Marika Gombitová

Marika Gombitová (Slovak: [ˈmarika ˈɡɔmbitɔʋaː]; born 12 September 1956) is a Slovak singer-songwriter and musician. Once a member of Modus, Gombitová started to gain early acclaim as a former female vocalist of the group. Nevertheless, she gradually developed her public image as a solo artist, making own debut on short play in 1977. Subsequently, after topping the local music charts with "Študentská láska" (1978), her debut set entitled Dievča do dažďa (1979) saw its eventual results on OPUS Records. The album's lead "Vyznanie", earned several music awards; most notably at the 4th Intervision Song Contest held in Poland (1980). In years to come later, the love anthem was to be celebrated as "The Hit of the Century" (2007) in her country.

Shortly before launching the second LP, Môj malý príbeh (1981), her career was adversely affected by a single-car crash. She was reliant on a wheelchair, possibly for life, due to the resulting multiple injuries. Following her partial recovery, Gombitová returned to the spotlight scoring new top rankings and even touring again. Her comeback album Slnečný kalendár (1982), continued with the previously established sound, such as mainly pop rock. Soon after that, she began to explore other styles too. While her guitar-based double effort Mince na dne fontán (1983), received the Gold Arms award as the best-selling record, its successor called №5 (1984) would find her experimenting with electronic music, giving Gombitová some of her strongest reviews, for a change.

More recently the singer has carried on achieving commercial success through a radio-friendly format. Her consecutively running synthpop outputs, such as Voľné miesto v srdci (1986) and Ateliér duše (1987), they both enjoyed a series of airplay hits, being accompanied with a sold-out concert tour and a video album release, respectively. Unlike Kam idú ľudia? (1990), which showcased a more rock-oriented sound and, eventually, it marked the end of the artist's prolific period of time. Gombitová however managed to sustain an indisputable level of popularity also off the scene. Prior to her long-term withdrawal from public life, she delivered on Jumbo Records Zostaň (1994), her final studio collection of pop tunes to date.

Gombitová is regarded in popular culture as a dominant figure whose influence reflect numerous awards and honorific titles to her credit. Besides, her contributions to the genre have made singer one of the most successful solo acts in the history of Slovak contemporary music, having six out of nine full-length records listed among The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time. In her homebase, she is often recognized as The Songstress of the 20th Century (2000), and has been quoted as an inspiration by various local artists since. Inducted into the ZAI Hall of Fame at the age of barely forty years, her work remains covered and a radio favorite in the region.