Blanka Stajkow
Quick Facts
Gemini
Biography
Blanka Stajkow (Polish pronunciation: [ˈblan.ka ˈstajkɔf] Bulgarian: Бланка Стайков; born 23 May 1999), known mononymously as Blanka, is a Polish singer and model. She represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Solo", finishing in 19th place.
Early life
Stajkow was born in Szczecin to a Polish mother who works as a model and a Bulgarian father who is a wealthy businessman. According to Stajkow, neither of her parents have a musical background. Her mother encouraged her from an early age to try various activities, including joining disco dance groups and going to music schools. In an interview, Stajkow mentioned that during mornings, her mother would always turn on either MTV or Trace Urban, which encouraged her to go into the music industry.
At the age of 13, she produced and released her first single, "Strong Enough".
Career
Top Model and Warner Music Poland (2021–2022)
In 2021, she participated in Top Model, a Polish reality television show. While on the show, she released her first official single, "Better". The following year, she signed a contract with Warner Music Poland, and released her second single, "Solo".
Eurovision Song Contest (2023)
On 15 February 2023, Stajkow was announced as one of ten competitors of Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję, the Polish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with "Solo". She won the contest, receiving maximum points from the jury and coming second in public voting. As a result, she became Poland's entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Her victory in Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję sparked controversy in Poland due to alleged rigged votes and corruption within the jury panel for the national selection.
At Eurovision, Blanka performed in the second semi final, placing third and advancing to the grand final. In the final, she finished 19th with 93 points.
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL | POLStream. | POLBillb. | CZE | FIN | ICE | IRE | LTU | SWEHeat. | UK | ||||
| "Better" | 2021 | — | * | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Solo" | 2022 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 11 | 85 | 1 | 3 | 56 |
| |
| "Boys Like Toys" | 2023 | 19 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |
| "Rodeo" | 4 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Cara Mia" | 2024 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time. | |||||||||||||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | 2022 | Non-album singles |
