Martyna Basta

Martyna Basta is a Polish composer, producer, and singer-songwriter whose work resides at the intersection of art-pop, chamber folk, and electroacoustic composition. Coming from a background of classical guitar, disavowing the rigidity of classical music education, she shifted to the use of electronics, using reworked field recordings and instrumental samples to craft a sonic diary. Blending eerie vocals and haunting songwriting with granular electronics, she crafts an intimate world.

The diaristic is at the center of her creative process, drawing on themes of vulnerability, memory, and longing. Basta crafts songs that unfold like private reflections, striking a balance between melodic immediacy and a dreamlike sense of space. Starting from heavily-processed recordings of her playing instruments – zither, harpsichord, guitar, and more – resulting in tactile sound design that feels fragile, precise, and deeply personal. Her work draws as much from the emotional intensity of shoegaze as it does from the delicate ornamentation of baroque music.

Performing at places like CTM, Unsound, and Cafe OTO, Basta’s performance translates this atmosphere into a vivid, immersive presence. Her live shows bring an intimate intensity, weaving voice, guitar, zither, and electronics into rising tensions and shape-shifting arrangements.

She has garnered wide international praise, from the likes of Pitchfork, Dazed, The Wire, and cultural curator Margeaux Labat, each highlighting her singular ability to merge pop-adjacent emotion with a refined, deeply personal sonic palette.

Collaboration forms a central thread in Basta’s creative process. On her new album, shehas worked with james K, LEYA, Rainy Miller, and Felisha Ledesma. This follows her earlier pairings with claire rousay, Pavel Milyakov, and Jonathan Bepler – partnerships that expand her world while emphasizing her instinct for intimacy, nuance, and expressive restraint.