Singer Kora is undoubtedly a legend of Polish rock music. Rock singer and songwriter, in 1976-2008 the vocalist of the musical group "Maanam" ("Maanam") is considered one of the most charismatic and prominent figures in the history of Polish rock. Her style, both in life and in music. No one has been able to copy, much less surpass. A revolutionary in the world of show business - it was Cora who managed to dilute the gray and the same type of music. Add new colors, rhythms and real drive to it.
Her work is admired by millions, and even after the death of the legendary singer, her music continues to live.
Childhood and youth
Kora, in fact Olga-Alexandra Sipovich, nee Ostrovskaya, was born on June 8, 1951 in Krakow. She was born on June 8, 1951 in Krakow. Cora's parents met after the Great Patriotic War, worked as clerks. When she was 4 years old, her mother contracted tuberculosis. Due to the difficult financial situation of her parents, Cora ended up in an orphanage run by donated sisters in Jordanov.
She spent 5 years there until she graduated from the 2nd grade of elementary school. Cora returned to her family home in 1960, just after her father's death. At that time, the girl was the victim of sexual harassment by a Catholic priest. She later had to move to Yablonowo Pomorskie, where she lived with her aunt and uncle for another year and attended elementary school in the fourth grade. The future singer continued her education in elementary and high school in her hometown. Until I passed the final exam at the VII Liceum Ogólnokształcące named after Zofia Nałkowska in Krakow.
As a teenager, the girl was closely associated with the Krakow artistic and hippie community. She was friends with Piotr Skshinecki, Jerzy Beresiy, Wiesław Dymny, Kristina Zakhvatovich and Piotr Marek.
It was during the hippie era that the aspiring artist came up with the stage name "Cora" for herself. Shortly after graduating from high school, she met Marek Jakowski, a musician from the Vox Gentis bands, whom she married in December 1971. The marriage lasted 13 years, then the couple decided to divorce and continue their creative path separately.
Career in the Maanam team
As a singer, she debuted in Jackowski's band, the MaM duo, formed in 1975 with Milo Curtis, performing alternative music inspired by the Middle East. Kora began with vocals, and first performed with the group in February 1976 at the Aspirinka Medical Club in Poznań, run by the Union of Polish Students. The group gave concerts, including with Maciej Zembaty, and this collaboration led to Kora recording vocals with the music of Michał Lorenz for the episodes "Blood" (1979) and "Clean" (1979) of the TV series "Friends" (1979–1981).
The group "MaM", already with a new expanded line-up and under the new expanded name "Maanam", began playing rock in the late 70s, and Cora became its main vocalist. Since 1980, the musical group has been one of the most important. And popular representatives of this genre in the history of Polish popular music.
After the first performances, the group was recognized as a unique musical phenomenon, in some ways also opposing the gloomy reality of the Polish People's Republic. The turning point for "Maanam" was a performance at a concert in Opole in 1980. After that, the group was boldly proclaimed the voice of a generation of people entering adulthood at that time.
Despite the growing popularity of Maanam, Kora decided to disband the group in 1986, which was mainly due to the fact that the singer was really tired of the dizzying pace of life associated with numerous concerts (this was the period of the group's peak - over 200 concerts a year not only in Poland but also abroad).
The peak of the artist's creativity
At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. the artist took it upon herself to develop her own solo style, so she worked on her own albums. However, in the 90s, it was decided to reactivate Maanam, which could win again. And break records of popularity, including thanks to albums such as "Derwisz i Anioł" or "Róa". In 2003, Kora released her album titled Kora Ola! Ola! It was an excellent result of regular work with flamenco, classical, jazz and Latin American musicians.
In 2009, "Maanam" was again suspended from its activities. At the end of the same year, the singer also managed to release her next solo album called Table Tennis.
2011-2016 she was a member of the jury of the Must Be the Music program, which was broadcast on Polsat TV. In March 2011, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Kora's debut in Maanam, EMI released remastered reissues of all Polish studio albums of the band and Kora's solo, and in October also foreign and several compilations of the band. Meanwhile, in June, she celebrated the 35th anniversary of her creative activity with an anniversary solo concert at the TOPtrendy festival. On this occasion, she received the national music award "Amber Nightingale" there. On August 31 of the same year, on the 31st anniversary of the signing of the August Agreements, the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komarowski awarded the artist with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta as an outstanding cultural figure.
Kora: Single Premiere
In October 2011, the single "Ping Pong" premiered, the first announcement of Kora's new album. The lyrics of this song were inspired by Józef Kurylak's poem "The Beat of My Heart". And it caused controversy due to the theme of God's fight with Satan. In November, the entire album "Ping Pong" premiered. It became the first solo album in her career with a completely premiere repertoire. The composer of most of the material was guitarist Mateusz Waskiewicz, who has been working with the singer since 2008. Kora's band, the final line-up of which was formed in 2010, was replenished with veterans of the "new wave" - guitarist Krzysztof Skarżyński, bassist Marcin Cympieł and drummer Artur Hajdasz. The album was additionally promoted by the singles "Przepis na luck" and "Zone ciszy". The album received gold status.
In August 2012, Cora was accused of storing an illegal amount of dried cannabis in her home, for which she was sentenced to up to three years in prison. However, the case was closed. In 2013, the singer married Kamil Sipowicz, a journalist, poet and artist since the 1980s, for the second time.
In November 2012, a two-disc reissue of the album was released under the title "Ping pong - Małe Freedom", supplemented by an additional CD with eleven remixes of songs from the basic version of the album. Prepared by DJs from all over Europe. Kora performed in the final of the dance program "Got to Dance". Performing the song "One word changes everything" in the remix of Tom Forester. In 2011, along with the new album, a new expanded edition of Kora's autobiography was released. Under the new title "Kora, Kora. And the planets go crazy".
Corey was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013. However, after a period of remission, the disease worsened again. As a result of the impotence of medical procedures, Kora passed away on July 28, 2018 at her home in Roztocze, surrounded by her loved ones.
Awards
On 11 April 2014, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bohdan Zdrojewski awarded Kora the Silver Medal "Zasłużony Kulturze - Gloria Artis", awarded to people outstanding in the field of artistic creation, cultural activity or protection of culture and national heritage of Poland. In 2016, the artist became the protagonist of the feature documentary film by Bartosz Konopka "The Road to Mastery", in which she told about her path to success, together with Tomasz Stanko, Janusz Gajosz, Agnieszka Holland and Rafał Olbiński. Its premiere took place on 5 April 2016 at the National Theatre in Warsaw. On 20 April 2016, the Phonographic Academy awarded Kora the Golden Frederick for lifetime achievements.
Interesting facts about Kora
The singer admitted that she used soft drugs, believing that this is a way to completely relax. On the other hand, hard drugs were taken and ecstasy tablets were used.
In 1984, the Maanam group was scheduled to perform at the Friendship with the Soviet Union concert. However, at that time, Cora and the group refused to perform, and so the authorities imposed censorship on the group in the form of a ban on any activity of the group on radio, in the press and on television.
In 2010, Cora's song "Zabawa w chanego" caused a lot of controversy. Because it touched on the topic of pedophilia among the clergy. However, the video for this song was appreciated by Yach Film, winning the "Golden Frog" award - the main prize of the Camerimage cameramen's film festival.
In her last interview, the singer admitted that she took Marek Jakowski's death very hard, to the point that she couldn't come to terms with it for a long time. Quote from Cora: "Not everyone knew that Marek and I hadn't been together for so long... It's important that we could - and can - work together. Marriage terribly limits the feeling of freedom, and I want to be free. And that's why I don't get married - marriage is the most terrible institution in the world."
She appeared in director Jerzy Skolimowski's music video for the song "Organka Czarna Madonna", released in February 2017.
February 11, 2018 at the Theater. Ludwik Solski in Tarnow, the world premiere of the play Be Like This, Don't Be Like This, which tells about the life of Cora.
In August 2018, former Maanam guitarist Ryszard Olesinsky recorded an instrumental song called Olga in honor of Cora.
Kora: Personal life
In 1971-1984, the famous artist was the wife of Marek Jakowski. Together with whom she later founded the Maanam group. Their only son Mateusz was born in 1972. After thirteen years of marriage, a scandalous divorce and a move from his hometown of Krakow to Warsaw. Cora no longer expected bright times in her personal life. But after some time, the singer met Kamil Sipovich. She entered into a relationship with him, the fruit of which was her second son Shimon (born 1976).
In the years that followed, their collaboration strengthened, and Sipovich worked to organize Maanama concerts. In 1979 Cora returned to Krakow with her husband and children. With Marek Jakowski, Kora continued to collaborate in the musical and professional fields. She did not live with Kamil Sipowicz in Warsaw until 1989. Since his mother categorically did not accept their relationship. Only after the death of their mother did the couple move into their own home. And then she founded the record label "Kamiling Publishing", which mainly released albums "Maanam". On December 12, 2013, they officially formalized a relationship that lasted a long and happy 30 years.
The singer, according to her husband, was an outspoken atheist, although she "felt kinship with the mystics of the East" and professed the religion of "sun, wind and flowers." Due to childhood traumas, Cora was critical of the Catholic Church. And at the end of her life she asked that her funeral be secular.
In an interview with Viva! magazine in 2019, Kamil Sipowicz announced the creation of a foundation named after Kora, as well as the release of the singer's unpublished poems. In turn, in an interview with onet.pl, he confirmed the creation of a documentary and feature film about Kora.
