TAKING THE ROAD OF TRUTH
Fr. PhD. Wojciech Kania talks with Halina Frąckowiak – a famous singer
FR. PHD. WOJCIECH KANIA: - It is many years since you have performed on the stage. Your songs are sung by people at their various ages. What, in your opinion makes them liked by various generations?
HALINA FRĄCKOWIAK: - I do not know a recipe to make songs last forever, although it is true that songs from the past years are still liked and listened to. It is conditioned on a good music composition and lyrics, as well as arrangement. Surely, it is also influenced by the performance of the artist whose voice – its tone – brings us nice memories and good associations, and also attracts various generations. What is significant, is the power of a message, the beauty of melody and the essence of words. Whereas a significant things is what our parents used to listen to, and on what kind of music we were brought up.
As a 16-year-old girl performing at the Festival of Young Talents, did you think that your career would develop so?
I was not thinking on it. When I was younger, my dream was to become an actress. I was learning my lines and various poems by heart. However, later my plans were verified by life. When for the first time I stood on the stage and sang a song in a contest, luckily I have remained on it till today. I was not thinking about my career but I enjoyed music and singing. I treat it as a present which I received on the way of my life. Sometimes, during my concerts I joke saying that I was born on the stage – in this way I also subtracts some years from my age (a smile).
When looking from the perspective of years, would you change your career decisions?
I live in harmony with my feelings and even premonitions. My so-far decisions are not reversible, because they are past – even if today I would realize that I could have made a different decision. Maybe it would be different, but how? And what would result from it – it is not known. So, I keep going on. According to a particular moment and the level of my understanding myself and the world, because in every period of life we look at things in various ways. The motto of my life is: ‘I keep going on’. Life, my stops in it and I am still going on. Certainly, it is nice to recall what was good and beautiful in the past.
What principles does Halina Frąckowiak follow in her life?
Once I heard a sentence that if one does not have his character, one must have some principles. I agree with it and also think that is one has a character, one must have some principles. The first important principle is to tell the truth. My favourite saying is: if you say something, say what you think, and if you do something do as you say. The fundamental thing is to take the road of truth. I hate telling lies and liars. After all, I do not have to have a cup of coffee with somebody who is a liar for me. So, the truth, good and honesty are, among the others, values and principles which I follow in my life.
What is the most important and valuable for you?
Love is the most important because everything is included in love. If there is love, there is happiness. But if there is no love, it is as if one had nothing.
Our life consists of various moments. The happy and the sad, painful ones. I would like to ask you about the latter ones. What or who gives you the strength in the hardest moments?
Both in suffering and in happiness my strength is my faith. It seems to me that even if people are not aware of it – maybe through forgetting – in most cases it happens that when something unexpected occurs, they shout either from joy or with their request for help: ‘God!’. As long as my mum was alive, I was surrounded by her love and great support. I entrusted her all my worries, pains and sadness. She was my greatest friend. A person on whom I could rely through my whole life.
There must have been a lot of joyful and happy moments in your life. Could you tell us a bit about them?
What gave me a lot of joy were my journeys with my son when he was still under my care. We used to travel together to various parts of Poland and the world. It was excellent time for me, as a mother, which I will remember till the end of my life.
What were you thinking about when writing the song ‘We are playing life?’. It can be interpreted in various ways.
After years I was wondering on it myself, when I was writing this story on the example of an event. I had this reflection: we are playing with life and life is playing with us. If we change the words ‘we are playing’ into ‘we are making a decision’, it will result in a particular situation. I would interpret it in this way.
What gives us happiness in your opinion? Love? Money? Family?
Once I said: If you want to be happy, simply be yourself. Everybody understands happiness in their own way. For me what is important is the harmony among people. Sometimes it is said that a man is a wolf to another. But it should not be so, as we are here in order to serve to one another, to bring one another joy, like one another and enjoy it. It should give us joy and happiness.
Translated by Aneta Amrozik
Niedziela 38/2018 (23 IX 2018)