Seven acts are in the running to represent the Czech Republic at Eurovision 2022.
The ESCZ 2022 lineup of song contest hopefuls features a number of wishlist favourites including Elis Mraz, Giudi and ANNABELLE. But only one can win the prestigious ticket to Turin.
The online voting process for the Czech Republic’s Eurovision 2022 national final opened on 7 December, and will remain open until 15 December. The winner will be announced on 16 December. In the meantime, while we wait for the final results, we want to hear from our readers. Who do you think should win ESCZ 2022?
You can watch all the live performances on the Eurovision app — those that are already on YouTube have been embedded below.
Scroll down to vote in our poll
Czech Republic: ESCZ 2022 finalists
Giudi – “Jezinky”
“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”. Will Giudi fly the Czech flag in Turin?
Elis Mraz – “Imma Be”
ESCZ 2020 alum Elis Mraz, who alongside Čis T finished as runner-up to Benny Cristo, is back in the competition as a solo artist. “Imma Be” is an intense hip-hop dance track. Will she go all the way this time?
Domi – “Lights Off”
Domi — sometimes billed as We Are Domi — were formed in the UK back in 2018. Their members hail from the Czech Republic and Norway. Currently based in Prague, they blend Scandi pop with electro beats. Are they future ESCZ champions?
Skywalker – “Way Down”
Four-piece band Skywalker have ten years’ experience in the music industry. They’ve toured Europe with well known acts like Beartooth, Crystal Lake, Normandie and Counterparts. Could Eurovision be their next accolade?
ANNABELLE – “Runnin’ Out Of Freakin’ Time”
Singer and rapper ANNABELLE hails from the Czech capital Prague. She’s a big name on the Czech music scene, with big hits like “Dadae”, “Black Hole” and “Anxiety”. Is “Runnin’ Out of Freakin’ Time” your favourite?
Jordan Haj x Emma Smetana – “By Now”
Husband and wife duo Jordan and Emma are longtime wishlist favourites here at wiwibloggs. We nominated Emma for our 2018 Wednesday Wishlist and Jordan in 2020. Emma Smetana, a singer, guitarist and pianist, began her career as a TV presenter. Meanwhile, Jordan Haj is well known for his songwriting skills, and released his debut single “The End Of The World” to chart success in Czech Republic. Will Jordan and Emma get your vote?
The Valentines – “Stay or Go”
Bassist and vocalist Honza, guitarist and synth player Ondřej on guitar and synths and drummer Matěj make up The Valentines. This alt-rock band won Radio Wave’s Starter song contest in 2019. Could Eurovision be their next step on the path to stardom?
Poll: Who should win ESCZ 2022 and represent Czech Republic at Eurovision?
Which act is your favourite? As always, you can vote for as many songs as you like, but you can only vote once. This poll will close ahead of the ESCZ winner announcement on December 16.
Which song did you vote for? Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments below.
All right, tomorrow we’re gonna find out who is going to represent the Czech Republic at Eurovision, but all I ask is one thing. Can this fandom please not have a temper tantrum if your first choice doesn’t win? It’s OK to feel disappointed if your favorite doesn’t win, but it’s very immature to throw a fit and throw shade at the actual winner. I don’t want to hear things like “oh no, the Czech Republic has made a poor choice. They’re not gonna qualify!” Granted, I may have felt that way at times in the past and maybe in… Read more »
Domi or Giudi for me. The others don’t stand a chance… Annabelle is terrible live, even if the song is not that tragic.
Giudi is my fave!! so artsy love it. I can only imagine the staging would be amazing!!. The song is unique and what i predict to be a year of rock songs this will defo stand out.
I find it hard to believe that people think jezinsky would do well !! The song is pretty polarizing with no real build-up and people forget that different doesn’t always mean good. I’d take a great “already heard that” song over an average” completely new sound” song anyday.
We have 7 good songs to pick from, and each has something cool to add. I decided to vote for Jezinky. It has a mystical energy which could, with the right staging, finish *very high*! I hope that the juries will also support this bold choice, but I’m not sure. Fingers crossed! I also really like The Valentines and their deadpan humor. It’s like if Twosome played a Lake Malawi song. Annabelle is also a very good option with her nostalgic bop, and so are The Domi with a pretty cool club banger. Way Down is also a step up… Read more »
Barbora Mochowa should represent Czechia in ESC, definitely. Both her previous entries were top-notch, arty songs, good performance, memorable voice, Lan del Ray vibes. Would do amazingly well! Pity she is not in the selection with another great song!
I agree she definitely needs to go to ESC and was also concerned not seeing her in the line-up this year but I have read somewhere it was her choice not to apply this year, that she needed to take time, so I breathed out. It’s not like she applied and wasn’t selected. I just really hope she doesn’t cut her hair before she makes a stronger comeback next year! Cuz it is gorgeous and Eurovision needs it as much as it needs her as an artist lol! But this year we have another line up in the ESCZ, so… Read more »
Giudi is the “obvious” favourite, you know, sounds more original and different. But way too different, not a lot of people will resonate with it. Plus, it gets boring, there is no climax anywhere. If I had to skip the video to the last 40 seconds to see what is happening, it’s not a good sign. I d love a song based on Czech folklore and mysterious vibes but this one here is not the one for me. Lights off, Giudi! 🙂 (pun intended)
You can watch the video performances on YouTube now!! Really cool to see!
Domi with Lights Off is Czech Republic’s only chance to barely make the Eurovision final.
It´s my clear favourite too….
I’m also planning to vote for lights off after I finish watching all seven of these performances, but I’m not gonna be upset if it doesn’t win. I’ll just place it in my playlist of 2022 national finals songs that didn’t make it to Eurovision. Jezinky seems to be the fandom Favorite right now, and I wouldn’t mind it winning even if it’s not my first choice, but you know how big of a tantrum the fandom can throw when their favorite doesn’t win. I hope We can all respect the winner and representative of Czech Republic, even if it’s… Read more »
You exactly captured my feelings in words!
Totally agree. And since the songs were performed live, it was the only song with decent chances to make it to the final.
Sure, barely… 🙂
When I see some final songs of ESC 2021, I see a minimum of 4 songs in ESCZ which are on par with the ESC 2021 final standard and I even exclude GB, GER and NL…
I think there’s no question who stands out here
Ngl I voted for Domi multiple times
Today is the media day for Giudi (We Are Domi had it yesterday) – so if you’re interested official facebook page is where you need to go to learn more about her.
Since it’s an online selection, will they announce only the winner or the whole top seven on 16th? Can anybody please clarify??
In past years they had like a national finale with a short video of the voting segment at the end so like in esc final ( and yes you’ll se places 2nd to 7)
Thank you! I don’t know how I would feel if I didn’t know which place Domi got!
Giudi is my fav to win. She’s soooo aesthetically pleasing & the performance of that song is amazing!! <3
Its a good selection of songs indeed. I am very pleased that the Czech selection is something to look forward to now. “Jezinky” – a hauntingly great song that could do well in Eurovision IF sung perfectly and staged well. Deserves to be one of the frontrunners in this race. “By Now” – probably the best song of the lot with the most potential as it is a genuine song with great lyrics and 2 singers that seem to have great chemistry (as well as being good looking). I see this being staged minimalistic similar to the Dutch 2014 entry… Read more »
All the songs are good but none of them are competitive enough. I was hoping the Sinfonia version of Jezinky would bring some oomph but it’s still too flat and goes nowhere. If you wanna use chants you better make them super ominous or go the Shum route. This simply isn’t memorable. I’ve seen quite a few comments comparing it to 1944. Seriously? They share zero similarities. 1944 had a good beat and instrumental and extremely emotive vocals. And even that wouldn’t have done so well if it weren’t for the historical (political) subject. The closest song in terms of… Read more »
Voted for Jordan & Emma, bit I have a feeling Giudi will win which is fine by me. I just hope that she goes eith the acoustic version, while the strings are a nice addition they take away a lot of the character from the song. I fee like the choir singing is a sufficient “instrument” by itself.
Poor selection for me. Stay Or Go is my favourite, but it has no chance of winning, so I voted for my second favourite, which is Domi. So I hope they win.
I love Domi too! I think Stay Or Go is kinda underrated. But I think Guidi will win, which is completely fine with me, I think her song is really different from what we see at Eurovision nowadays
All Jezinky needs is some epic cinematic drums over the symphonic version and it could be the 1944 of 2022
I personally would like to call Jezinky a creepy modern dark pop version of Nocturne (Norway 1995).
It’s also got elements from many 2021 songs, The dancers and stage in the live-on-tape are very Amnesia and El diablo’s music video respectively, the vocals are like Victoria’s, and the whole folk monster-thing is quite shum
I don’t think you appreciate Nocturne enough. That song was mesmerizing and the violin gut wrenching. Jezinky is artsy but quite shallow in it’s current form.
I appreciatie Nocturne enough. I think you underestimate Jezinky.
jezinky feels like a eurovision winner. been streaming it all day, there’s a symphonic version and acapella on spotify
I’ve had that symphonic version on repeat all day
I thought the versions where similar only called different
I’ve read that she confirmed the Sinfonia version is the one she would take to ESC. Would be an excellent decision.
Yay! That orchestral stroke is mindblowing! Tho I ideally would love to see a combined version, the first 2 minutes being focused on the vocals, while the last minute taken from the Sinfonia version.
I ended up voting for two songs that stuck in my mind almost immediately: Jezinky and Running out of F time.
Voted 3 times for Lights Off.
I must be in the minority here as I want Skywalker-Way Down to win! The song is very pleasant and uplifting in the pop-rock genre and has a 2000s vibe that I find very nostalgic. I voted for it! My second place is Jezinky that has an artsy and dark mysterious pop vibe that is also really interesting (albeit perhaps divisive). If either of these two win, I will be very pleased. Stay Or Go is also fun and energetic and as a result it is my third place. The rest of the songs are not my cup of tea… Read more »
The problem is that many people sadly enough think that Skywalker is trying to copy Maneskin. They are way more like bands like Blink-182 instead of Maneskin which is just an example of glamour rock. The basic ESC fan just only wants basic pop on the ESC-stage sadly enough We better hope Jezinky wins or they will start a “hate campaign” against any other song like they do after every NF where the winner is not who they wanted
I like Skywalker very much. They are a staple of Prague rock/metal scene and I’ve been to their concerts many times. But that’s what they are great at. Playing at a rock club. These performances always fall extremely flat on a big, shiny stage. Lordi and Maneskin could pull it off, because horror rock and glam rock recpectively are both highly visual, over-the-top traditions designed for the big stage. But Skywalker is in a post-hardcore tradition, a more introspective, sincere genre that has generally a little interest in visuality. I personally love Sunny Day Real Estate, Jimmy Eat World or… Read more »
annabelle clearly. the coolest, catchiest, trendiest song in there. jezinky has huge paenda vibes, the song goes nowhere… and domi’s song is too middle of the road to leave an impression at esc where you need more polarizing stuff to stand out.
I don’t have strong good or bad feelings about any of them. They’re all decent songs. If I had to choose I would probably go with Annabelle.
Jezinky is just pure art and I really want it in Turin.
Giudi worths the risk. She’s STUNNING, and in a year that probably will be full of rock, this will stand out for sure.
GIUDI! She has the best song in the selection, without a doubt. I’m listening to Jezinky on repeat. If the Czech Republic gets the staging right, it will be something totally epic! And, Elis Mraz. Imma Be’s live performance was sensational, she rightly elevated the music a lot, deserved more recognition this year!
Decent bunch of songs on the whole. Giudi or Domi stand out for me maybe Elias Mraz as a dark horse.
Although I don’t hear a Eurovision winner in any of these songs, the quality of national selection nonetheless is very good and I think Czech Republic has a good shot at qualifying.
Jezinky is magical… I hope it wins! I think it could end up in the top 10 for sure, like Love Injected. And if not, who cares, it’s such a great song and mesmerizing performance.
I wish we could vote by 12, 10, 8 etc points instead of just choosing one song. I’ve got so many complex feelings.
The songs are all really good but I dont really see anyone able to reach the left part of the scoreboard. I’d choose between Giudi, Annabelle and Domi.
We are Domi won me over with their live on tape performance. So I’m torn between them and Guidi. I honestly can’t decide.
For me, it’s Giudi. Yes, it may completely fall flat at Eurovision for being too high art for some, but it’s also the only one I feel will actually invoke any sort of emotion to have a chance to finish top half of the leaderboard in the final. Most of these are NQ to me and the ones that aren’t are bottom half. Giudi could NQ, but is also the only one I could see coming top 10.
At first I thought Giudi’s song was the best choice for Czech, but probably because it’s too weird, I don’t think many people will like it. Yet Annabelle’s pop-rock has a social phobia kind vibe that is very attractive. After knowing so many people like Giudi, I begin to believe if Czechs choose Giudi and with a good staging, Czech Republic will definitely make it to the final this year!
This is such a strong selection! It’s such a shame one has to be the last place 🙁
For me giudi is the obvious choice and I voted for her.
The staging potential is very big!
Plus, I think they should consider to give a bit more oomph to the song to make it stronger.
WE ARE DOMI are winning for me. The best vibe, they seem as extremely nice and friendly people in interviews, live performance was pretty energetic and cool, she has strong and interesting voice. May be bit more difficult to stage it at Eurovision, but I believe them. The song is called Lights off, they could play with lights so much and make something extra creative. It sounds like club song, but at the same time, lyrics are about being lost, so they can surprise us with the whole performance. Comments to other songs: GUIDI – the atmosphere is dark but… Read more »
I feel like I am the only that appreciates the spectacular energy of “Imma be”. Moreover, would send a supportive signal to a lot of women that currently don’t feel themselves in their fire. But maybe it’s a lil too poppy…
You are not
Yeahh, I have the same feeling as you. I don’t understand why Elis is being so underrared this year, her live performance was flawless!
Voted for Jezinky because I love the FKA twigs-y vibes of it, but some tweaks to build up that ending moment more might be needed. I think it’s got the strongest potential if they can nail the staging and vocals, but easier said than done. As we saw with Victoria this year, these delicate songs can get lost in the shuffle when up against high energy spectacles.
Victoria ended-up 11th, though… A pretty strong result on its own. It only feels lesser because she was a preliminary favorite before the songs came out. Czech Republic finishing around a 10th spot would be a good result for anyone, especially for a country that can’t rely on qualifying every time just because.
That is true. It was a strong overall placement. That said, given the televote total in the GF, it’s clear something about Victoria’s performance didn’t click with viewers.
The song was just too sleepy for such a turbulent period we had all been through even if her song had probably the best lyrics of all contestants, so that’s why televoting votes missed I guess…
I think that was one of a few difficulties with her performance. I also felt her live vocals were not mixed loud enough, for example.
By the way, if you haven’t heard the Sinfonia version of Jezinky, the ending is far more epic. Might prefer they take this version to ESC if it’s the selection.
No, the main problem is that she got blown away by Barbara. Both were going down the emotional route, but Bulgaria’s seemed fake and the staging was tacky. Voila felt real and it never felt like they were trying TOO hard. Also, Victoria had zero charisma on stage.
Victoria’s song was much more mainstream than Jezinky, so it worked better for an international audience. I honestly think Jezinky wouldn’t even qualify simply because it’s too monotone. Nearly 3 full minutes of background vocal harmonies won’t work at Eurovision.
jezinky ftw!!
just watched the live performance video, it’s impeccable…honestly it should definitely be the winner…
Giudi may be the best choice if they are going for the visual wow but the song needs a bit more work…
Domi is great but the song needs a very specific staging to stand out…
Annabelle is my favourite so I would be happy with her winning and Jordan x Emma are close second!
I want to see By Now on eurovision stage so bad, I love this song!
Finding it hard to choose, great selection.
I think Czech Republic will do great in 2022.
This whole selection is so good! Literally any of them would’ve been in my top 5 of FiK and in my top 12 of Eesti laul. There are several songs I enjoy listening to. I haven’t voted yet, but my gut feeling tells me that there won’t be another opportunity of hearing something as mystical as Jezinky this NF season. It’s so enticing!
Why is By Now underrated
I think the safests choices for Czech Republic are The Valentines and ANNABELLE, just put colours in the LED screen, lighting and a battery and some guitars for both stagings. However, both might struggle a lot if this year is a strong one. The two risky picks in ESCZ are GIUDI and We Are Domi. GIUDI, because it’s a song that strictly requires an epic staging. If it’s done well, Czechia might do very well, otherwise, it will be a mess. We Are Domi is more danceable and rythmic, but I don’t think there’s a stage-song combination to make it… Read more »
That guy that plays guitar like a cello could be a great staging prop and televote miner is they use camera with him smartly tho!
Still making my mind, so I haven’t voted yet. Some thoughts after watching the live on tape performances: – Giudi: Sometimes you have to take big risks to get big rewards.This one can become a moment if they stage it in an eye-grabbing fashion. Extremely cinematic. – Jordan & Emma: Overall, I think this is the best song of the selection (beating “Jezinky” for its sing-along nature), but Jordan’s singing style can be a little too much in some parts. – ANNABELLE: though I believe the first 2 are better crafted entries, this one has no downsides. It’s immediate, memorable,… Read more »