Małgorzata Jamroży (; born 30 June 1991), known professionally as Margaret, is a Polish singer and songwriter. Before her mainstream debut, she performed with underground bands, recorded soundtracks for television commercials and films, and ran a fashion blog. Through her blog, she was discovered by a talent agent who helped her secure a record deal with Extensive Music in 2012. She rose to prominence the following year with the single "Thank You Very Much", which charted in several European countries.
Under her contract with Extensive Music, Margaret released two studio albums: Add the Blonde (2014) and Monkey Business (2017). Both records reached the top 10 on the Polish charts, and spawned the singles "Wasted", "Start a Fire", "Heartbeat", "What You Do", and "Byle jak". She also collaborated with Matt Dusk on the jazz album Just the Two of Us (2015). After signing an international record deal with Warner Music in 2016, Margaret released the single "Cool Me Down", gaining particular recognition in Sweden. She subsequently participated in the country's music competition Melodifestivalen with the songs "In My Cabana" and "Tempo" in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Seeking artistic freedom, she parted ways with her record label and management in 2019, and eschewed mainstream pop for urban music on the Polish-language albums Gaja Hornby (2019) and Maggie Vision (2021), the latter becoming her highest-charting record to date. Following this genre shift, Margaret returned to radio-friendly pop with her 2024 sixth studio album, Siniaki i cekiny, which yielded the chart-topping single "Tańcz głupia".
Margaret has received numerous accolades, including four MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Polish Act—more than any other artist in this category–five Eska Music Awards, and a Kids' Choice Award. She was included on Forbes Poland 2014 list of the 100 most valuable stars of Polish show business, and on Wprost 2015 list of the 50 most influential Polish celebrities. Alongside her music career, Margaret has endorsed numerous products, served as a coach on The Voice of Poland in 2019 and 2025, and co-founded the record label Gaja Hornby Records with her husband Kacezet in 2020.
Early life and education Małgorzata Jamroży was born on 30 June 1991 in Stargard Szczeciński, Poland, to teachers Ryszard and Elżbieta Jamroży. She has an older brother named Tomasz, a chemist who is four years her senior, with whom she grew up in Ińsko. Her brother was also a professional sled dog racer, and the family ran a husky farm. One of her grandmothers is of Lithuanian descent. Jamroży was raised Catholic, and upon being confirmed, took Julita as her confirmation name.
As a child, Jamroży participated in many singing contests. She attended the Ińsko school complex—a primary school and gymnasium—and initially studied clarinet before switching to saxophone at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski First Degree State Music School in Choszczno. Shortly after finishing music school, her nasal septum was damaged in a bicycle accident, which temporarily prevented her from playing the instrument. At age 16, she moved to Szczecin, where she graduated from high school. She also started taking private singing lessons from jazz teacher of the Katowice Academy of Music Justyna Motylska, and from vocal coach Elżbieta Zapendowska. At this time, she adopted the stage name Margaret, the English-language equivalent of Małgorzata.
At 18, Margaret moved to Warsaw, where she unsuccessfully auditioned for a place at a jazz school, having been rejected due to a droopy eyelid she experiences while singing. She later embarked on an English studies degree at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities but left after three semesters. In 2015, she graduated from the Warsaw International School of Costume and Fashion Design, majoring in fashion design.
Career
2006–2012: Career beginnings In 2006, Margaret appeared on the Polish television talent show Szansa na Sukces ("A Chance for Success"), performing Stenia Kozłowska's song "Będę czekać" ("I'll Be Waiting"), and received a special mention. She returned to the programme in 2009, winning an episode with her performance of Monika Brodka's song "Znam Cię na pamięć" ("I Know You by Heart"). As a result, she advanced to the show's 2009 final at the Congress Hall in Warsaw. In high school, she performed in a rock band called Walizka ("Suitcase"), and in the band oNieboLepiej ("Much Better") with whom she sang poetry.
In 2010, Margaret appeared in the musical Rent at the Szczecin Opera in the Castle. That year, she also co-founded the Margaret J. Project, an electropop six-piece band with R&B and hip-hop influences, which she formed with music producer and bassist Adam Kabaciński. The group qualified for the semi-finals of the 2010 Coke Live Fresh Noise competition. After disbanding in November 2012, they released their studio album This Is Margaret online in 2013. In 2011, Margaret launched a fashion blog that featured videos of her singing. Her blogging activity declined as her music career progressed. Early in her career, Margaret also recorded soundtracks for Polish television commercials and films, including "Moments" and "It Will Be Lovely Day". The latter was released for digital download in July 2012 under Margaret's birth name, and received radio airplay. According to Polish music manager Maja Sablewska, while Margaret was not well-known at the time, her voice was "ubiquitous".
2012–2013: Breakthrough with "Thank You Very Much" While Margaret was blogging, she was approached by talent agent and her future manager Sławomir Berdowski, who became interested in working with her after hearing her recording of Adele's song "Right as Rain". Berdowski arranged for Margaret to work with music producers Thomas Karlsson, Joakim Buddee and Ant Whiting, who wrote her debut single "Thank You Very Much". Shortly after recording the song, Margaret signed with the Swedish record label Extensive Music. The label also signed a distribution deal with Universal Music Poland's Magic Records to release Margaret's music in Poland. In May 2012, Margaret debuted "Thank You Very Much" at the 2012 Sopot TOPtrendy festival, and the song was released to Polish contemporary hit radio. Shortly thereafter, Margaret's management decided to remove the song from radio playlists and develop a promotional plan before re-releasing it.
"Thank You Very Much" and its music video were released for digital download in February 2013. The song achieved commercial success in Poland, becoming the country's third-best-selling Polish digital single of 2013. Margaret worked with director Chris Piliero on the track's music video, which featured her surrounded by 30 nude extras. The video was removed by YouTube for violating the site's policy against nudity and sexual content, but was later restored with age restrictions. Following this, Margaret expressed her support for the right to nudity under the slogan "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," and criticised YouTube for censorship. The video received substantial media coverage, which contributed to the international success of "Thank You Very Much". A year after its release, the video was featured on the website 9GAG, which led to a surge in its YouTube traffic, resulting in a gain of more than 500,000 views within 24 hours. In June 2013, Margaret travelled to Germany to promote "Thank You Very Much" with a live performance on ZDF Fernsehgarten ("ZDF Television Garden"). After her appearance on the show, the single peaked at number 38 in Austria and at number 41 in Germany.
Margaret's second single, "Tell Me How Are Ya", was released in July 2013 on her first extended play (EP), All I Need, which reached number 50 on the Polish albums chart. She represented Poland at the July 2013 Baltic Song Contest in Sweden, where she performed "Thank You Very Much" and an EP track, "I Get Along", finishing second out of ten competitors. Margaret was nominated in several categories at the 2013 Eska Music Awards, including Best Female Artist, Best Debut, Best Hit, and Best Music Video (both for "Thank You Very Much"), and won the latter. She was also nominated for Best Polish Act at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. In December 2013, Margaret embarked on a promotional tour of Italy, where "Thank You Very Much" peaked at number 22 on the official singles chart.
2014–2016: Add the Blonde, Just the Two of Us and "Cool Me Down"
In January 2014, Margaret released "Wasted" as the lead single from her first studio album, Add the Blonde. The song reached number six in Poland. In February, she appeared in the first of several advertising campaigns for Play, a Polish telecommunications provider. Add the Blonde was released in August 2014, containing all songs from Margaret's 2013 EP All I Need and eight new tracks. A pop record, it was influenced by retro-disco and ska, as well as the work of Madonna. The album reached number eight in Poland and was certified platinum by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV). The same month, Margaret released "Start a Fire" as the official song of the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. She performed it at the tournament's opening ceremony. The song also became the second single from Add the Blonde and peaked at number 10 in Poland. Around this time, she recorded a cover of Katarzyna Sobczyk's song "O mnie się nie martw" ("Don't You Worry About Me"), which was used as the theme song for the Polish television series of the same name. Margaret was also featured on a 2014 Christmas charity album called Siemacha po kolędzie ("Siemacha After Carolling"), recorded in support of the Siemacha Association. Its 2015 follow-up, Gwiazdy po kolędzie ("Stars After Carolling"), included two songs recorded by Margaret. The third single from Add the Blonde, "Heartbeat", was released in February 2015 and charted at number 11 in Poland.
In early 2015, it was reported that Margaret had been cast in the role of Polish singer Violetta Villas for her biopic. Margaret's manager dismissed these reports at the time, but added that if an offer were made Margaret would consider it. Due to her resemblance to Villas in her youth, the media continued to speculate about her involvement in the project. Villas's son, Krzysztof Gospodarek, expressed a desire for Margaret to portray his mother, citing their likeness as the reason. In 2018, it was revealed that the role had been offered to Margaret a year earlier, but she turned it down. She later explained that she had decided against accepting it because she does not identify with Villas.