CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY have released the official lyric video for “Beautiful Damage” — the title track of the forthcoming album “Beautiful Damage: 1990–1994”, scheduled for release in April 2026.
The video marks the first official chapter of a deeply personal project: a collection of songs written between 1990 and 1996, rescued from old tape cassettes, and completed three decades later in a home studio in Cairo.
Watch the lyric video here:
THE CASSETTES THAT SURVIVED
The story of Beautiful Damage: 1990–1994 begins not in a recording studio, but in the discovery of two old tape cassettes — the earliest musical archive of Andrzej Citowicz, a Polish-born guitarist, composer, and songwriter now based in Egypt, recording under the name Citovitz and The Fireflies of February.
Those cassettes held the first songs Andrzej ever wrote. Recorded on an old acoustic guitar between 1990 and 1996, some tracks had lyrics. Others were just chords — ideas that a young boy in Wałbrzych, Poland could hear in his head but was not yet equipped to finish. They were put away. Life happened. Loss happened. And for thirty years, those songs waited.
“This is the next chapter of my music journey. I found old tape cassettes. Two of them. My first songs from 1990 to 1996. Some with lyrics. Some without. Just ideas a kid couldn’t finish yet. I wasn’t ready then. I am now.”
BEAUTIFUL DAMAGE: THE SONG THAT NAMES EVERYTHING
The title track carries the weight of the entire project in one piece. Written in the early 1990s and completed in 2026, “Beautiful Damage” is the song that gave the album its name — and its emotional compass. It speaks of lost youth not with bitterness but with the strange, hard-earned gratitude of someone who survived long enough to understand what those years were worth.
The damage was real. So was what it built.
“Sometimes you need 50 years of scars to finish what you started at 14 — and left behind in your twenties. I wasn’t ready to write these words then. I needed everything that happened in between to understand what these songs were actually about.”
Musically, the track draws from the classic rock and power ballad tradition that shaped Andrzej’s earliest instincts as a writer — influences rooted in Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Bryan Adams — while carrying the weight and production maturity of an artist who has spent decades refining his voice. The result is a song that sounds simultaneously like a memory and a reckoning.
COMPLETING THE UNFINISHED: A PHILOSOPHY OF RETURN
The album Beautiful Damage: 1990–1994 is not a nostalgia project. It is an act of completion. Using his home studio, modern recording technology, and the same beating heart that first pressed record on those cassettes, Andrzej has taken the strongest of those early ideas and given them the production, the arrangements, and the lyrics they always deserved.
Bassist and longtime creative partner Patryk Szymański — a collaborator of more than a decade — stands beside him again in this process, re-recording and rearranging the old demos into their final form. Theirs is a musical friendship built over years of work, trust, and a shared understanding of what music should cost to make honestly.
“Patryk has been with me through every album, every doubt, every late night when the music refused to come. On this one — perhaps more than any other — his presence means everything. These are songs I could not finish alone the first time. I am glad I don’t have to finish them alone now.”
THE WORLD IS TOO CRAZY TO WAIT
For Andrzej Citowicz, the decision to finally complete these songs was not merely artistic — it was urgent. Independent, self-managed, and uncompromising in his creative vision, he has spent his career building a body of work outside the mainstream music industry, on his own terms, at his own pace.
The My Revenge EP — released on his 50th birthday, February 10th, 2026 — was a declaration of survival. Beautiful Damage: 1990–1994 is its companion: not a look back in defeat, but a return with full understanding. Five songs for fifty years. Now — a full album for everything that came before.
“The world is too crazy to wait with dreams. Time to finish them.”
RELEASE DETAILS Lyrics Video: “Beautiful Damage” — available now on YouTube Album: Beautiful Damage: 1990–1994 — Coming April 2026 Originally Recorded: 1990–1996 (acoustic and early electric guitar demos on tape cassette) Completed & Arranged: 2026 Music & Guitars: Andrzej Citowicz Bass: Patryk Szymański Lyrics: Andrzej Citowicz Artist: Citovitz and The Fireflies of February
CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY have released the official lyric video for “The Demon Was Once an Angel” — the fifth and final track from the “My Revenge” EP, released on Andrzej Citowicz’s 50th birthday, February 10th, 2026. With this release, the EP’s lyric video cycle is complete: five songs documented, five chapters closed, five truths placed permanently on record.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE FALLEN
The song was written by Shereen Citowicz — the same lyricist behind “My Revenge”, the EP’s title track. Where that song burns with defiance, “The Demon Was Once an Angel” asks a harder, quieter question: not how did we survive, but what did surviving cost us? “Demons weren’t born demons. They were angels who fell. Good things that got broken. Innocent souls who learned the world doesn’t reward innocence. My wife Shereen wrote these words about transformation we never asked for. About how pain changes you into something different — not necessarily worse, just harder, less trusting, more guarded.”
The song’s central thesis — that the fallen were once innocent — carries enormous compassion within what could easily become a statement of despair. Shereen’s words refuse to judge the changed. They seek instead to remember what was there before the breaking. To acknowledge that the hardness people carry was once softness that the world refused to protect.
Watch the lyric video here:
MEMORY AS SALVATION
The lyric video presents the song’s most profound insight plainly: if you have become something harder, something more guarded, something the world might call a demon — you were likely an angel once. And that memory, however faint, is not defeat. It is a thread. It is what keeps a person from losing themselves entirely.
“If you’ve become a demon, maybe you were an angel once. And remembering where you came from — that’s what keeps you from being completely lost.” This is grief literature written as rock music. It is the kind of truth that doesn’t announce itself loudly but settles slowly — in the chest, in the memory, in the quiet moments when a person sits with what they have become and tries to find the version of themselves that existed before the damage.
Musically, “The Demon Was Once an Angel” draws from the tradition established by Winger and Kip Winger — technical without being cold, intricate without losing emotion. It is rock that thinks as it feels, that constructs carefully even as it speaks from an unguarded place.
Bassist Patryk Szymański — Andrzej’s collaborator of over a decade, a brother in every meaningful sense of the word — delivers bass work that does more than anchor the rhythm. It speaks. It carries its own narrative thread through the song, responding to and deepening the lyrical content rather than simply supporting it.
“Patryk’s bass doesn’t just support — it speaks its own truth. When you’ve been creating with someone for over ten years, there’s a musical intelligence that develops between you that can’t be faked. On this track especially, he understood exactly what these words needed.”
THE END OF MY REVENGE: FIVE SONGS FOR FIFTY YEARS
The “My Revenge” EP was conceived as a statement of survival — five tracks for fifty years of living, released as a 50th birthday declaration. Each song carries a different dimension of that survival: defiance, brotherhood, the theft of time, grief transformed into dignity, and now — the memory of innocence in the face of everything that has hardened.
The five tracks span two lyricists and one sustained emotional vision: Andrzej wrote “You’re Not My Friend — You’re My Brother, My Friend,” “Time Is a Thief,” and “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief.” Shereen wrote “My Revenge” and “The Demon Was Once an Angel.” Together, they form a complete arc — not a tidy resolution, but an honest accounting.
“This is the final song from ‘My Revenge.’ Five songs for fifty years. Five pieces of survival turned into sound. Thank you for walking this journey with us. From the first song to this last one. You made my revenge complete.”
THE LYRIC VIDEO SERIES: WORDS MADE VISIBLE
The decision to document each track from “My Revenge” with its own lyric video reflects a consistent artistic philosophy: words this personal deserve to be seen, not just heard. Lyrics that emerge from lived experience — from grief, from loss, from the long work of remaining human — carry meaning that the ear alone cannot always hold. The lyric video format allows listeners to sit with the words, return to specific lines, and find themselves in the text. With this final release, that documentation is complete. Every word Shereen and Andrzej put into this EP now has a visual home. The record is permanent.
STREAM & WATCH
YouTube lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPa5Fn9MQek The complete “My Revenge” EP is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms.
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About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY have released the official lyric video for “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief,” a deeply personal classic rock anthem from the “My Revenge” EP, released on Andrzej Citowicz’s 50th birthday, February 10th, 2026.
The lyric video, now available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/WrgAOinVu4M), presents the most introspective and vulnerable song from the five-track EP—a meditation on how profound loss transforms a person while preserving their essential humanity.
THE QUIETEST STATEMENT: GRIEF AS TRANSFORMATION
While “My Revenge” EP carries themes of defiance and survival throughout its runtime, “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” offers something different: quiet reflection on what remains after the fire, delivered through a classic rock anthem that balances power with vulnerability.
The song’s title encapsulates its entire philosophy—acknowledging both who Citowicz strives to be (a gentleman: kind, patient, understanding) and what shaped him (grief: loss, devastation, transformation he never chose). “After losing my son Jonasz, I’m not the same person,” Citowicz states plainly. “Grief changes you. It doesn’t make you bitter necessarily, but it makes you different. Harder in some ways. Softer in others. More patient with suffering. Less patient with bullshit. This song is about that transformation—about choosing kindness even after the world was cruel.”
The track carries particular weight as the only song on “My Revenge” where Citowicz explores internal transformation rather than external survival. It’s intimate, vulnerable, and remarkably honest about the ongoing nature of grief’s influence.
“I wanted to write about what grief does to someone who chooses to stay kind anyway,” he explains. “It’s easy to let pain turn you cruel. It’s harder—much harder—to be forged in fire you didn’t ask for and still preserve the good parts of who you are. That’s what ‘tempered’ means. Not destroyed. Shaped. Made stronger in unexpected ways.”
MUSICAL APPROACH: CLASSIC ROCK ANTHEM WITH SOUL
Musically, “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” represents a classic rock anthem in its purest form, drawing from the melodic sensibilities and emotional honesty that defined the genre’s greatest moments. “This track is pure classic rock,” Citowicz states with conviction. “There’s a touch of AC/DC’s melodic approach, Def Leppard’s way of building anthems that stay emotional without losing power, even The Darkness in how the guitars carry both vulnerability and strength simultaneously. This isn’t a ballad—it’s a classic rock anthem with soul.”
The guitars here employ the clean, melodic tones characteristic of classic rock’s most memorable tracks, creating hooks that serve the emotional content while maintaining the genre’s inherent power. The arrangement builds dynamically, creating space where needed but never sacrificing the forward momentum that defines an anthem.
“Def Leppard taught me that you can be emotional without being soft,” Citowicz reflects. “AC/DC showed that hard rock can hit… hard while staying accessible. The Darkness proved that classic rock isn’t dead—it just needs honesty. This song pulls from all of that. It’s an anthem, but it’s an anthem about something real.”
The production employs contemporary techniques while honoring classic rock traditions: warm guitar tones that recall the genre’s golden era, dynamic range that ebbs and flows with emotional content, and careful attention to how each element serves the song’s anthemic quality without overwhelming its intimate message.
“I wanted this to feel like classic rock—not retro, not nostalgic, but genuinely classic in approach,” he explains. “Big enough to be an anthem. Honest enough to be personal. Powerful enough to stand with the classics that influenced it.”
PATRYK SZYMAŃSKI: BASS AS MELODIC VOICE
Throughout “My Revenge” EP, bassist Patryk Szymański’s contribution has been crucial, but “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” showcases a different dimension of his musicianship—bass as melodic conversation partner rather than rhythmic foundation alone.
“Patryk’s bass work on this track is beautiful,” Citowicz emphasizes. “He’s not just holding down the rhythm—he’s playing melody. Listen to the verses. His bass line is as important as the vocal melody. That kind of playing only comes from deep musical understanding and genuine friendship.”
The bass lines throughout the track demonstrate the intuitive connection that develops from over a decade of musical collaboration. Szymański doesn’t simply support Citowicz’s guitar work—he engages in dialogue with it, creating harmonic depth that elevates the classic rock anthem structure.
“When you’ve been creating with someone for over ten years, you develop this almost telepathic connection,” Citowicz notes. “Patryk hears what I’m trying to say before I fully say it. On this anthem especially, his bass playing isn’t technical showmanship—it’s emotional intelligence translated into the language of classic rock.”
The result is bass work that feels organic, essential, and deeply connected to both the song’s thematic content and its classic rock foundation—much like how the genre’s greatest bassists understood that melody and rhythm could coexist in service of the song.
THE LYRIC VIDEO: MAKING WORDS VISIBLE
The decision to create a lyric video for “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” stems from the same philosophy that guided previous lyric videos from the “My Revenge” project: words this personal deserve to be seen, read, and absorbed beyond just hearing.
“These aren’t just lyrics—they’re a life map,” Citowicz explains. “Every line represents something real. Every word earned through actual transformation. I want people to read them, sit with them, recognize themselves in them. The lyric video format makes that possible.”
The visual presentation allows viewers to engage with the anthem’s message on multiple levels simultaneously—hearing the vocal delivery, reading the words, absorbing the musical support. For a classic rock anthem built on introspection and personal transformation, this multi-layered approach deepens connection while honoring the genre’s tradition of meaningful lyrics.
GRIEF, KINDNESS, AND THE CHOICE TO REMAIN HUMAN
At its core, “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” explores a question many survivors face: how do you maintain kindness, patience, and humanity after experiencing devastating loss? The classic rock anthem structure gives this personal question universal reach. The song doesn’t offer easy answers or false comfort. Instead, it acknowledges the ongoing nature of grief’s influence while asserting the possibility—and importance—of choosing kindness anyway, all delivered through the powerful, accessible language of classic rock.
“Grief taught me things I never wanted to learn,” Citowicz states. “It showed me who stays and who runs. It revealed what matters and what’s just noise. I’m a gentleman because I choose kindness even after the world was cruel. But I’m tempered—forged in fire I didn’t ask for. Both those things are true simultaneously.”
This dual acknowledgment—of damage and dignity, of change and continuity—gives the anthem its emotional power. It doesn’t pretend grief doesn’t alter you, but it refuses to accept that alteration must mean destruction. “You can be shaped by terrible things without being destroyed by them,” he continues. “You can carry loss without letting it make you cruel. You can be tempered—made stronger in the broken places—while still preserving what makes you human. That’s what this classic rock anthem is about. Big enough to be universal. Honest enough to be personal.”
FOR EVERYONE CHANGED BY LOSS
While deeply personal, “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” speaks to universal experience—the discovery that surviving profound loss requires ongoing choices about who you become afterward. The classic rock anthem structure makes this personal message accessible to anyone who’s faced similar transformation.
“This song is for everyone who survived something that changed them forever,” Citowicz offers. “For everyone who’s trying to stay kind after the world was cruel. For every gentleman and gentlewoman tempered by grief. If you’re fighting to preserve your humanity after it was tested by fire—this anthem’s for you.”
The message resonates particularly in an era where trauma, loss, and grief have touched countless lives in various forms—from personal bereavement to collective suffering. The classic rock format provides familiar musical language for unfamiliar emotional territory.
“We’re living in times when a lot of people are carrying loss they never expected to carry,” Citowicz observes. “This anthem doesn’t fix that. But maybe it reminds someone that transformation doesn’t have to mean destruction. That being changed doesn’t mean being broken beyond repair. That choosing kindness after cruelty is strength, not weakness. Classic rock has always been about those kinds of truths—big emotions, honest statements, music that connects.”
CONTINUING THE “MY REVENGE” NARRATIVE
“I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” fits within the larger “My Revenge” EP narrative while offering distinct perspective. Where other tracks explore defiance, survival, and refusing to be silenced, this classic rock anthem examines internal landscape—how you live with yourself after surviving what tried to destroy you.
“The EP is called ‘My Revenge’ because it’s about refusing to let pain write the ending,” Citowicz explains. “But revenge isn’t just defiance. It’s also preservation—preserving your humanity, your kindness, your essential self after everything tried to strip those things away. This anthem represents that quieter form of revenge: still being a gentleman after everything that tried to make me cruel.”
The song demonstrates that “My Revenge” encompasses multiple forms of survival—from loud defiance to quiet persistence, from external battles to internal choices. “Some revenge is screaming,” he notes. “Some revenge is staying kind. Both matter. Both take strength. This anthem is the second kind—the choice to be tempered by grief rather than destroyed by it. That’s its own form of winning.”
CLASSIC ROCK LEGACY AND CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE
“I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” positions itself firmly within classic rock tradition while addressing contemporary emotional reality—demonstrating that the genre’s approach to honest, melodic, powerful music remains relevant for processing complex human experience.
“Classic rock never died—it just got honest,” Citowicz states. “AC/DC, Def Leppard, The Darkness—they all understood that you can make anthems that hit hard emotionally while maintaining musical power. That’s what I’m doing here. Using classic rock language to talk about grief, transformation, choosing kindness. The genre was built for this.”
The track proves that classic rock’s fundamental elements—melodic guitars, strong bass lines, honest lyrics, anthemic structure—can carry weight beyond nostalgia when applied to genuine emotional content. “I’m not making classic rock because I’m stuck in the past,” he clarifies. “I’m making it because it’s still the best language I have for certain truths. This anthem about grief and kindness—it needed classic rock. It needed that combination of power and vulnerability, accessibility and depth. That’s what the genre does best.”
AVAILABILITY AND CONNECT
The lyric video for “I Am a Gentleman Tempered by Grief” is available now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WrgAOinVu4M The complete “My Revenge” EP is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms.
“This song is for everyone who survived something that changed them forever. For everyone who’s trying to stay kind after the world was cruel. For every gentleman and gentlewoman tempered by grief. This isn’t a ballad—it’s a classic rock anthem with soul. Big enough to be universal. Honest enough to be personal. I’m a gentleman because I choose kindness even after the world was cruel. But I’m tempered—forged in fire I didn’t ask for. That’s what this anthem says: you can be shaped by terrible things without being destroyed by them.” — Andrzej Citowicz
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About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
Birthday EP Marks Milestone of Survival, Creation, and Refusing to Let Pain Write the Ending “Time Is a Thief” Lyric Video Premieres Alongside Full EP Release on February 10th, 2026 Melodic Hard Rock Statement from Living Room Rockstar Who Never Stopped Believing
Today, on his 50th birthday, Andrzej Citowicz‘s CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY releases “My Revenge,” a five-song EP that maps fifty years of refusing to disappear. Citovitz and The Fireflies of February—the project comprising Citowicz, his wife and lyricist Shereen Shoukry Citowicz, and longtime collaborator bassist Patryk Szymański—premiere the complete EP alongside a lyric video for “Time Is a Thief,” a song about survival when survival felt impossible.
“My Revenge” arrives not as celebration but as statement: proof of existence after everything that said existence shouldn’t continue.
“My Revenge” EP is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms.
The lyric video for “Time Is a Thief” premieres simultaneously on YouTube:
FIFTY YEARS: AGAINST ALL ODDS
February 10th, 2026 marks Andrzej Citowicz’s 50th birthday—a milestone that once felt unreachable. “Some years, fifty felt impossible,” Citowicz reflects. “When grief sat heavier than breath. When loss carved holes I didn’t know how to fill. When the world said stop and my heart barely whispered keep going. But here I am. Fifty years of refusing to disappear.”
The journey to this moment has been marked by profound loss—the death of his son Jonasz, documented in his deeply personal album “Living Room Rockstar Part 2″—and the sustained survival that followed. “My Revenge” transforms that survival into sound.
“Revenge isn’t about anger or bitterness,” he explains. “My revenge is existence after everything that said I shouldn’t exist anymore. It’s breathing when breathing felt impossible. It’s creating after everything tried to silence me. It’s still standing with a guitar in my hands after fifty years of being told this was impossible.”
The EP title carries layers of meaning beyond defiance. “Fifty isn’t what it was for our parents’ generation,” Citowicz observes. “Our 50 is different. Still unfinished. Still learning. Still proving something. These five songs are rehearsals for whatever comes next—not endings, but preparation. Fifty doesn’t mean done. It means experienced enough to know what matters. Scarred enough to understand survival. Humble enough to keep learning.”
THE FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY: LIGHT IN THE DARKEST SEASON
The project name—Citovitz and The Fireflies of February—carries its own significance, drawn from the only fireflies that shine during dark winter months. “Fireflies of February are the rare lights that appear when everything else has gone cold,” Citowicz explains. “That’s what we are: me, my wife Shereen who writes the words I can’t say, and brothers like Patryk Szymański who became family through music. We’re the lights that refused to go out in the darkest season.”
This collective survival—personal, creative, collaborative—forms the foundation of “My Revenge.” “Marriage, brotherhood, music—these are what kept me breathing when nothing else could,” he states. “Shereen held me through the worst of it. Patryk stood beside me when I couldn’t stand alone. The guitar gave me a language when words failed. This EP is all of that woven together—survival as collaboration, creation as revenge against everything that tried to destroy us.”
“TIME IS A THIEF”: EVERY WORD MEANS A LIFE
The lyric video for “Time Is a Thief” premieres alongside the full EP, offering visual accompaniment to one of the project’s most personal tracks. “Every word in this song means the world to me,” Citowicz states quietly. “More than that—it means my life. My fight. My dreams. My hope. Being broken and getting up every single day. When people watch this lyric video, they’re not just reading words—they’re reading fifty years of survival translated into language.”
The song confronts mortality, loss, and the passage of time with unflinching honesty while maintaining hope that creation can transcend what time steals. “Time takes everything eventually,” he reflects. “But music—what we create—that stays. That’s the only revenge against time that works. You can’t stop it from stealing. But you can make something that outlasts the theft.”
MARRIAGE AS SURVIVAL: SHEREEN’S VOICE IN THE DARKNESS
Throughout “My Revenge,” Shereen Shoukry Citowicz’s lyrics provide the emotional core—words that map not just her husband’s journey, but her own fifty-three years of being overlooked, unappreciated, and surviving anyway. “Without my wife, I literally would not have made it to fifty,” Citowicz states with absolute certainty. “She held me when I was breaking. She wrote words I couldn’t find. She believed in this music when belief seemed impossible. Every song on this EP exists because she kept me alive long enough to create it.”
The collaboration between husband and wife—his melodies, her words—creates something neither could achieve alone. “Shereen sees what I feel before I can name it,” he explains. “She writes the truth I’m trying to play. After all these years together, we’ve learned to speak the same language through music. Her lyrics on this EP are some of the most powerful she’s ever written. They carry weight because they’re earned through actual survival.”
Their marriage—seventeen years and counting—provides the foundation for creation that transforms pain into art. “Jon Bon Jovi taught me you can be devoted to one person and still create wild, passionate music,” Citowicz notes. “You don’t have to choose between commitment and creativity. Shereen is proof of that. She’s my partner in life and in music. My revenge against loneliness is still being married to someone who knows my darkness and stays anyway.”
PATRYK SZYMAŃSKI: A DECADE OF BROTHERHOOD
Bassist Patryk Szymański’s presence throughout “My Revenge” represents more than musical collaboration—it embodies over a decade of genuine brotherhood forged through shared survival. “Patryk makes my songs complete,” Citowicz states. “Not just musically—though his bass work is phenomenal—but humanly. He’s been there through the moments when music was the only thing keeping me alive. Through the loss of Jonasz. Through grief that had no words. He stayed when staying was hard. That’s brotherhood.”
The musical chemistry between Citowicz and Szymański reflects years of playing, creating, and surviving together. “We’ve shared more than stages and studios,” Citowicz reflects. “We’ve shared grief, joy, silence, sound—everything that makes up a life in music. You can hear that connection in every track. You can’t fake the kind of chemistry that comes from genuine brotherhood. Patryk understands what I’m trying to say before I say it. That’s what a decade of friendship becomes.”
Szymański’s bass lines throughout “My Revenge” provide the foundation that grounds Citowicz’s guitar work while allowing it to soar—a perfect metaphor for how brotherhood supports individual expression.
MUSICAL PHILOSOPHY: BON JOVI, DEF LEPPARD, AND THE CRAFT OF SURVIVAL
Musically, “My Revenge” honors the classic rock traditions that shaped Citowicz while embracing modern production techniques—creating melodic hard rock that feels timeless but sounds current. “I grew up with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard posters covering my walls in Wałbrzych, Poland,” Citowicz recalls. “Those bands taught me about melodic craft, about hooks that stay with you, about guitar-driven rock that still serves the song. But they also taught me something deeper—Jon Bon Jovi showed me you can survive anything if you stay true to yourself. You can honor commitment while creating passionate music. That philosophy runs through everything I make.” The production balances raw emotion with polished execution—never sacrificing feeling for technical perfection, never abandoning craft for pure confession.
“Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi taught me about hooks—those moments that grab you and don’t let go,” he notes. “But they also taught me that commercial appeal and emotional honesty aren’t opposites. You can write a song people want to sing along to that still means something real. That’s what I’m always chasing—music that connects immediately but rewards deeper listening.”
The result is an EP that bridges generations: appealing to listeners raised on 80s rock anthems while sounding vital and contemporary. “I wanted these songs to feel timeless but sound today,” Citowicz explains. “The melodic sensibility, the song structure, the way guitars and bass work together—that’s pure 80s hard rock influence. But the production, the sonic clarity, the way everything sits in the mix—that’s using everything we can do now. It’s respecting where I came from while living in the present. Just like turning fifty—honoring the past while refusing to be finished.”
THE LIVING ROOM ROCKSTAR AT FIFTY
Throughout his career, Citowicz has embraced the identity of “living room rockstar”—someone who never achieved mainstream success but never stopped believing music matters. “I never became the rockstar on those posters in my teenage bedroom,” he acknowledges. “I never played stadiums or signed major deals. But I’m still here. Still writing. Still recording. Still finding people who connect with what I’m trying to say. After fifty years, I’m still standing with a guitar in my hands.”
This persistence—creation without guarantee of recognition—forms its own kind of revenge against a world that measures worth by commercial success. “My revenge isn’t about proving them wrong,” he clarifies. “It’s about proving that creation itself matters more than recognition. That making music because you have to is more real than making music because it sells. I’m a living room rockstar because that’s where the truth lives—not on stages, but in small rooms where you play because stopping would mean death.” The EP’s five tracks collectively represent this philosophy: songs created not for charts or fame, but for survival and connection.
TRACK-BY-TRACK: FIVE SONGS, FIFTY YEARS
While “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” and “Time Is a Thief” serve as the EP’s emotional anchors, each of the five tracks carries its own weight and purpose. “Every song has its own story, its own reason for existing,” Citowicz notes. “But they all connect around this idea of revenge as creation—of refusing to let pain, loss, or being overlooked have the final word. Of still standing with a guitar after everything that tried to knock you down.”
The collective statement is clear: survival itself is creative act, and creation itself is revenge against everything that tries to silence you. “These five songs are my line in the sand,” he states. “They say: I made it here. I survived everything that tried to stop me. And I’m not finished—I’m just getting started. Fifty isn’t an ending. It’s preparation for whatever comes next.”
FROM “MY STORY” TO “MY REVENGE”: A CREATIVE PROGRESSION
“My Revenge” arrives less than six weeks after Citowicz’s surprise album “My Story,” released January 1st, 2026, which featured lyrics entirely written by Shereen chronicling her fifty-three years of survival. The rapid progression from one project to the next reflects creative urgency born from survival.
“‘My Story’ was Shereen’s voice—her fifty-three years, her truth, her refusal to stay silent after being overlooked for so long,” Citowicz explains. “‘My Revenge’ is mine. But they’re connected. Both are about refusing to let pain write the ending. Both prove that even when life tries to destroy you, you can still create. Both say: we’re still here, still making music, still refusing to disappear.”
The thematic and sonic continuity between projects demonstrates that survival isn’t singular achievement but ongoing practice. “You don’t survive once and finish,” he reflects. “You survive every day. You create every day. You choose to keep going every day. ‘My Story’ and ‘My Revenge’ are both part of that daily choice—the choice to make something from what tried to break us.”
A BIRTHDAY THAT MEANS SOMETHING
For Citowicz, releasing “My Revenge” on his 50th birthday transforms what could be arbitrary date into meaningful marker. “I know sometimes a birthday is just a date on a calendar,” he acknowledges. “But hopefully not this time. Hopefully this one means something. Fifty years survived. New music released. Still standing. Still married to someone who tolerates my hair and my dreams with equal patience. That feels like more than just a date. That feels like winning.”
The decision to premiere the EP on his birthday wasn’t strategic marketing but personal necessity. “This EP had to come out on my fiftieth birthday,” he states simply. “These songs are proof I made it here. They’re the evidence that I survived everything that tried to stop me from reaching this day. Releasing them on any other date would miss the point—they are my birthday, more than cake or candles or celebration. They’re what fifty years of survival sounds like when you turn it into music.”
THE LYRIC VIDEO: MAKING WORDS VISIBLE
The premiere of the “Time Is a Thief” lyric video alongside the full EP release serves specific purpose: making Shereen’s words visible, readable, present. “I wanted people to see the lyrics as they listen,” Citowicz explains. “These words matter. They deserve to be read, considered, felt. This isn’t background music. This is someone’s life—my life, Shereen’s life—translated into language that might help someone else survive theirs.”
The lyric video format emphasizes the collaboration at the heart of the project: his melodies, her words, their shared survival. “Every word you’ll see in that video represents something real,” he states. “Every line earned through actual living, actual suffering, actual survival. When people watch it, they’re not just reading lyrics—they’re reading fifty years of refusing to let pain have the final word.”
LOOKING FORWARD: WHAT COMES AFTER REVENGE
While “My Revenge” serves as definitive statement about reaching fifty, Citowicz makes clear this isn’t conclusion but continuation. “These five songs are rehearsals for whatever comes next,” he explains. “Fifty doesn’t mean finished. It means ready for the next chapter. Ready to keep creating. Ready to keep surviving. Ready to keep turning pain into something beautiful.”
The future remains unwritten—and that’s precisely the point. “My revenge against time, against loss, against everything that tried to destroy me is simple,” Citowicz states. “I’m still here. Still creating. Still believing music matters. And I’m not stopping. That’s the best revenge I can imagine—refusing to be finished when the world expected me to disappear.”
CRITICAL RECEPTION AND INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
Recent recognition adds context to “My Revenge” release: Metal Pedia named both “Living Room Rockstar Part 1” and “Part 2” as Albums of the Year, while Citowicz’s YouTube channel recently surpassed 100,000 views—milestones that validate persistence without mainstream support.
“These recognitions mean something,” Citowicz acknowledges. “They say that music made in living rooms, released independently, created from survival rather than strategy—that can still matter. That can still reach people. That’s its own kind of revenge against an industry that said you need major labels and radio play to matter.”
But the real measure of success remains more personal. “If these songs help even one person survive their own darkness,” he states, “if they remind someone that creation is possible after destruction, if they give hope to someone who lost it—then everything was worth it. That’s what music is for. Not charts or streams or recognition, but connection. Human to human. Survivor to survivor.”
AVAILABILITY AND PREMIERE DETAILS
“My Revenge” EP is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms. The lyric video for “Time Is a Thief” premieres simultaneously on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmOpZ09ethk
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About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
Hard Rock Single Celebrates Brotherhood Forged Through Music, Features Decade-Long Collaboration with Bassist Patryk Szymański. Melodic Hard Rock with Modern Production Pays Homage to Bon Jovi and Def Leppard’s Legacy of Commitment and Craft.
CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY have released “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend,” the first single from the upcoming EP “My Revenge,” set to drop on February 10th, 2026 — Andrzej Citowicz‘s 50th birthday.
The single’s cover features Citowicz alongside bassist Patryk Szymański, whose presence represents more than musical collaboration—it embodies over a decade of genuine friendship that evolved into brotherhood through shared creative journey and mutual survival through life’s hardest moments.
Stream the single here:
A SONG ABOUT BROTHERHOOD THAT TRANSCENDS FRIENDSHIP
“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” explores the rare bonds that develop when friendship deepens into something words struggle to capture—when someone becomes family not through blood, but through choosing to stay when staying is hardest.
“Some relationships transcend easy categorization,” Citowicz explains. “Patryk and I didn’t plan to become brothers. Music brought us together more than a decade ago, but what built between us—the trust, the loyalty, the showing up through loss and grief—that happened because we both chose it. Every single time.”
The song carries particular weight given Citowicz’s recent years navigating the loss of his son Jonasz, documented in his deeply personal album “Living Room Rockstar Part 2.” Through that darkness, certain people proved themselves to be more than friends.
“When you go through what we’ve been through, you learn who your real brothers are,” Citowicz states simply. “Patryk stayed. Not just musically, but humanly. He stood beside me when I couldn’t stand alone. This song is about people like him—the ones who become family when you need it most.”
PATRYK SZYMAŃSKI: MORE THAN A DECADE OF MUSICAL BROTHERHOOD
Patryk Szymański’s bass work on “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” showcases the musical intuition that develops when two players share more than a stage—when they share a life. “Patryk’s bass playing is phenomenal, but that’s almost beside the point,” Citowicz reflects. “What makes working with him special is that he understands what I’m trying to say before I say it. We’ve been creating together for over ten years. We’ve survived together. The music reflects that connection—you can’t fake the kind of chemistry that comes from genuine brotherhood.”
Szymański’s contribution extends beyond technical proficiency. His bass lines provide the foundation that allows Citowicz’s guitar work to soar while grounding the song’s emotional weight in solid, driving rhythms. The result is a track that feels both powerful and intimate—rock music that carries the weight of lived experience.
“Patryk doesn’t just play on my records,” Citowicz emphasizes. “He makes everything complete. But more than that, he’s been there through the moments when music was the only thing keeping me alive. Through the loss of Jonasz. Through grief that had no words. He stayed when staying was hard. That’s brotherhood.”
THE MUSICAL APPROACH: MELODIC HARD ROCK WITH MODERN PRODUCTION
Musically, “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” embodies melodic hard rock with contemporary production values—honoring the classic rock traditions that shaped Citowicz while embracing modern sonic possibilities. “I grew up with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard posters covering my walls in Wałbrzych, Poland,” Citowicz recalls. “Those bands taught me about melodic craft, about hooks that stay with you, about guitar-driven rock that still serves the song. But they also taught me something deeper—Jon Bon Jovi showed me you can be a rockstar and still honor commitment, still build something lasting with the people in your life. That philosophy runs through everything I create.” The song’s production balances raw emotion with polished execution. Guitars drive the track with the energy of classic hard rock, while the production techniques employ modern clarity and depth. The result bridges generations—appealing to listeners raised on 80s rock anthems while sounding current and vital.
“I wanted this song to feel timeless but sound today,” Citowicz explains. “The melodic sensibility, the song structure, the way the guitars and bass work together—that’s pure 80s hard rock influence. But the production, the sonic space, the way everything sits in the mix—that’s using everything we can do now. It’s respecting where I came from while living in the present.”
The Bon Jovi and Def Leppard influence manifests not just in sound, but in philosophy. Like his heroes, Citowicz believes rock music should be accessible without sacrificing substance, powerful without overwhelming vulnerability, anthemic while remaining personal.
“Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi taught me about hooks—those moments that grab you and don’t let go,” he notes. “But they also taught me that commercial appeal and emotional honesty aren’t opposites. You can write a song people want to sing along to that still means something real. That’s what I’m always chasing.”
“MY REVENGE”: A 50TH BIRTHDAY STATEMENT
“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” serves as the opening statement for “My Revenge,” a five-song EP releasing on Citowicz’s 50th birthday, February 10th, 2026. The EP’s title carries multiple meanings—all deeply personal.
“Fifty isn’t what it was for our parents’ generation,” Citowicz reflects. “Our 50 is different. Still unfinished. Still learning. Still proving something. ‘My Revenge’ is partly about that—about reaching this milestone after everything that tried to stop me. After loss. After grief. After being told I’d never make it as a musician. Here I am. Still playing. Still creating. Still believing music matters.”
But the title carries deeper significance beyond defying expectations. “‘My Revenge’ is also about turning pain into creation,” he explains. “Life dealt some brutal hands. Losing Jonasz. Watching my wife be overlooked and unappreciated for 53 years. Going through darkness that should have destroyed us. My revenge isn’t about hurting anyone—it’s about refusing to let that pain have the final word. It’s about making something beautiful from what tried to break us. That’s the best revenge against suffering—surviving it and creating anyway.” The EP title also reflects Citowicz’s journey as a self-described “living room rockstar”—someone who never achieved mainstream success but never stopped believing music matters.
“I never became the rockstar on those posters in my teenage bedroom,” he acknowledges. “I never played stadiums or signed major deals. But I’m still here. Still writing. Still recording. Still finding people who connect with what I’m trying to say. After 50 years, I’m still standing with a guitar in my hands. That feels like its own kind of revenge against everyone who said this was impossible.”
THE COVER: A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF BROTHERHOOD
The single’s cover features Citowicz and Szymański together—a deliberate choice that honors the song’s central theme. “I wanted people to see us,” Citowicz states. “Not just hear the music, but see the faces of two people who built something real through sound. Patryk belongs on this cover because this song doesn’t exist without him. Not just his bass playing—though that’s crucial—but his presence in my life. His brotherhood. That deserves to be visible.”
The cover image captures both musicians in a moment of genuine connection—not posed or manufactured, but authentically representing the relationship the song celebrates. “We’ve been playing together for over a decade,” Citowicz notes. “We’ve shared stages, studios, grief, joy—everything that makes up a life in music. The cover shows two brothers. That’s not marketing. That’s truth.”
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY: FROM “MY STORY” TO “MY REVENGE”
“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” arrives in the wake of Citowicz’s recent surprise album “My Story,” released January 1st, 2026, which featured lyrics entirely written by his wife, Shereen Shoukry Citowicz. The progression from “My Story” to “My Revenge” represents Citowicz reclaiming his own narrative while honoring the collaborative spirit that defines his work.
“‘My Story’ was Shereen’s voice—her 53 years, her truth, her survival,” he explains. “‘My Revenge’ is mine. But they’re connected. Both albums are about refusing to stay silent. Both are about turning pain into something that might help someone else survive. Both prove that even when life tries to destroy you, you can still create.”
The thematic connection extends to the musical approach. Like “My Story,” “My Revenge” balances raw emotional honesty with solid musicianship, never sacrificing craft for confession or polish for authenticity. “I believe you can make music that’s emotionally devastating and still well-produced,” Citowicz states. “You can write about the hardest things and still care about the guitar tone, the arrangement, the hook. Emotion and craft aren’t enemies—they support each other. That’s what I learned from Bon Jovi, from Def Leppard, from all the bands that shaped me. They never treated commercial appeal and genuine feeling as opposites.”
THE MESSAGE: FOR EVERYONE WHO FOUND THEIR BROTHER THROUGH SOUND
While deeply personal, “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” speaks to universal experience—the discovery that sometimes the people who become most important aren’t connected by blood, but by shared passion and mutual choice. “If you’ve ever had someone in your life who became more than a friend—who became the person you call when the world is too heavy, who stays when staying is hard, who shares your music and your silence with equal care—you know what this song means,” Citovicz offers.
He continues: “This is for everyone who found their brother through sound. Who built something real through creating together. Who knows the difference between friendship and brotherhood because they’ve lived it. Music can do this—it can bring two people together and create a bond that holds when everything else falls apart.”
The song’s message resonates particularly in an era where genuine human connection often feels increasingly rare. “We’re living in complicated times,” Citowicz observes. “Everything feels divided, isolated, disconnected. But music still has this power to bring people together—not just as audience and performer, but as real human beings who recognize something in each other. Patryk and I found that through playing together. This song celebrates that possibility—that you can find your family through art, through creation, through showing up and staying.”
LOOKING FORWARD: THE FULL EP AND BEYOND
“My Revenge” drops in full on February 10th, 2026, featuring five tracks that collectively represent Citowicz’s statement on reaching 50 while refusing to be finished. “These five songs are rehearsals for whatever comes next,” he explains. “Fifty doesn’t mean done—it means experienced enough to know what matters. Scarred enough to understand survival. Humble enough to keep learning. These songs reflect all of that.”
Additional singles from the EP will be revealed in the coming weeks leading up to the February 10th release. “Each song has its own story, its own reason for existing,” Citowicz notes. “But they all connect around this idea of revenge as creation—of refusing to let pain, loss, or being overlooked have the final word. Of still standing with a guitar after everything that tried to knock you down.”
AVAILABILITY AND CONNECT
“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms. The full EP “My Revenge” releases February 10th, 2026.
“Some relationships transcend easy words. Patryk and I didn’t plan to become brothers—music brought us together, and everything else built itself through years of playing, creating, surviving together. When you go through what we’ve been through, you learn who your real brothers are. Patryk stayed. Not just musically, but humanly. He stood beside me when I couldn’t stand alone. This song is about people like him—the ones who become family when you need it most. If you’ve ever found your brother through sound, this one’s for you.” — Andrzej Citowicz
About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
Songwriter and Guitarist Andrzej Citowicz with Wife Shereen Shoukry Citowicz Release Deeply Personal Album on First Day of 2026 – “Now I Understand” Lyric Video Marks New Year’s Day Debut of Album Written Through Loss, Resilience, and 53 Years of Untold Stories.
In an unexpected New Year’s Day release, CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY—the musical partnership of songwriter and guitarist Andrzej Citowicz and his wife, Shereen Shoukry Citowicz—have released “My Story,” a surprise 12-track album available now on all major streaming platforms.
Unlike their recent Italian Christmas collaboration, “My Story” represents something far more personal and unexpected: an entire album where Andrzej composed every song, but Shereen wrote all the lyrics—transforming 53 years of lived experience, overlooked pain, and unspoken trauma into music.
A SURPRISE ALBUM BORN FROM SURVIVAL
“My Story” arrives without advance promotion or industry fanfare—released on January 1st, 2026, as an honest beginning to a new year following one of the darkest periods in the couple’s life. “This album wasn’t planned as a surprise release,” Andrzej Citowicz explains. “But after everything we’ve been through—the loss of our son, the grief, the struggle to keep breathing—we realized this couldn’t wait for traditional album cycles or marketing strategies. These songs needed to exist in the world. My wife’s words needed to be heard. On the first day of 2026, we wanted to give something real, something honest, something that might help someone else who’s been overlooked, unappreciated, or broken by life.”
The 12-song collection translates trauma into music, grief into melody, and survival into art—continuing the couple’s evolution from Andrzej’s deeply personal “Living Room Rockstar Part 2” (dedicated to their stillborn son Jonasz) through their Italian Christmas singles, and now into this complete collaborative statement.
SHEREEN’S VOICE: 53 YEARS OF UNTOLD STORIES
While Andrzej Citowicz has spent years processing emotion through music, “My Story” marks the first time his wife Shereen has claimed the narrative entirely through her own words. “My wife sums up her 53 years of life in this album,” Andrzej states. “It is her message to the world—a world that was often cruel and unfair to her. She was overlooked and unappreciated for so long. With my music, she is voicing her own traumas and laying out the truth. If you too are overlooked and unappreciated, this is for you.”
The discovery of Shereen’s remarkable voice during their Italian Christmas recordings revealed one hidden dimension of her talent. “My Story” reveals another: her ability to transform personal pain into universal truth through lyrics that speak for anyone who has been dismissed, diminished, or denied.
“These aren’t just her stories,” Andrzej emphasizes. “They’re the stories of everyone who was told they didn’t matter, everyone who carried trauma in silence, everyone who survived what they were never supposed to survive. She’s giving voice to all of that. Every lyric comes from lived experience. Every word is earned.”
“NOW I UNDERSTAND” – THE ALBUM’S OPENING STATEMENT
Leading the album is “Now I Understand,” accompanied by a lyric video released simultaneously on New Year’s Day. “This song is crucial,” Andrzej explains. “It represents that moment when everything suddenly makes sense—when you look back at your life and understand why things happened the way they did, why you had to go through what you went through, why the pain had purpose. My wife wrote these lyrics from a place of hard-won wisdom. After 53 years of being overlooked, she finally understands her own story. And now she’s sharing that understanding with anyone who needs it.”
The lyric video allows listeners to connect directly with Shereen’s words—to read, absorb, and recognize their own experiences reflected in her truth. “We wanted people to see the lyrics as they listen,” Andrzej notes. “These words matter. They deserve to be read, considered, felt. This isn’t background music. This is someone’s life, translated into language that might help someone else survive theirs.”
FROM LOSS TO MUSIC: TRANSLATING EVERYTHING
The couple’s recent journey—from the devastating loss of their son Jonasz to the revelation of Shereen’s musical gifts—has been marked by their choice to transform unbearable pain into creative expression. “We translate everything into music and lyrics,” Andrzej states simply. “It’s how we survive. After losing Jonasz, music was the only language I had. Now, with ‘My Story,’ my wife has found her own language too. We’ve taken the hardest moments of our lives—loss, grief, trauma, being overlooked and unappreciated—and we’ve made something from them. Not to glorify the pain, but to prove that even the worst experiences can be transformed into something that matters, something that connects, something that helps.”
The album continues the musical evolution established in their earlier collaborations, with Andrzej’s guitar-driven compositions providing the foundation for Shereen’s unflinchingly honest lyrics. “I write the music from my heart,” he explains. “She writes the lyrics from her lived experience. Together, we’re creating something neither of us could make alone. That’s what ‘My Story’ represents—two people who’ve survived the unsurvivable, creating art from the wreckage.”
A MESSAGE FOR THE OVERLOOKED AND UNAPPRECIATED
Throughout “My Story,” the album speaks directly to those who have felt invisible, dismissed, or denied their truth. “If you’ve ever felt like the world didn’t see you, like your pain didn’t matter, like your story wasn’t worth telling—this album is for you,” Andrzej emphasizes. “My wife spent 53 years being overlooked. She spent decades with her trauma unacknowledged, her experiences diminished, her voice unheard. ‘My Story’ is her way of saying: I was here. I survived. My story matters. And so does yours.” The surprise release on New Year’s Day carries symbolic weight—a declaration that new beginnings are possible even after profound loss, that voices can be found even after decades of silence, that stories can be told even when the world tried to silence them.
“Starting 2026 with this album feels right,” Andrzej reflects. “It’s a statement of survival, of resilience, of refusing to let pain have the final word. My wife’s lyrics prove that even when life has been cruel and unfair, you can still create something beautiful from what tried to destroy you.”
TECHNICAL AND ARTISTIC APPROACH
Musically, “My Story” maintains Citovitz’s signature approach—guitar-driven compositions influenced by classic rock craftsmanship while embracing contemporary production techniques. But the lyrical focus shifts entirely to Shereen’s perspective, creating an album that balances Andrzej’s melodic sensibility with Shereen’s narrative truth.
“I wanted the music to serve her words,” Andrzej explains. “Every guitar line, every arrangement choice, every production decision was about creating space for her lyrics to breathe, to be heard, to land with the weight they deserve. This isn’t a guitar showcase. This is her story, supported by my music.”
The 12-track collection covers the full range of human experience—from trauma to healing, from being overlooked to being seen, from survival to understanding. “We didn’t hold anything back,” he states. “These songs are honest about the hardest parts of life. But they’re also honest about hope, about resilience, about the possibility that understanding can come even after decades of pain. That’s what ‘My Story’ offers—not false optimism, but earned hope.”
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY: FROM ITALIAN CHRISTMAS TO “MY STORY”
“My Story” follows the couple’s Italian Christmas singles “Notte Di Stelle” and “Un Altro Domani,” which marked their first musical collaboration and the discovery of Shereen’s vocal abilities. “Those Christmas songs revealed that my wife had this incredible voice,” Andrzej recalls. “But ‘My Story’ reveals something deeper—that she has stories that need to be told, experiences that need to be voiced, truth that needs to be heard. The progression feels natural. First, we discovered she could sing. Now, we’re discovering what she needs to sing about.”
The couple’s evolution from Andrzej’s solo grief processing in “Living Room Rockstar Part 2” through collaborative holiday celebration and now into full album-length storytelling demonstrates music’s capacity to hold everything—from individual mourning to shared joy to collaborative truth-telling.
“Every project has been necessary,” he reflects. “‘Living Room Rockstar Part 2’ was me trying to survive losing Jonasz. The Italian Christmas songs were us celebrating life and partnership after that darkness. ‘My Story’ is my wife claiming her own narrative after 53 years. They’re all connected. They’re all part of the same journey from loss toward healing, from silence toward voice, from alone toward together.”
AVAILABILITY AND FUTURE PLANS
“My Story” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms. The lyric video for “Now I Understand” is available on YouTube.
The couple plans to continue their collaborative work, with more music from the “My Story” collection to be promoted throughout 2026. “This is just the beginning of my wife’s voice being heard,” Andrzej promises. “She has more to say. The world needs to hear it. And I’ll keep writing music that gives her the platform she deserves—the platform she was denied for too long.”
About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
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