Blanka Stajkow

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.

Blanka Stajkow
Stajkow in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Blanka Stajkow
Also known as	Blanka
Born	(1999-05-23) 23 May 1999 (age 24) Szczecin, West Pomerania, Poland
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer model
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	2021-present
Labels	Warner Music Poland

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.^[1] According to Stajkow, neither of her parents have a musical background.^[2] 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.^[2]

At the age of 13, she produced and released her first single, "Strong Enough".^[2]

Career

Top Model and Warner Music Poland (2021–2022)

In 2021, she participated in Top Model, a Polish reality television show.^[3] While on the show, she released her first official single, "Better".^[4] The following year, she signed a contract with Warner Music Poland, and released her second single, "Solo".^[5]

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".^[6][7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[10]

Discography

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		POL ^[11]	POL Stream. ^[12]	POL Songs ^[13]	CZE ^[14]	FIN ^[15]	ICE ^[16]	IRE ^[17]	LTU ^[18]	SWE Heat. ^[19]	UK ^[20]
"Better"	2021	—	*		—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Non-album singles
"Solo"	2022	4	1	3	12	24	11	85	1	3	56	ZPAV: Diamond^[21]
"Boys Like Toys"	2023	19	45	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	ZPAV: Gold^[21]
"Rodeo"		4	—	—	2	—^[A]	—	—	—	—	—
"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

List of songs, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Album
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"	2022	Non-album singles

Notes

1. "Rodeo" did not enter the Official Finnish Singles Chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Official Finnish Radio Chart.

References

1. Wolther, Dr. Irving (14 May 2023). "Polens Herz schlägt für Blanka" (in German). Eurovision.de. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
2. Królak, Sergiusz (23 February 2023). ""Wszystko jest w rękach ludzi i Boga". 23-latka przed życiową szansą" ["Everything is in the hands of people and God." The 23-year-old has an opportunity of a lifetime]. Plejada (in Polish). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
3. Kruszakin, Dominika (8 September 2021). "Transpłciowa kobieta, trzeźwy narkoman i... złoty bilet! Oto drugi odcinek "Top Model"" [A transgender woman, a sober drug addict and... a golden ticket! Here is the second episode of "Top Model"]. Plejada (in Polish). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
4. Wilczura, Renata (8 September 2021). "Blanka, uczestniczka "Top Model", przedstawia debiutancki singiel "Better"". NetFan (in Polish). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
5. "Blanka zaczyna "Solo". Kim jest 23-letnia piękność z Polski?" [Blanka releases "Solo". Who is the 23-year-old beauty from Poland?]. Interia (in Polish). 23 September 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
6. "Eurowizja 2023: oto uczestnicy polskich preselekcji! Kto wystąpi 26 lutego?" [Eurovision 2023: here are the participants of the Polish preselection! Who will perform on February 26?]. Eurowizja.org (in Polish). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
7. "Poland reveals its Eurovision pre-selection lineup". Eurovision.tv. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
8. Hendryk, Tom (26 February 2023). "Blanka wins Poland's Tu bije serce Europy 2023 and will sing "Solo" at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
9. "Eurowizja 2023: zagraniczne media o skandalu w Polsce. "Podejrzenie korupcji w wyborze"". Eurowizja.org (in Polish). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
10. Morris, Lauren (14 May 2023). "Eurovision 2023 results: Full scoreboard and points". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
11. Peak chart positions for singles in Poland:
    • "Solo": "AirPlay Top: 12.11. – 18.11.2022" (in Polish). ZPAV. from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
    • "Boys Like Toys": "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 22.07.2023–28.07.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
    • "Rodeo": (Select week 18.11.2023–24.11.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
    • "Cara mia": (Select week 02.03.2024–08.03.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
12. Peak chart positions for singles in Poland:
    • "Solo": "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 12.05.2023–18.05.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
    • "Boys Like Toys": "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 07.07.2023–13.07.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
13. Peak chart positions for singles on Billboard Poland Songs chart:
    • "Solo": "Billboard Poland Songs Chart (week of 20 May 2023)". Billboard. from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
14. Peak chart positions for singles in Czech Republic:
    • "Solo": "Rádio Top 100 – Blanka – Solo". ČNS IFPI (in Czech). from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
    • "Rodeo": "Rádio Top 100 – Blanka – Rodeo". ČNS IFPI (in Czech). from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
15. "Blanka" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
16. Peak chart positions for singles in Iceland:
    • "Solo": "Streymi, spilun og sala viku 20. Birt 20. maí 2023 – Næst uppfært 27. maí 2023" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
17. "Discography Blanka". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
18. "2023 18-os savaitės (balandžio 28 – gegužės 4 d.) Singlų Top 100". AGATA (in Lithuanian). 5 May 2023. from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
19. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
20. "Blanka | full Official Charts history". Official Charts Company. from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
21. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 December 2023. Click "WYKONAWCA" and enter Blanka in the search box.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Krystian Ochman with "River"	Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023	Succeeded by Luna with "The Tower"