember she did pretty well in the UK, but never really cracked the north american market.
     You could draw a lot of parallels with Sade—a beautiful person who isn't born in England but moves there and starts singing smooth easy-listenin' jazzy pop, gets some hits (especially in England) with her first and second records in the 1980s, then slowly fades away over the next decade or so. Like Sade, she recently had a best hits compilation released—which is usually the hallmark of the end of a career, sadly. I can't say I'm a huge fan of her stuff, as it tends to be rather schlocky and MOR, even though she has a very nice voice.
     I will admit, however, that "Miles Away" off her first album (Time and Tide) is really catchy—if only because she sounds so darn *cheerful*! I think her second album, London Warsaw New York, was her most popular. (nkg@vcn.bc.ca)

Recordings:

• Time and Tide (1987)
• London Warsaw New York (1989)
• The Sweetest Illusion (1994)
• Basia on Broadway (1995)
• Clear Horizon—The Best of Basia (1998)
• It's That Girl Again (2009)
• From Newport To London: Greatest Hits Live... And More (2011)
• Butterflies (2018)