Anna Maria Szmeterling, known professionally as Anna Jantar, was born on June 10, 1950, in Poznań, Poland. She studied music from a young age and attended the Adam Mickiewicz High School in Poznań alongside the Secondary Music School. In 1969, she began performing with the group Polne Kwiaty and later joined Waganci, where she met her future husband, composer Jarosław Kukulski. After leaving the group, she launched her solo career under the name Anna Jantar, achieving her breakthrough with “Najtrudniejszy pierwszy krok” at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole in 1973. Her debut studio album, Tyle słońca w całym mieście, followed in 1974, and she continued with successful albums including Za każdy uśmiech (1976) and Zawsze gdzieś czeka ktoś (1977/1978). Her best-known songs include “Tyle słońca w całym mieście,” “Najtrudniejszy pierwszy krok,” “Moje jedyne marzenie,” and “Nic nie może wiecznie trwać.” Jantar's career was tragically cut short when she died in a plane crash near Warsaw on March 14, 1980, while returning from a tour in the United States. Numerous posthumous compilations and releases have since preserved her work, including The Best of Anna Jantar (1980) and Anna & Natalia (1985), featuring her daughter, Natalia Kukulska.
