March 13, 2025 |
Mary Komasa is redefining what it means to be a musical artist. Known internationally for her poignant songwriting and evocative film scores, her skills as a composer, singer and musician are in constant demand. For Komasa, music is not just about melodies, it’s a tool for communicating universal truths, touching hearts and celebrating humanity.
What does it mean to create something truly meaningful? For Mary Komasa, the answer is anything but straightforward. “It’s like trying to share your dreams with the world,” she says. “Vivid, surreal, often indescribable dreams – with the limited tools we have at our disposal.” The challenge of translating the extraordinary into something tangible is daunting, yet it fuels her drive.
Whether through her lyrics, music or film scores, Komasa, 40, measures her success by how well she can evoke emotion in her audience and connect with them. To do so, she needs to dig deep: vulnerability is essential. “The greatest reward I could ever receive is knowing someone understood what I was trying to express emotionally, that I touched those soft spots in another human being,” she says.
Komasa’s musical journey began in Poland, rooted in the discipline of classical training, an experience she often found stifling. “It always felt like a corset I needed to break free from. It was hard to breathe in that environment,” she says. Growing up under the shadow of Poland’s communist history, her parents instilled in her a belief in art as a sanctuary of freedom.
from left: SIMONE ROCHA and DIOR
Yet even within this strict regimen, Komasa discovered an escape: pop culture. “While my days were consumed by Bach and Chopin, my tapes from the 1990s were pure chaos,” she explains. “One song would be Chopin, the next Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears, and then back to Bach.” The stark contrast became her secret refuge. “It felt like a crazy idea to even listen to pop music back then, but it was that wild mix that gave me something to hold onto.”
She dreamt of becoming both a singer and a film composer, but felt constricted by the roles that society had imposed on her. “I knew it wasn’t possible for me to become a film composer because I was a girl,” she says. “It felt like a boy’s job. So I told myself it would be easier to start by becoming a singer and writing my own songs.” But the cinematic world remained a vivid part of her imagination; she dreamt of working with film directors such as Lars von Trier and David Lynch or even on a Batman movie.
Komasa’s most recent album, Sister, profoundly explores themes of human connection, vulnerability and introspection. Its title track, the lead single, was written after an intensely emotional phone call with her sibling. At the time, they were both grappling with the isolation of the pandemic. “I just wanted to hug her, but we couldn’t see each other for so long,” she says. Feeling helpless, she turned to music and, within moments, the song poured out of her – the hug she couldn’t give.
from left: PRADA and CHLOE
Sending the song to her sister, the artist received a heartfelt response: “You saw my scars open, and you hugged them.” What began as a song for someone specific evolved into a universal anthem. Over time, the song resonated with Komasa’s friends as well and she realised that while she had thought it was for her sister, she had actually written it for herself, too. Through this, the concept of Sister grew to represent a powerful message of connection.
The album, though diverse in sound and mood, explores deep existential questions about humanity and seeks to engage listeners with tough, introspective questions: are we disappointed with where we are as a society. If so, how can we start to build something better? “I don’t want my music to be elevator music. Sometimes, it’s tough. But you can still dance to it,” she says.
Now a successful boundary-breaking artist, Komasa is happy with how far she’s come, but the journey wasn’t always easy. “Labels would ask me, ‘What’s your genre?’” she says. “I didn’t fit into their boxes and I didn’t want to.” One medium alone isn’t enough for Komasa to communicate. “I admire artists who understand this, who work across disciplines. That’s my language, my way of growing. I need all of it to thrive, like a plant that can’t grow without enough water.”
Komasa may be a multi-hyphenate, but she is also a keen creative collaborator. And one of her key partners is her husband, Antoni Łazarkiewicz. Together, they’ve created compelling soundtracks for films such as In Darkness, Spoor and Mr. Jones, helmed by the great Polish director Agnieszka Holland, in addition to Julia von Heinz’s Treasure, which featured in the Berlinale Special Gala section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival last year. Komasa’s work with her husband is often defined by a dynamic interplay of tension and mutual growth – a process that feels profoundly natural to her. Even if they have differing working methods, she embraces them as a vital part of their creative processes. “Antoni brings something outside my vocabulary, and I bring the energy he doesn’t have. We’re totally different in terms of ideas and dynamics, but that’s what I love about our collaboration. It’s like constantly discovering new worlds.” Komasa isn’t afraid of ego or disagreement: “If one of us thinks our idea is better, we try it out. At the end of the day, it’s about what works best for the project,” she says. “When we work together, it feels like I’m reaching his heart. I’m gently tapping it and he does the same to mine. Being able to share that through our life’s work is a dream. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
from left: LOEWE and GUESS JEANS
Apart from her work in film scoring and singing, Komasa is also deeply involved in the fashion industry, where she collaborates with industry legend Juergen Teller. Known for his boundary-pushing work in fine art and fashion photography, Teller brings a distinctive energy to their creative partnership. Together, they’ve worked on high-fashion projects for brands like Loewe and Ferragamo.
One constant in Komasa’s collaboration with Teller is the infusion of humour, a playful element that underscores their dynamic and innovative approach to fashion and art. “That’s where we start – with humour,” she says. “Juergen’s work has this incredible wit and I was able to let it guide me as I built the music.” This shared sensibility turned quickly into a playground for experimentation. “He kept telling me, ‘If you have the craziest idea, run with it. That’s the beginning, that’s where to start. And from there, take it even further.” Komasa describes the experience with contagious enthusiasm. “His encouragement unlocked something in me. I found a voice that I didn’t even know I had.”
But what makes the working relationship with Teller so special? “There’s no need for masks,” Komasa says. “In fact, we actively try to tear them apart. This is what I strive for in all my creative relationships: honesty, vulnerability and a shared commitment to leave the masks in another room. When we’re open like that, that’s when the real magic happens.”
Reflecting on their shoot for 10 on these pages, Komasa describes the experience as “nothing short of a revelation”. Speaking about their creative synergy, she says, “I know I have to find artists and collaborators who truly understand my vision and the life I wanted to create. That’s why working with someone like Juergen Teller is so meaningful. He sees and understands what I want from art.”
from left: LOUIS VUITTON and POLO RALPH LAUREN
So what’s next for Komasa? The artist is finishing up a major movie project due this year called Franz, a Franz Kafka biopic directed and co-produced by Holland. “At its core, the process of scoring the film meant connecting with Kafka himself,” Komasa says. “For me, Kafka’s energy has always felt youthful, chaotic and charismatic. His writing was so vibrant. When I read his books as a teenager, I thought, ‘This is the guy I’d go clubbing with.’ His rebellious spirit and madness were magnetic.” She likens Kafka’s creative chaos to the legacy of artists like Chopin: iconoclastic and impossible to confine.
To bring Kafka’s essence to life through music, Komasa and her team constructed an unconventional mood board. They drew inspiration from timeless historic figures to capture the author’s raw, electric energy. “We were putting names like Kurt Cobain and pictures by Nan Goldin,” she says. The score was a blend of improvisation and meticulous design, creating what Komasa describes as a “logic to the madness”. The process wasn’t without its challenges, however. Even her long-term collaborator Holland was sceptical at times. “She would ask, ‘Are you working on the music or just brainstorming?’” Komasa laughs. “And I’d say, ‘Please, trust the process!’”
The score came alive with the help of exceptional talents, such as Thomas Wydler, drummer for Nick Cave’s band the Bad Seeds, producer Victor Van Vugt and classical artist Thomas Bloch. The result? A score that’s powerful, haunting and a perfect match for Kafka’s spirit. With the project soon to make the rounds at film festivals, Komasa’s enthusiasm is palpable. “We’re immensely proud of what we’ve created,” she says. “I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands March 18. Pre-order your copy here.
MARY KOMASA: SOUND AND VISION
Photographer JUERGEN TELLER
Creative Partner DOVILE DRIZYTE
Fashion Editor VERONIKA HEILBRUNNER
Talent MARY KOMASA
Text GIULIO POLVERIGIANI
1st Photo assistant FELIPE CHAVES
Post production LOUWRE ERASMUS at Quickfix
Producer JOELLE FLACKE at Westend Berlin
Executive producer NICOLAS SCHWAIGER at Westend Berlin
Special thanks to Next Management
On the cover Mary wears DIOR
Jewellery throughout talent’s own
