Sojka, Soyka, Stanisław, *26 April 1959 Żory, Polish vocalist, pianist, violinist, guitarist, composer, lyricist. He graduated from the Secondary Music School (violin class) in Katowice and then from the Department of Popular Music at the Academy of Music (composition and arrangement). He debuted with a recital at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw in 1978 (CD Don’t You Cry, 1979). In 1979, he won the main prize at the Lubelskie Spotkania Wokalistów Jazzowych, in 1981 and 1983, he performed at Jazz Jamboree, in 1982, he participated in Jazz Ost-West Festival in Nuremberg and the jazz festival in Istanbul, and in 1984 at the Umbria Jazz in Perugia. He cooperated with Extra Ball, Sun Ship, W. Karolak’s trio (Blublula, 1981), J. “Yanina” Iwański (including Neopositive, 1992; Radical Graża, 1994), Tie Break; in 1986–88, he recorded for RCA. The album Acoustic (1990) brought him wide recognition; in 1995, he recorded Soyka Sonety Shakespeare, 1999; Cud niepamięci, 2001; Polskie pieśni wielkopostne, 2003; Tryptyk rzymski (to words by K. Wojtyła). In 2010, Sojka’s album Tylko brać. Osiecka znana i nieznana was released, and in 2019 Muzyka i słowa. He has performed in numerous European countries, the United States and Mexico.
Sojka is one of few Polish vocalists using a wide stylistic spectrum – from gospel, blues and jazz to pop music, folk, poetic songs (with text by B. Leśmian, C. Miłosz) and religious music. He has an original voice with a large scale, expressive timbre and rich means of expression. He is a laureate of, among others, Krzysztof Komeda Award 1989, Fryderyk Award (1994) and for many years, he held the highest position in the vocalist of the year category in the “Jazz Forum” survey.
