Today’s bridge takes us to Poland to meet national selection veteran Kuba Szmajkowski who at the age of only 22, is about to take part in his third Eurovision selection in Poland!

After placing 4^th and 8^th places respectively in 2022 and 2023 with Lovesick and You Do Me, he’s back this year with Pray.

Pray is a change from the dance pop we’ve seen from Kuba in the past, and reflects a new direction in his career and personal life.

Kuba last took part in the Polish selection in 2023, a show that ended in a significant amount of drama amongst many Polish Eurofans. We wondered why after all that drama, Kuba would want to dive back into the Eurovision bubble. His answer was both succinct and wise:

“To be honest, I’m not following the drama. I’m just following the music all the time.”

— Kuba Szmajkowski

Pray marks a departure from the dance-pop vibes of Kuba’s previous Eurovision entries. When asked about the inspiration behind his song, Kuba noted:

“I’ve lost the sparkle which was motivating me to make music, just to be on stage, just to develop myself. […] This melody gives me kind of hope, and it was a huge inspiration for me.”

— Kuba Szmajkowski

With time ebbing away, Kuba’s focus now is set on the staging of Pray. In fact, just before Jan and Dave spoke with him, he had been working on a sample video featuring some choreography for the producers. Kuba is committed to delivering a high-quality performance and continuously evolving as an artist:

“The main thing for me is the staging, like the visualization in the background, everything that’s going to happen on stage. I’m super excited about that because it’s going to be a very fresh vibe.”

— Kuba Szmajkowski

Kuba will perform Pray live during the Polish national Eurovision selection Wielki finał polskich kwalifikacji on the evening of Friday, 14^th February on TVP, along with nine other artists in the competition this year.

Until then, be sure and check out the full interview with Kuba (above) to learn more about the creation of Pray, how this national final feels different from the previous selections, and a discussion of Kuba’s favourite Eurovision bops. The episode is available now wherever you get your favourite Eurovision podcasts!

We wish Kuba the best of luck in the Polish final on 14^th February! Let us know in the comments and on our social media profiles @buildingbridgespod what you thought of the interview and if you think we’ll see Kuba in Basel in May waiving the Polish flag!