Hania Rani's music is tranquil. Please don't call it 'soothing'

When Polish musician Hania Rani released her first solo album, Esja, in 2019, she knew it was a modest debut. Its subtle piano compositions were moody but pared down, and she worried that its serene atmosphere might limit its mainstream appeal.

- THOMAS ROGERS

One year later, the album's placid vibe turned out to be a blessing. As the world locked down against the Covid pandemic, distressed people were turning to streaming playlists with names like "Calm Vibes" and "Peaceful Rhythms" that featured Rani's music. It became a breakthrough moment. As one critic told BBC radio during lockdown, Rani's music "makes your problems and woes all sort of vanish"

But now, Rani, 34, has become a shooting star in a genre of pop-inflected minimalist music often referred to as neoclassical, or alt-classical — though she bristles at the notion that her music is meant to offer therapy. “It's not being composed to help people relax,” she said in a recent interview. “The music might be slow — not so loud, not upbeat — but it’s actually intense.”

Her critically lauded follow-up solo albums — Home (2020) and Ghosts (2023) — have made her one of the biggest names in neoclassical music. Rani has won seven Fryderyk Awards, Poland’s equivalent to the Grammys, and prompted comparisons to other big-name contemporary composers, such as Nils Frahm and Max Richter.