Each month in 2021, we will be featuring a member of the worldwide Gretsch community as our spotlight “featured player” of the month!
The featured drummer for June is . . . Wiktoria Bialic!
Wiktoria Bialic has recorded drums for GRAMMY award-winning musicians such as Ondre J. Pivec, award-winning producer Kartik Shah, and other various British, Indian, Scottish, American, and Puerto Rican producers and artists. She’s also recorded alongside Gretsch artist Ash Soan on a single called “Dark Dark Days” and often sits in for other well-known drummers across Poland.
Wiktoria was also the champion in the 2021 Hit Like A Girl drum contest and a finalist in the 2020 Percussive Arts Society Drum Set Competition. After attending music school for 12 years, she is now studying drums at the University of Music in Poland.
We asked Wiktoria . . .
How old were you when you knew you were interested in becoming a musician?
I was about 6 when I fell in love with music. I remember that I sang a lot of songs and felt the rhythm in kindergarten. I was like a volcano of energy as music influenced me. Music has always been around my house, when I was little my mum played Beethoven, Bach records, and her family is so musical, so I know why I love music so much.
Why did you choose Gretsch?
A few years ago I wanted to have my first professional drums, and a lot of my favourite drummers play on Gretsch, so my parents decided to help me and they bought me Gretsch Renown with a loan. In addition, it was my 18th birthday present so it was a very unique moment for me, and still, this drums means a lot to me. I’m really impressed by the long history of Gretsch and the amazing sound of these drums.
What Gretsch gear do you currently use?
I still use a Gretsch Renown: 12” tom, 14″ floor tom, and 18″ bass drum, but I have always dreamt of a Broadkaster with bigger sizes, so I think it will be my next drum set in the future.
Which musicians were the biggest influence on you and why?
Definitely John Mayer, Michael Jackson, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and Poluzjanci. I admire them because, each one of them has a unique story to tell, style, and original music and all these aspects have inspired me to be a better musician and find my own voice in music.
How did you adjust and stay musical during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I have to say that I don’t like wasting time so the recording studio was my hope and I spent a lot of hours recording my drums, experimenting with gear, mics, and sounds. I feel that I learn something new day by day. I discovered that I really love the studio and this world really fascinates me, and I am still planning to continue this journey. Pandemic time wasn’t a barrier for me but rather a motivation to do something more and stay creative. I found a new path on how to engage people on the social media, I also built my website, I composed my tracks, and I attended the drums workshop with my heroes via the Internet. I don’t wanna stop 🙂
You could be featured in 2021 just like Wiktoria. Click to find out how!
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