Tulia is a popular folk musical group formed in Szczecin, Poland in 2017. The band consists of three main members: Dominika Sepka, Patricia Nowicka, and Tulia Bicak – after whom the band is named. Originally, the band had a fourth member, Joanna Sinkevich, who, due to health reasons, cut ties with the group in 2019.
The first, and most noticeable performances of this Polish quartet were in 2018 – only a short time after their official formation. The group performed folk-inspired covers of the Depeche Mode hit, “Enjoy the Silence” and David Podsiadlo’s song, “Nieznajomy” – both of which received a great deal of attention on YouTube. These music videos, while simple, are elegant and powerful – the quartet wear traditional, colorful Polish clothing while standing in the snow. The nearly all-white backdrop contrasts with their clothing to create an eye-catching video.
Above: Tulia’s powerful cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”
In May of 2018, Tulia released their debut album, Tulia, which included original music, as well as covers of songs by various Polish artists. In that same year, the album was the seventh best-selling album in Poland – reaching platinum status and selling over 30,000 copies. In December of the same year, the group released a cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”, which is still their most popular release to date – reaching over 13 million views on YouTube. The cover and video gives the song special meaning, as the girls sing strongly with noticeable accents about the importance of taking pride in one’s identity while wearing their unique national clothing.
Above: Tulia’s 2019 Eurovision entry “Pali sei”
In 2019, Tulia represented Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. The group performed the song, “Pali się” (“It’s on Fire”), written in Polish and English. They finished in 11th place. Later that year, Joanna Sinkevich left the group – reducing the group to only three women.
Today, Tulia is still performing and occasionally releasing powerful and enticing music. Although they are probably best known for their unconventional covers of popular songs, the covers often have something unique to add and are something to be admired in their own right.
