One of the truly most important parts of being an artist is to make sure you are doing it for yourself. Enjoy creating not just for others but for how you can make them feel. Be true to yourself and great things will happen. A great example is our recent find Co.LeGa.
We caught up with the innovative sonic artist to get a little deeper into his mindset. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, what’s up with the name Co.LeGa?
Oh yes – great question. And thank you for noticing the little wink in the name. People often pick up on it, like there’s a story behind it they can’t quite place 😉
So here’s the short version:
“Co” stands for Collective, “Le” is short for Lech – that’s what I was called when I was little,
and “Ga” comes from my surname.
But the real spark happens when you say it out loud: Co.LeGa (laughs).
By sheer coincidence (or maybe not 😉 ), “colega” means colleague or friend in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese… even in English it echoes colleague. And in Polish, “kolega” carries an even warmer meaning – more than just a coworker. It’s a friend. A buddy. Someone you’d grab coffee with… and maybe, without even planning to, invent something strange and beautiful together.
So I hope the name’s a quiet manifesto. It hints at connection. Collaboration. Curiosity.
It’s a kind of code – like you’re already part of it 😉
Well, to be totally honest – the name was actually coined by my partner. So, credit where it’s due 🙂
And that actually reflects how I work – sometimes I think she couldn’t have come up with a more perfect name 😉
Co.LeGa is an artist-producer. I bring people in – voices I admire, energies I trust – to help tell stories I couldn’t tell alone. Like Silke, who sings and channels emotions I could never capture on my own. Or Mr. Ho, a producer whose clarity and intuition have shaped the sound of this project more than I ever expected. And then, of course, the surreal honour of collaborating with Michal Urbaniak – a living legend, who somehow said yes.
So yeah – Co.LeGa isn’t just a name. I believe it’s a shared space. A gentle invitation to make something honest, together.
You must admit – not bad for a name explanation. (laughs)
How would you describe your sound?
I’m not sure there is such a thing as “a sound” for me — at least not in the way people usually talk about it.
What I’ve noticed is that sometimes an artist creates something that resonates, it gets a bit of attention — and then the pressure creeps in. Suddenly, you’re expected to replicate that same thing again and again, just to meet expectations. That’s when “having a sound” can turn into a bit of a trap. (laughs)
I try not to limit myself. If something unexpected shows up — something unplanned but somehow feels right — I welcome it. For me, it’s never really been about genre or sticking to a formula. I actually enjoy moving between spaces that might seem very different on the surface.
Take Humans — it probably feels like a punk track. And Absence of Doubts leans more toward dream pop, if we’re putting labels on things. But to me, they speak the same emotional language. Same body, same energy — just dressed differently.
I love electronic sounds, I love guitars — I love any instrument or texture, really. But I definitely try to steer clear of anything that feels too familiar. If I’ve heard it a hundred times before, I lose interest pretty quickly.
Am I succeeding in being original? That’s not really for me to say — but you’re more than welcome to decide for yourself, just by listening to those two tracks I mentioned.
Which artists have had the biggest influence on Co.LeGa?
The ones who should have, of course. (laughs)
All the greats – the ones who, somehow, managed to say something timeless, even if they were just whispering into the noise.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t really believe in genres. Music… It’s been the same story for a very long time.
Homo sapiens has been around for, what, 200–300 thousand years? And the ones they found in Morocco apparently looked just like us – same skeleton, same brain. So when someone creates something extraordinary – something that reaches across time and still moves people – I take notice. That person had an influence. Big time.
Of course, I can’t go quite that far back (laughs). But take Chopin – his “Revolutionary Étude” or “Funeral March” were some of my very first favourite songs. I know – no one really calls them “songs”… but have you heard the bassline in the Étude? Or the mournful melody in the March? It’s melancholic pop in disguise.
My mum was a piano teacher, so I grew up with that music in the background all the time.
So yeah – my earliest musical rotation was Chopin… and Elvis. Back and forth. (laughs)
And honestly, I don’t see a huge difference between them. Same species. Same longing. Same basic urge to make noise that means something. Just listen to Elvis’s “Crying in the Chapel”.
I’ve always been drawn to things that seem disconnected on the surface but feel connected underneath. It’s all the same music to me – whether it’s “1979” by Smashing Pumpkins or “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey…
Billie Eilish and her “CHIHIRO”. “Karma Police” by Radiohead. “I feel you” by Depeche Mode.
The energy of The Prodigy. The tone of Miles Davis. Nirvana, of course.
“Space Oddity” by Bowie. “Where Is My Mind” by Pixies. Kate Bush had a big impact on me. So did Björk, Portishead… Snoop Dog… “Drop It Like It’s Hot” is a masterpiece in minimalism.
Hundreds of others. Honestly.
Even someone like Julio Iglesias – not so much for the songs themselves, but for that unusual emotion in his voice. Maybe it’s the ex-goalkeeper energy? (laughs)
How does a song come together for you? What is the songwriting process?
It usually starts with inspiration – though I never know where it will come from. It could be anything: a film, a conversation, something I saw, something I felt. But most often, it’s music. And not just any music – only the kind that has something real to say. Usually something in a minor key.
Strangely, that kind of music feels deeply optimistic to me – not because it’s cheerful, but because it opens something. It pushes me forward. It points somewhere new.
Often, I’m just sitting at the piano, playing without thinking – and suddenly, something appears. A phrase. A fragment. Out of nowhere. It’s always a surprise. One moment it’s nothing; the next, it’s there. And when that happens, I’ve learned not to question it. I follow it.
Once that first spark arrives, the rest tends to unfold on its own. The structure begins to form, the shape becomes clearer, and the melody starts pulling the words toward itself.
What amazes me is how often the lyrics seem to arrive on their own. Not written, exactly – just… found. Almost like they belonged to the song long before I knew it existed. I love it – it saves so much time! (laughs)
Official Music Video for ‘Humans’ by Co.LeGa
There are definitely some interesting sounds here. What instrumentation do you use to produce this soundscape?
I love playing with sound. Always have.
Sometimes that means recording something unexpected – a clink, a breath, a bit of weather, or something I can’t even name and turning it into an instrument through a sampler. Suddenly, you’re playing something that never really existed before. And that thrill never gets old.
At the same time, I’ve always had a deep love for more traditional sounds – piano, violin, acoustic instruments that carry a kind of emotional weight. But even then, I’m always looking for a twist. A sound I haven’t heard before… or at least not quite like that.
Some of those sounds might be guitars – though by the time they end up in the mix, they probably don’t sound like guitars anymore. (Sorry!) (laughs)
Take “Humans”, for example – there are live drums in there, but they’re mixed in a way that might make you wonder if they’ve passed on. (laughs) I enjoy that kind of ambiguity.
What’s definitely true is that I spend a lot of time transforming recorded sounds – breaking them apart, reshaping them, running them through effects until they become something completely unrecognizable… and yet still feel oddly familiar. Almost normal.
That’s the space I’m always chasing: something catchy, something immediate – but also something you’ve never quite heard before. And that balance is harder than people think. Making something strange is easy. But making something new that still makes you want to hum it? That’s the real trick.
Again – whether I’m pulling it off? You’ll have to decide that for yourselves.
What do you hope the listener takes away from a Co.LeGa track?
Ideally? A feeling they can’t immediately name.
That would be enough.
I’d love to imagine someone listening on headphones – not doing anything else, just being with it. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. Maybe just a moment slowed down, or a single line that feels like it came from inside them, not me. That would be perfect.
Unfortunately, we’re all surrounded by some kind of noise – not just the literal kind, but the mental, emotional kind too. Constant input. So if someone hears a Co.LeGa track and it gives them something real – something that doesn’t feel like a product, but something honest – then that’s already more than enough.
And if, even for a second, they feel a little less alone in whatever they’re feeling… then the song did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Share some advice for other artists creating unique music?
I’m not sure I’m in a position to give advice but I can share what I’ve learned. I work completely independently. Total freedom. And honestly, I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
What I’ve come to believe is that real happiness, the kind that actually stays with you, comes from living on your own terms. No dependencies. No performing for someone else’s expectations.
True fulfilment, at least for me, is being able to express yourself without restriction. Without needing permission. If you feel like you have something to say – say it.
And really… what does it matter what anyone else thinks?
We’re all on a spinning rock that’s eventually going to be swallowed by a bigger flaming rock — whether we like it or not. Did you know that Earth is hurtling around the equator at 1,700 km/h, and the entire solar system is moving at nearly a million kilometers an hour? Quite fast, isn’t it? And somehow, we’re still managing to hold on. (laughs)
So… maybe there’s not that much to worry about. (laughs)
Just say what you need to say – as clearly, as honestly, and as freely as you can. Give some joy to others – and above all, to yourself. Before that flaming rock swallows us all. (laughs)
And one more thing: don’t try to manipulate the outcome. People will feel it.
Feel free. Feel complete. That’s the whole thing.
What does the future hold for Co.LeGa?
Good things, I hope.
There are new songs in the works right now and, honestly… I’m quietly excited.
They feel different. Clearer, somehow. Like they already know where they’re going – before I do. (laughs)
If all goes to plan, a new EP should arrive in the autumn. But I try not to rush anything. Things come when they’re ready.
What I can say is: it’s a great joy, a great adventure – and I love it this way. And as long as that’s true, there’ll be more music. Something that feels like it arrived just in time.
