Iga Victoria
Talent comes naturally, some say. Others believe it comes through hard work. Young Iga Victoria may represent the consensus that it comes from somewhere in-between.
The 11-year-old born in Warsaw, Poland, and living in the Algarve since the age of five, has been gaining notoriety throughout the region following the online release of her first single ‘One Last Chance’, which she wrote herself.
The song was recorded by renowned Algarve musician Pedro Frias, who saw Iga’s potential as soon as she sung him one of her songs.
“I was flabbergasted and asked her if she had any others like it. She told me she had 70! I didn’t know whether to believe her or not,” Frias told the Algarve Resident.
They then arranged another meeting to go through all the material Iga had on her computer.
What began as an attempt to prepare a song for a school recital quickly turned into Iga’s first professional recording experience – and a successful one at that.
‘One Last Chance’ has hit the top of the Portuguese Pop charts on the online Reverbnation site.
“Recording the song was a magical feeling. I felt like a professional singer and was very inspired by Pedro. I am also thankful because he treated me seriously and always listened to my opinions,” Iga told the Algarve Resident.
However, her accomplishments did not come without some preparatory groundwork.
Iga spent years learning guitar at her local music school, which was right behind her every step of the way – encouraging the talent that was so easy to see. Now, she is learning electric guitar, piano and bass.
“Words just automatically come into my mind when I hear a melody. So when I come up with a new melody, I automatically hear the story behind the music,” Iga told us.
Her affinity with music started in babyhood.
“I used to sing lullabies to her,” said Monika Galaska, Iga’s mother. “The funny thing was that normally singing calms children down and they fall asleep more easily. But Iga would just get excited. Sometimes, she would even start dancing instead of sleeping!”
A more recent example of her early talent was a song written alongside a classmate during breaktime.
“One of the first songs we wrote together in first grade was ‘My Pencil in the Tree’. It was a very artistic story about when I threw my pencil into a tree and it stayed there,” she told us with a smile.
Since then, there have been many new songs and there is no doubt at all that Iga’s lyrics and melodies – all of which she comes up with herself – are years ahead of her age-range.
Pedro Frias described how he was impressed to hear songs that spoke of “grown-up topics in a very mature way that people of all ages can understand”.
In the case of Iga’s single, it stands as a kind of apology to her best friend: “We chose this song hoping that she can get her best friend back while promoting her talent,” Frias revealed. And while enjoying current runaway success, Iga realises that her musical journey has only just begun.
“Recording was extraordinary and I would love to repeat this exciting and very special moment. I am working on a couple of new songs right now in my head. I hope I’ll be able to record a new song one day and that this wasn’t my ‘One Last Chance’.”
It is almost certainly the opposite, particularly as Frias believes Iga may well grow to be the Portuguese answer to Taylor Swift.
On a final note, the youngster had some advice for fellow artists who may not have the confidence to record their own songs.
“There is no point in being shy. Sometimes people are scared that others will laugh at them. Most of them won’t! Nobody has laughed at me so far. Many have smiled instead. There will always be someone who will like what you create!”
To hear Iga’s single, access the link below.
www.reverbnation.com/igavictoria4
By Michael Bruxo news@algarveresident.com
