Basia (Barbara) Bartz
Singer-Songwriter
I was born and raised in Poland. I moved to London 15 years ago. I am a violinist primarly, I play with various bands and projects. As a self employed musician I get hired for gigs and recordings and I teach. Along the violin I also play piano and sing and over the last 2-3 years I’ve been writing my own songs and compositions. Many different genres of music resonate with me and my own music shows it. Stuff I write on the piano is usually quite jazzy and groovy, with hints of classical and folk, while things I do on the violin, with looper or acoustically, are usually folky and a bit experiemantal.
Meet Basia
How would you define your poetics?
They vary from song to song.
Can you describe your creative process?
It varies, too. Some songs take years, some a few days or even hours. It’s always connected to experiences and emotions I need to process. Sometimes there’s a lot of hard work and overcoming, of fear, shame, stuckness and denial. And sometimes things comes out with ease and joy, happy and free.
What's in the "room of your own" where you create your artworks?
Piano, microphone and amp, violin, looper. I also have a drumkit, cello, bass guitar, either for me or for my band to use when we rehearse. Some small tree branches, leaves, stones or other things I collect during my walks and befriend. An old sofa and my cat Freud sitting there, on a pile of blankets.
What keeps you inspired and motivated?
My inner life, often stormy and pretty demanding. Pain and the need to ease it or grow capacity to accept it. Joy and the beauty around me. People. Solitude.
How do you think projects like Tits’n’Tales can make a difference?
By bring people together and by making them share, expand, co-create and bond. When we express or whitness others expressing intimate truths with no fear or judgement, we grow.