Anita Lipnicka initially worked as a fashion model. In 1993 she became the lead singer of Varius Manx, recording the massively popular albums Emu (1994) and Elf (1995). After leaving the band in 1996, Lipnicka released her solo debut Wszystko Sie Może Zdarzyć / Everything Can Happen. The album's title track became a major radio hit and the record was nominated for a Fryderyk, Polish music industry award, in five categories.
Two solo albums followed in 1998 (To Co naprawdę / Really) and 2000 (Moje oczy są Zielone / My Eyes Are Green). Although both failed to repeat the commercial success of Lipnicka's debut, the records gained much praise for rich, multi-layered sound and world-class production values. Most of the songs were recorded in London under the supervision of renowned British producers and engineers.
In 2002 Anita Lipnicka started an artistic (and later also romantic) partnership with John Porter (formerly of Maanam and Porter Band), a British musician and songwriter based in Poland since the mid-70s. Their first album Nieprzyzwoite Piosenki / Indecent Songs, preceded by the hit single Bones of Love, brought great popularity and rave reviews - gaining a Platinum title and the Fryderyk award for best pop record of 2003. The second album penned by Lipnicka & Porter, the equally popular Inside Story was released in Autumn 2005. The couple recorded new songs in Ljubljana with producer Chris Eckman of the British band The Walkabouts.
In 2006 Lipnicka and Porter released Other Stories mini-album, followed by compilation box All the Stories. Their third album, Goodbye, was this time recorded in Poland. Preceded by the single Old Time Radio released in early 2008.
Anita Lipnicka's new solo effort, Hard Land of Wonder appeared in Autumn 2009. Quiet and intimate, the record is based on dense arrangements and mostly acoustic instruments. The songs, without exception written solely by Lipnicka, were recorded in the UK in, among others, Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios with renowned British session musicians. In 2010 Hard Land of Wonder was awarded the Fryderyk prize for the best poetic songs record.
Discography:
Solo:
- Wszystko Się Może Zdarzyć / Everything Can Happen, 1996, Pomaton EMI,
- To Co Naprawdę / Really, 1998, Pomaton EMI,
- Moje Oczy Są Zielone / My Eyes Are Green, 2000, EMI Music Poland,
- Hard Land of Wonder, 2009, EMI Music Poland.
As Lipnicka & Porter:
- Nieprzyzwoite piosenki" / "Indecent Songs, 2003, Pomaton EMI,
- Inside Story, 2005, EMI Music Poland,
- Goodbye, 2008, EMI Music Poland.
Author: Maciej Sienkiewicz, November 2010.