The seven acts competing in the Czech Republic’s ESCZ 2022 selection for Eurovision are here. The identities of all the acts along with their songs were revealed at a press conference on Monday afternoon. The line-up includes a returning Elis Mraz as wells as some names that have appeared on fan wishlists through the years.
As with previous editions of the national final format, the contest will take place completely online with the result being decided by a mixture of public and jury voting.
ESCZ 2022: Entries
Giudi “Jezinky”
Eurovision.tv explains that the “Jezinky” are mythical creatures from Czech folklore that lure people into the darkest parts of the Bohemian forests. Giudi says that “the creatures represent those deep-rooted fears that must be faced so we can heal our hearts”.
Elis Mraz “Imma Be”
Fans will remember Elis from the 2020 Czech selection, when she joined forces with Čis T on “Wanna Be Like”. They finished second to Benny Cristo.
Domi “Lights Off”
Domi — sometimes billed as We Are Domi — were formed in the UK back in 2018. However, their members hail from the Czech Republic and Norway. Currently based in Prague, they blend Scandi pop with electro beats.
Skywalker “Way Down”
Skywalker is a four-piece band that’s been going for over ten years. They’ve toured Europe with well known acts like Beartooth, Crystal Lake, Normandie and Counterparts.
ANNABELLE “Runnin’ Out Of Freakin’ Time”
ANNABELLE is a singer and rapper from Prague. She’s already quite established in the Czech Republic with hits like “Dadae”, “Black Hole” and “Anxiety”.
Jordan Haj x Emma Smetana “By Now”
This husband and wife duo have been on our rader for a long time. We nominated Emma for our 2018 Wednesday Wishlist and Jordan in 2020. Of Emma, we wrote: “She is one of the most unique artists on the Czech music scene. Emma Smetana began her career as a TV news presenter, before forming her own band. Not only does she sing, she also plays the piano and guitar”. And for Jordan we said: “He’s a singer-songwriter who’s been part of the Czech Republic’s music scene for several years. But it was only in 2020 that Jordan Haj released his first solo single — “The End Of The World”. The track became an instant hit, getting heavy traction on radio and topping airplay charts. But success is nothing new to Jordan, he’s collaborated on big songs with other artists, including Emma Smetana — his partner and mother of his daughter.”
The Valentines “Stay or Go”
The Valentines consist of Honza on bass and vocals, Ondřej on guitar and synths and Matěj on drums. In 2019, they won Radio Wave’s Starter song contest.
Czech Republic at Eurovision 2022: ESCZ
Czech Republic’s act for Eurovision 2022 will be determined through a mix of public votes and jury votes. All voting is free and votes can be cast using the Eurovision app or via the ESCZ website.
An international jury of music industry professionals will contribute 50% of the overall result. Meanwhile, votes from international fans contribute 25%, with the final 25% coming from Czech fans.
Voting opens on 7 December and closes on 15 December. The winner of ESCZ will be announced on 16 December.
What do you think of the seven songs? Who should win? Let us know in the comments below.
annabelle is everything i wanted – a badass female punk rock song that’ll surely stand out among the inevitable sea of male rock bands. it’s hella catchy too !
For me it’s DOMI all the way, that’s an absolute banger !!?
After taking a look to the live session performances I’ve made up my mind a little bit. My fav where The Valentines, but while I love the song I expected a little bit more of energy live maybe it is the stage presence. That would be problematic in Eurovision as one has to stand out. This way, I’ve voted for Guidi. The song may be flat but the show, the looks and the staging won’t let it go unnoticed. Annabelle has also grown on me. And I’m still enjoying Skywalker‘s late 2000s/early 2010s rock. I would be happy with any… Read more »
I don’t know what it is about it but I keep going back to “By Now”. That has some incredible potential on a big stage!
If I wouldn’t live in a Big 5 country I would have voted for the worst song so it gives a potential opponent less for my country in the SF.
Completely absurd to let foreigners decide for the most of what song to represent your country.
I would vote for the one I like the most but I do agree only locals should probably vote and have say. In any national final.
Jury should be enough to make balance
Very strong selection. Well done Czech Republic. BY NOW is my favourite but overall quality songs.
Giudi is interesting but the song is flat and no one is going to vote for it apart from some juries. It will have the fate of PAENDA. She needed a more interesting song.
I like Lights Off but staging is poor and the song is not memorable enough. it’s cute butr Czech Republic needs a strong entry to push them to the top 10 in the semifinal.
I think Imma Be has the catchy tune, a talented singer with stage charisma and a potential for a very good performance. She got my vote.
The staging is poor as there is no staging yet 🙂 I mean none of the songs have their ready-for-ESC-staging…
Those are more like a live session performance. Very well made imo.
Live performance in arena with audience will be and feel different.
honestly if Jezinky doesn’t win I will check if Imma be won and if none of them win i’ll be heartbroken
guess you have to keep voting and ask your friends to vote for Imma Be!
Good bunch of songs. Excited.
just saw jezinky’s live video. I didn’t think I could love it more but now I do
Picking a favourite is harder than I expected. Almost all of them could go, we mights as well just toss a coin.
Am i the only one who finds jordans voice a bit too grating? I really want to like the song and I think he could sing very well. Its just that its so raspy and overpowers the girl, especially in the chorus. The live performance didnt give me any more hope either.
I’m not a fan of his vocals either. I watched him perform on Your Face Sounds Familiar and it was same as here. Not saying he’s bad – just not my cup of tea
Well, I wasn’t really impressed by “By Now” anyway so I’m not voting for that.
How do we vote for a song ?
Thanks.
Via Eurovision App or this page: escz2022.com
Thanks you 🙂
I have voted for Jezinky – Giudi, this song and the song from Jordan Haj x Emma Smetana “By Now” are the 2 songs that I liked most.
Is it me or does annabelle give me Olivia Rodrigo vibes with her song?
Yes, except Annabelle’s song is miles better
It’s also very Paramore.
Interesting selection surely, perhaps not my favourite ever but solid nonetheless! The three songs that are my favourites as of now are Way Down, Jezinky and Stay Or Go.
A decent selection, which does not supercede the quality of 2020 but is imho on par. There is no obvious winner in it. I personally prefer DOMI, as it is a decent track with a very good live performance and has an nice upbeat. As much as I like Elis as an artist, I consider her song to be to “pushed” and not very original either. Giudi is…well, either a surprising banger or an outright nil points by the televote. Given Czechia´s track record with the televote, I tend to assume the latter option. Still an impressive track though, just… Read more »
So impressed by this selection. Not sure there’s a Eurovision winner among them, but it’s so good to see a proper choice among quality songs. I keep going back to “By Now”, but think one of the others is more likely to win.
They are in the app and serve as the foundation for the voting.
Czech TV messed this up a little. They should have revealed the clips alongside with the acts and open the voting window at midnight. Now we have a weird mixture of the live clips and studio music…
Just a bit of fun fact from a local: Giudi has those long nails as a reference to a fairytale about Jezinky, where a little child is admonished to keep the door closed when they are home alone and when jezinky comes by the house they beg the child to let them in “with just one little finger” so they can keep them warm. 😉
Also jezinky steal your eyes – which is probably why they put blindfolds in the music video.
Is there a link to all the live on tape performances?
They’ll probably be available tomorrow.
Actually, I found it. https://escz2022.com/li9feecc1d/mcf028c2a0
ESCZ 2022 My Top 7
01 Lights Off – We Are Domi
02 Runnin’ Out Of F* Time – Annabelle
03 Jezinky – Giudi
04 Imma Be – Eliz Mraz
05 Way Down – Skywalker
06 Stay or Go – The Valentines
07 By Now – Jordan Haj & Emma Smetana
Overall: Finally, Some Good F*ing Music
Once you take the Skywalker song out of it (no, thanks), each of the other entries have something to them and I don’t dislike any of them.
Obviously, Jazinky has the highest ceiling as a Eurovision enry but I wouldn’t sleep on The Valentines altogether. If Lake Malawi could do it, they could possibly too.
Jezinky for the win!
Would love to put it my Top Eurovision Tracks playlist if the song represented Czech Republic in ESC 2022 : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLELKLZ9zuDb92zLohLYj78RhLscNXxItY
Just heard the entries and my faves are Giudi, Annabelle and Domi, but I wouldn’t be mad if anyone from the rest won the selection, they’re all great entries.
In short:
– Giudi has the potential to pull a Go_A moment.
– Annabelle stands out and has plenty of energy.
– Domi’s song is the kind of music that I like.
The live performance stage looks stunning! Wow, I’m impressed by the effort Czech Republic is putting in this year. I would be proud if any of those songs represented my country. They are all great in their own way. I can’t even seem to choose which one to vote. If we would know the songs other countries are sending, I guess it would be easier to choose, but based on Bulgaria we will probably be having quite a lot of rock songs next year. We Are Domi – Lights Off (A fun club/dance song. I like the vibe of this… Read more »
After listening to the live performances I now have 3 candidates: We Are Domi: I love the vocal performance of Dominika, but the end of the song sounds cut short, but that seems to be true for all my favourites. I also fear this is the type of song I could listen to all the time, but would get lost in ESC Annabelle: it stands out, it has energy and could do well – with the right staging Giudi: definitely risky pick – I feel this needs a bit of a revamp to give the ending a bit more oomph.… Read more »
I suggest you give Jezinky (Sinfonia) -version a listen. I think it has that oomph you’re looking for. Maybe she should go with that version although I think the original is perfect as well.
yes, she said, she would pick sinfonia version to ESC in private messages
Good to hear – that one is really an improvement. I’m glad I voted for her.
Okay I watched all the live performances now and I have to say, Jenzinky’s live really changes my mind! It is stunningly beautiful and could deliver a Shum moment at the Eurovision night (with that I mean being totallt out of the box, attention grabbing, progressive ans modern, dark and fresh). I voted for Giudi!
Elis has the current, catchy sound which might flop with juries though
Giudi’s song is interesting (the video at least) but goes nowhere and does not stick to your head. Knowing how Czech Republic is not strong with televoting, it will struggle like PAENDA.
I like all of them and just like in Estonia and Albania, there is here at least one song that would be a strong representative for Czech Republic. My preference for now goes to Giudi’s song because it’s so intriguing but I also like the climax of “By now” : it’s a vibe which could be translated well on stage. PS : Am I the only one who notice the French words like “des pays”, “des visages”, “des couleurs” just after the first chorus? It’s quite unexpcted but it suits well to the overall athmosphere of the song.
omg absolutely captivated by guidi’s song. i’m rly hoping there won’t be a repeat of last year where my favourite never wins any nf. anyway, team guidi for sure
side note, i never realised i already know one of her songs called icarus and i love it. this is EXACTLY what i want to see in eurovision!!!
Okay so I can’t stop listening to “By now”.. It’s so captivating!! Please yall vote for it, if you want to make a young boy happy.
Didn’t knew that english was the official language in CZE.
Awful selection of (very) weak songs.
I swear hating on everything in english is becoming the new Sweden of eurovision. (aka some people can’t stop bashing it/bringing it up unnecessarily)
I think Jezinky would be the best choice here based on first listen. It seems to have the best immediate impact and Eurovision night mood potential. So much depends on the performance and presentation, there is not a song I dislike, although Imma Be skirts close to grating territory.
I’m Falling for ‘by now’ so hard. It has charm quality and it sounds like something that could come really far. In eurovision and after aswell. Annabelle and giudi would also be great choices. Giudi needed to grow with a few listens but jezinky is kinda part song/story telling that will all stand with a magical performance.
Once again Czechia coming in with a good, contemporary selection, although not as good as 2019, which was possibly one of the best national final selections ever for any country in my opinion. It’s definitely going to be “By Now” for me. It is weirdly captivating, the arrangement is interesting with its changes, and they can both sing well live.
“Jezinky” is actually my least favorite. I think it is too artsy and feels inaccessible for a more casual listener like myself, I could see it doing kind of like Paenda (Austria 2019).
Okay, first listen thoughts: Straight out the gate, Jezinky is unlike anything else. It is a no-brainer for Chech Republic. Eurovision is all about progressive stuff like this. Elis Mraz with another banger pop tune, quite similar style to 2020, but don’t think this is it. Lights Off seems like a pretty decent track, but doesn’t quite stand out. I felt Way Down was a nice chill pop punk thing, but then the breakdown happened. Still it probably wouldn’t stand out enough in an undoubtably rock-heavy year. Annabelle gives me T-Swift vibes. By Now is a VIBE. I didn’t think… Read more »
If something is too weird it doesn’t mean it will succeed in Eurovision . Moreover, I think it is quite important that the song somehow suits this competition.
Well, obviously you’re right, but I don’t believe that potential sucess should be the only reason why specific songs are chosen. Diversity is what makes this show better.
Well, nobody wants to NQ or have nil points only to be diverse 🙂 if you know what I mean…and Czechia needs the Q to consolidate the standing of the contest in Czechia
I’m not blown away by anything yet but a decent selection, my top 3 would look something like:
1 By Now 7.5/10
2 Lights off 7/10
3 Jezinky 7/10
The rest of the songs are very meh for me.
7 Jezinky (people here have already said it’s polarizing and I happen to be one of the people who doesn’t care for it. It’s not my genre and female singers with voices that sound like hers I tend to not like hearing very much) 6 Lights off (I already forgot how it sounds after listening to it and that isn’t a very good sign) 5 By now (not a popular opinion but I don’t think I like the guy’s voice and I honestly have trouble understanding what they’re both trying to say in some parts. The sound of the actual… Read more »
Jezinky started off promising, then it went nowhere. Still, the best option in my opinion. A few catchy tunes, but nothing with the wow factor.
Very strong selection!!! I’m team Jezinky for sure, lot of potential here!!
Team Jezinki here
A great and diverse selection! I mean it includes rock, electronic, indie, VERY INDIE (Jezinky) & latin music. -My favorite as of music video, lyrisc and song overall is Jezinky but in i’m afraid that the stage we’ve seen is very diminute compared to the magic the song can bring; it would need a stage such as the one of the Melodi or even Eurovision to really exploit the potential of the song. -My second one is By Now. Due to the kind of songs Czechia is used to send and the fact that its staging is “safer” than Giudi’s… Read more »
My opinion/point of view: – “Jezinky” –> An amazingly magical song with lots of potential, but can only be competitive if the live version is able to bring out its magic. This song somehow gives me Nocturne (Norway 1995) vibes. – “Imma Be” –> Considering it is only a snippet as of now, I can’t really have an opinion yet. However, the 30 seconds of the snippet sounded great. As someone who disliked “Wanna Be Like” (it was my least favorite ESCZ2020 song), I am pleasantly surprised. – “Lights Off” –> With DJ related songs in Eurovision, it can go… Read more »
A correction regarding “Stay or Go”. I meant filler instead of filter.
I support Ellis Mraz, I think she should have won in 2019 anyway. But I have to admit “By Now” is such a magical song. The intro reminds me of “Iki Yabanci” by Teoman and Sebnem Ferah, which has always been my dream song to represent Turkey.
I wouldn’t go with Jezinsky as I think it would be too weird for the general audience listening to it for a first time, but I respect it.
In overall this is actually quite strong national final. My personal winner and the artist that I will vote for is Domi. They give me KEiiNO vibes, I like the lyrics and that drop is everything!
OK. I have some favourites…
Based off the quality of the national selection I think the Czech Republic has a good shot at qualifying for the grand final unless they screw up the staging like they did last year. Also some opinions about some of the artists: I hated Elis Mraz’s 2020 entry, which I thought was extremely trashy. Her song this year is not as bad but I personally don’t want it to go to Eurovision. Annabelle’s song (particularly the chorus) sounds like something Avril Lavigne would sing in the early 2000s. I kinda like it but it might be dated for some people.… Read more »
They changed the whole creative team, now two young Czech guys will do it and their type of work is not that common here in the Czech Republic, it is very modern but elegant at the same time and they will be responsible for the ESC performance. Budget is here.
Are you talking about the staging?
Jezinky have the biggest potential for the storytelling and staging in Turin. the connection with a czech folklore. already robbed!
Agree sm! It’s art and I can’t stop listening to it