MELROSE – Music has taken Polish singer and instrumentalist Maya Majka everywhere, from reality television, to performing in front of hundreds or a group of small friends in her hometown.

Majka was a contestant on the Polish edition of “The X-Factor” and finished as a semifinalist in 2009. To win, she was told she needed to sing more pop, but she said no.

“It was good that I did it,” Majka said. “I chose jazz.”

She said she was thankful for the experience and connections that came with the show, but her biggest achievements are the numerous competitions she was in, performing in multiple groups and playing for Poland’s former president.

Majka grew up in Radymno in southeastern Poland, and she studied at the University of Krakow. She met her husband, a drummer, at the Baszta Jazz Festival in Czchów, Poland. She said her father-in-law was festival organizer Jacek Mazur, who played clarinet and saxophone.

“He was amazing,” Majka said.

A member of the Polish Association of Traditional Jazz, Majka prefers the violin, but can play piano and harp. Now, she’s working on the mandolin. Her first influence was Ella Fitzgerald.

“I can listen to her over and over,” Majka said.

Majka has played with the Maya Quartet, Coco Dixie, Hot Jazz Trio, Jazz Band Ball Orchestra and Stan Breckenridge.

She’s been in the states for two years. Her husband wanted a house near Lake Sante Fe, and she referred to the Melrose area as a paradise.

“The sunsets here are unbelievable. You cannot repeat it,” Majka said. “I’m taking a picture every single night. It’s paradise.”

Majka said she came to America with her husband on a vacation. They loved it and talked about moving. She developed a network of friends in the states that she connected to through performing. Though Majka was never looking to move away from Poland, she called the U.S. magical.

Everything between the two countries is different: attitudes about stress; Celsius vs. Fahrenheit.

She said her contacts in the music industry statewide are growing, though she’s mum on the details. Still on an artist’s visa, Majka’s next goal is citizenship.

“[America] is the country of opportunity. If you’re good and you want to work hard for something and you want to sacrifice, you’ll get it,” Majka said. “I’m so happy that I am here because I didn’t plan it.”