Tonight, the search for We Are Domi’s successor begins. Czech Republic will soon choose their Eurovision entry for Liverpool, via the fifth edition of their national final ESCZ 2023.
There are five participants this year, including the return of ESCZ regular Pam Rabbit, as well as Markéta Irglová taking on the challenge after competing in Söngvakeppnin 2022 in Iceland.
Tonight we’ll see live performances from all five participants. The voting will commence after all artists have performed, with the result coming a week later on Monday 6 February. The voting will take place on the Eurovision app, and will be a 70-30 ratio of International and Czech fans respectively.
You can watch ESCZ at 21:00 (CET) on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
We’ll be bringing you live updates from all the action here as the performances happen, so stay tuned to see the latest from Prague. Feel free to join the discussion in the comments below!
ESCZ 2023: Live Discussion
ESCZ 2023 airs live on Eurovision’s YouTube channel from 21:00 CET (GMT + 1).
The Participants of ESCZ 2023 (in order of the official Running Order)
Maella – “Flood”
First up we have Maella. Maella is an indie-alt act hailing from the Czech Republic, but residing in London, UK. In her Instagram bio, she describes her sound as “sad songs with a sexy beat”. She brings her song “Flood” to ESCZ, an emotional tune with lounge vibes.
Live Update –
Maella wore a lilac outfit, with a stunning glitter eye look. The performance started with Maella on the piano, but she soon moved over to the mic to continue the song. It felt very mellow, maybe the outfit contrasted with the song a bit? She performed well, but the comments were fairly divided on YouTube, with some critisising the dancing and saying the song is too chilled. Honestly, this is a fair point, personally not able to see this getting out of a semi-final at Eurovision. It’s beautiful in another setting though!
Pam Rabbit – “Ghosting”
Next up we have ESCZ veteran Pam Rabbit, on her third participation in the contest. This time around her song is called “Ghosting” and brings her typically cool vibes with a supernatural edge, with a slightly poppier edge than previous entries.
Live Update –
This was phenomenal, with Pam bringing her best ESCZ performance yet. Extremely well choreographed, and would fit right in at the Eurovision Song Contest. Pam is wearing a baggy suit, with her long hair down. She looks the part for sure! The song is haunting but effortlessly cool, Genuinely brilliant. The comments for the most part were loving it too, with many typing “WINNER VIBES” and similar!
Markéta Irglová – H A P P Y
Many will know Markéta from her involvement in the iconic Irish movie (and later Broadway/West End musical) Once – a project she won an Oscar for in 2006 for Best Original Song for the stunning “Falling Slowly”. Others may know her from her attempt to represent Iceland last year, where she lives now. Either way, it’s great to see Markéta bidding to represent her native Czech Republic.
Live Update –
This was way better live just now, than the music video above would suggest. It was really cute, and with good staging in Liverpool, it could be a surprise qualifier. However, it certainly wouldn’t be odds-on to go through. Markéta shows so much class in this performance, and really sells it. The comments are less pumped about it, albeit this is expected for a slower song potentially.
VESNA – “My Sister’s Crown”
VESNA are a group who merge folklore and pop, to create a stunning modern take on the genres. The group originate from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia. Their song “My Sister’s Crown” is sung in many languages, including Czech, English and a chorus sung in Ukrainian. It is powerful, empowering and already a fan-favourite across social media.
Live Update –
Oh YES, this is fantastic. Really interesting choreo to go with the more modern sound of the song, whilst keeping it’s folky roots strong. And having a rap section to Eurovision hasn’t always worked well at Eurovision (hi, Jennie B), but it works incredibly well here – it’s SO effective. The comments on the live stream are blowing up too, living up to fan-favourite status it’s had before the show. I can see this doing very well indeed in Liverpool, surely a certain qualifier (though I acknowledge we don’t have loads of options yet!).
RODAN – “Introvert Party Club”
RODAN is an up-and-coming singer who creates pop-fuelled indie tunes which make you want to dance around the room. “Introvert Party Club” provides exactly what you’d expect in terms of topic; RODAN sings about how awkward he feels at parties, but still wanting to be invited. This is something so many introverts can relate to, so hopefully they feel represented here!
Live Update –
Oh, RODAN is adorable. This works so well. He’s in a simple outfit, with a red beanie hat being prominent. It’s so simple, with just RODAN on stage with his guitar, and backlit with small white lights on a black stage (and fully here for the rainbow pin on his lapel). He is selling this so effectively, and it’s an exciting performance. Dare I say this is very ‘cute’? The genre works really well, and it’s so different to anything else we’ve had tonight. I’d be quite happy to see this at Eurovision!
Will you be tuning in to ESCZ 2023? Who do you want to see representing the Czech Republic in Liverpool? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
My Sisters Crown and Introvert Party club are my favorite songs I’ve heard all season so far. Shame one of them will won’t got to Eurovision. I reckon Vesna will win but I personally I would love Rodan to go to Liverpool
Go Vesna! The best choice by far! Imagine this on Eurovision with a bigger stage, budget and more elaborated performance. We can’t really judge these performances as they are on this crappy studio show, so please vote for the songs.
I don’t get the hype for Vesna, feels messy and over-the-top. I preferred Pam and Rodan way more.
I thought you could vote once per day, no?
I tried voting again today but it says my email is already registered as having voted. Yes, I voted — yesterday, though.
For me Vesna live as a mess as opposed to their video. I liked Pam and Rodan most.
The song is brilliant, and the video too. Because it narrates a story and is rich visually. Their performance was messy, but it was on a small studio stage. I must expect they will stage it appropriately based on the video vibe and feeling (well, if they win ESCZ 2023).
Vesna by a landslide. I was shook from the very first second, did not expect this! Really amazing all around. Rodan also very cute and a decent second option. The three others: nope! Pam Rabbit will definitely get her big chance in the next years, she only need a stronger song.
Off topic:
Wiwibloggs should definitely tell the company which made the Wiwibloggs website to change the like/dislike system. Instead of counting dislikes and likes together, they should be counted and shown separately. This way, the like/dislike system will be less toxic, because with like and dislikes shown at the same time, the opinion of people who unpopular opinions will also be shown instead of only the opinion of the majority.
the opinion of people who have unpopular opinions*
I wholeheaartly agree.
Like/Dislike system most likely won’t change, it has shown to work on other blogs, but unfortunately here everybody is bananas and will be rude no matter of what. It’s also a good thing to point out, that sometimes someone spams the whole comment section full of their comments and will get downvoted for that.
At least on Wiwibloggs a minus actually takes away a point. On You Tube it does absolutely nothing. It’s there, and probably the moderators can see it, but to anyone visiting the site, it’s like it never existed. I don’t see the point of dislikes even being included in You Tube comments if they don’t make any difference.
Good idea. Or just get rid of down vote all together, like on YouTuube.
But even better is if people just learn to be nice and stop going bananas over posts and voting down people just for having opinions
Removing the dislikes is a bad thing, because then the whole one-sided opinion thing stays.
But it would create a much friendlier, less toxic site, would you not agree?
Quite frankly the negativity on this site is why people do not want to comment..
When only likes are available then:
Problem is that people dislike simply for having an opinion. Like a song everybody loves except you you will get 40 downvotes. Or saying I find this selection weak. People will get triggered over that and get defensive and accusing you of thinking every selection is bad.
If you can not handle opinions then avoid Internet..
Vesna all the way! It’s very interesting song. I like the combination between english, czech, bulgarian and ukrainian. And in this case Bulgaria have a change to participate at Eurovision this year. Tanita is composor of the song and she sing in bulgarian. 🙂
I voted for Rodman as the best in this somewhat weak selection. I can see other people finding it hard to get excited about an upbeat anti-party song. A tightened up Vesna entry would be a good choice too. The parts sing in non-English were the best parts.
Rodan had something special. Got my vote in the end!
I also like this one. I hope he does well in the voting.
Rodan’s therapist is terrible at their job.
Vesna for ESC 2023 Liverpool. ‘Nuff said. Goodnight!
team joined.
Vesna is alright but I prefer Rodan and Pam.
Don’t forget to validate your vote!
Yeah, those pesky validations. Gotta prove I’m real and not a bot wearing a purple mask.
Pam Rabbit would be a good choice. Modern sound, good voice, great performance, what is not to like! I would go for her..
Not surprised this comment section cant appreciate vesna, anything thats not a yes queen bop is passing off the radar like Shum in 2021. The song is a masterpiece and in a proper eurovision stage it can be THE moment. the rest have no impact.
What do you mean? Look at the comments. so many hyping Vesna up.
many are claiming that this is a tough national final and i am like what are they even watching?????
Oh I understand. Well personally I don’t like any of these entries so I don’t care who wins.
How is also liking the other entries in this particular lineup a sign of only appreciating what you call “yes queen bops”? I don’t get it.
Pam Rabbit had much better staging and her song sounds more modern. I don’t think Vesna’s song is masterpiece.
Marketa was my favourite here. I didn’t really connect with the others, but I’m positive others will vibe with them.
Surprised to see Donald Trump as the host of ESCZ ?.
Disappointed in the songs, it will not be their year I think…
Good selection for Czech Republic !
For me, Vesna its my choice with a Big potential on the Eurovision’s stage (here, its small actually) ! Slavic Vibes and I love it !
Rodan & Pam Rabbit are very good also .
Vesna its authentic and its my choice.
If it wins and they stage it as a story on the ESC stage, then it has potential to win, at least Top+5. Slavic vibes, strong message, storytelling. I can see getting 12points from all Eastern European countries, to say the least. BUT… given they stage it properly, the live performance at ESCZ2023 was a bit messy.
yes currently it’s messy but it’s just a first preview, I’m really confident that the staging in Liverpool will be grand and not messy!
Meanwhile here, it’s the song that counts and Vesna can do an easy top 5.
Ireland last year, the staging wasn’t terrible and when Eurovision came, his staging was spectacular so I’m really confident.
This is probably one of the closest NFs in a while, and I think that the silent RODAN fans could pull through. Anyone would be worth the top spot on my list right now, though.
Its literally vesna or nothing.
That’s pretty dismissive of the other acts.
I hope for Vesna
The lineup isn’t strong as in previous Czech finals, but i’m so glad that ESCZ is still around and finally managed to have a proper show with live performances. My personal favorite is Pam Rabbit, but I believe Vesna is the most logical choice since Czech Republic needs good results to keep participating. Pam was charming as usual, the song is very easy on the ears and there’s a concept to work with. That said, Vesna has more instant impact. All the ladies look great on camera and the song has a stronger punch. But I must say I felt… Read more »
RODAN is very extrovert for an introvert. Good for him.
I know the Czech invest their budget well, but I also sort of wish those live performances were better produced. Everything felt sort of half baked and it was pretty clear the artists were just told to grab anything off their closet and appear for the recording. The point of this is to ensure that they all can sing their own song live (Benny Cristo I’m looking at ya), so in that aspect I’m relieved, but I wouldn’t rely too much on what was shown here because we’re definitely going to get a much different final product, regardless of who… Read more »
That might explain why I felt underwhelmed with the selection. It just didn’t look good. Hopefully, whoever is chosen, will have a much better staging at Eurovision.
It’s odd how Vesna has much less support on Wiwibloggs than everywhere else
Yeah in the Eurovision discord, Vesna had 70% of 1st place votes as of today.
I’m a bit disappointed about the quality downgrade from last year. From one of the best to one of the worst. At least the production value is there. It doesn’t look cheap or tacky as the Moldovan or Maltese counterparts. The problem is the songs aren’t as good as last year. The live performances were a bit underwhelming, I guess it has something to do with the sound engineering.
Anyway, the most beareble songs are “Introvert Party Club” and “Flood”.
Yeah, that’s how I feel too. I was disappointed.
Quite disappointed too by the live performances. Rodan is the only one I really liked.
I voted for Vecna. Who did you vote for?
Pam Rabbit
Vesna. Vecna is the antagonist from Stranger Things hahaha
I guess I’ll be the black sheep snd say Rodan. Hope he wins. I really enjoyed that song and also his personality
Could Rodan become the new Gustaph? Seems like he has quite the support here.
Rodan was actually really good. Definitely in my top 3!
I like Happy, I’ve been listening to it for about a week, and it does grow on the listener. Not that does much good for qualifying chances.
It’s nice and “chillaxing” 🙂
Real instruments, played very well, always make me want to re-listen. Much more than something whipped up on a laptop.
Eric Harper on guitar especially good on this.
ESC winner 1995 had some of that, as I recall. Secret Garden. I still listen to them today. 🙂
I don’t mind Happy either, I actually quite like Marketa as an artist. But for ESC I’m not sure that she’s the right choice.
Probably not. I think her chances are low, seeing as how she barely got a mention in the comments here. She’s done Iceland, now Czech Republic… maybe next year it will be Ireland.
Marketa is such a modest and talented woman, and it warms my heart that a person with that much experience and recognition sees Eurovision as a wonderful platform. I wish if all ”big names” were as modest and as lovely as she is. If she doesn’t with ESCZ 2023, maybe she should try to make a pitch for The UK, Australia, Switzerland, or any of the other countries which pick internally. But it’s the most logical move that she tries in Iceland and Czechia first.
*If she doesn’t win*
Maybe she can convince Glen Hansard to try for Ireland with her next year. I think even on her own it’s still the place where she has the best chance of winning. Thanks to “Once”.
That would be a lovely move. Ireland could use her talent to get out of the semis.
Congrats Czechoslovakia! Wonderful show.
We are Czech Republic, please..
Czechoslovakia stopped existing a long time ago. I wish Slovakia would come back, though.
Shhh. That’s my way of dragging Slovakia into the contest.
I see. Maybe one day.
I loved the Czech line-ups in the past years but was slightly underwhelmed this year. Song wise I think I would pick Rodan the song has a clever idea and a nice melody behind it. Shame Maella didn’t pick Tudu Tudu Tu as I think this would have been a stronger contender for ESC.
Well done to Czech TV for making a show in English and the fact that we can vote from abroad.
For me it’s VESNA.
In a big stadium, with a nice choreography, it can go easily to the top 10! Hit
And I think It’s the only song that it can go straight to the finals. The others are forgettable.
While I agree with the first paragraph, I strongly disagree with the second.
That was an efficient show. I’m still not sure what to think about the fact that Czechs have so little to say about their entry, but it is what it is. I actually more or less liked all of the studio cuts, the only one I don’t care for is Pam Rabbit, if you ask me, she had stronger entries in the past. Vesna had in my opinion the most convincing live performance and they also have the highest ceiling at Eurovision, but I also enjoyed Rodan’s song a lot. I guess I’ll let this marinate for a little while… Read more »
”I guess I’ll let this marinate for a little while and then make my decision during the week.” Exactly my opinion, Tibor! I enjoyed all the songs, and now I need a little time to hear them again, and make a decision. 🙂 As for the Czech vote having only 25%, I think it’s because each time, the most locally famous act won by a landslide (Jakub Ondra, Benny Cristo, Jordan & Emma), so they want some balance. However, the question of how that affects actual Czech fans is a good one. At least it’s 25%, and not something absolutely… Read more »
I think it should be 50, and as you know I loved Benny and would have been more than okay with Jordan & Emma going, so I can’t really fault the Czech public for anything.
It will take some rumination time to make a decision between the exciting Vesna and the charming Rodan. These two are definitely my front runners.
Preliminarily, I’d agree with your top choices. I’ll give them all another go these days. 🙂 I loved Benny too, even if his second song placed higher on my list than his first (which was also good, tho), Jordan & Emma wouldn’t be my choice (even if a respectable one), and honestly, I wouldn’t even mind Jakub (even if Lake Malawi were a better choice for ESC, he was my 2nd there). Sometimes most famous people actually have the best songs, so I can believe them winning the televote based on that. However, winning by a clear landslide in competitive… Read more »
That’s the thing, you often have biases towards “big names”, just look at Finland last year. If that’s what the public wants, then it is what it is. I don’t think it’s a smart idea to disenfranchise your own viewers, that’s a surefire recipe to alienate your own country from the competition. And I’m not sure if this is what you should do.
The guy hosting this national final made Mika seem like a natural
Yeah, he should stick to his day job
I believe this is his day job haha
I like My Sister’s Crown but there was no staging or meaningful styling. Their energy and jumping around also didn’t suit the song at all. I’m kinda worried about their taste level now… I think it could be great but if I’m just judging what I saw, it’s Introvert Party Club all the way! RODAN is so charismatic and both the public and the juries would love him. Such a lovely surprise! Kudos to the Czech broadcaster for a short but sweet NF and in pretty good English on top of that! Once again I struggle to remember this new… Read more »
Guys, choreography and styling will change of course…And the studio was really small and with no budget. Vote for the song with the best potential
I know that. I just hate when someone ruins a good song with a bad styling and staging. If you don’t have taste, just hire someone. It doesn’t have to be a stylist, call a friend. I feel like I’ve been burned by Ulrikke and Maria Celin so I’m being extra harsh on Vesna. I’ll sleep on it but I might not even vote at all.
On the other hand I watched RODAN’s mv and I’m sold. He’s great and I usually hate songs like that.
Looking at Vesna’s video, I’m not really worried about visuals, though. But Rodan was great, too, I agree. It’ll be a tough decision.
I wasn’t in love with the visuals because they didn’t feel authentic but they were still good and miles better than this. What happened?
Exactly. The issue I have with Vesna is the total lack of authenticity of the song and the band. All seems totally made up to do a “coup”.
I wouldn’t go that far. They don’t feel disingenuous to me. They just remind me of so many similar indie girl groups I met during college who all had questionable taste in clothes and lacked visual cohesion.
I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same thing, will. I meant the visuals in their official music video. You didn’t like that, either?
This live performance clearly wasn’t about staging, so I’m not really worried about staging at this point. Admittedly, I never worry about staging, though.
I liked the visuals in the video ok. But I kinda felt a disconnect between them and the styling. However I would be fine with it if they wore something similar and had a completely different stage presence. What they presented last night (in term of visuals) was really bad.
I like My Sister’s Crown but there was no staging or meaningful styling. Their energy and jumping around also didn’t suit the song at all. I’m kinda worried about their taste level now… I think it could be great but if I’m just judging what I saw, it’s Introvert Party Club all the way! RODAN is so charismatic and both the public and the juries would love him. Such a lovely surprise!
Kudos to the Czech broadcaster for a short but sweet NF and in pretty good English on top of that!
I can’t decide between Rodan and Pam Rabbit
I don’t understand why Vesna have members from so many countries, yet they choose to sing the chorus in Ukrainian. Idk, kinda feels like they are fishing for votes with that. And the female empowerment theme is so overdone and sometimes just feels forced. I kinda liked Marketa, but I can see why many people would find it too boring. My favorite was Rodan – I can totally relate, looks cute and feels natural. Guess I am voting for him. All in all, I think that the stage didn’t help anyone here. The songs have potential but they were not… Read more »
Can you share more about why you think “female powerment” is so overdone?
We just hear a lot of songs about it nowadays and not all of them are good. Obviously, the message is very important and some songs about it are great (I loved Manizha’s entry for example). But sometimes it just feels like artists are just jumping on a trend and the songs feel really uninspired. And for me it was the case here – I just didn’t like the lyrics and it felt to me that they just quickly wrote something about it just to cover this particular subject.
None of them are bad, but I don’t know, something is missing here. I’d expect more based on the intro video on these artists. Also, I feel the audio system (and, basically the pattern of the show) can be improved. (Besides, some accidents in Marketa’s performance, aren’t there?)
For me, Pam is the most promising, closely followed by Vesna and Rodan. But I believe either of the performances will evolve quite a lot. At the time of ESC, the staging must be very different on the much larger stage.
If you want to vote, here is the link to the site: https://escz2023.com/
Thanks. I just voted.
I did too. Who did you vote for? I voted for Vesna.
Yeah, Vesna.
I think it’s either Pam or Vesna, with Rodan trailing behind. I like Pam’s song and staging a lot more but Vesna have a more original song, especially with the way the lyrics are done. But I don’t see Vesna doing as well as some people say it will. I don’t see it coming in the top 10 unless there’s a serious revamp. Pam’s song just needs to be extended a little and there’s more potential for a qualifier.
Loved this NF. This is how to do it right if you’re gonna use a more homey environment. The production was on point, lasted for 38 mins without any delays, had interviews in which all of the contestants were shown as eloquent and likable, had a charming and handsome host who could engage with the audiences, had the nice stage adjusted for all the performances, actively engaged international fans who love these kind of moments, and most importantly, served musical quality! They also acknowledged all of their previous qualifiers, and had reigning champs there to wish others luck. Any of… Read more »
As a song I personally like Ghosting the most but I will be voting for Vesna for a reason that may get me some hate but oh well. As a Bulgarian, it’d be delightful to hear my language represented on the Eurovision stage even if its representing another country. I’d really love that not only because our songs have been in english these past years but because we aren’t even participating this year and who knows how many more…So yeah, maybe a stupid reason but it is what it is. The song isn’t bad, I like it too.
OK I just finished watching the selection I have to say, I’m actually disappointed overall. I’m not as hyped on the songs, but if something hast to go, it should be Vesna, Pam rabbit, or RODAN.
I think it’s between Pam and Vesna. While Vesna seems more popular on youtube (looking at tops people have posted already), there’s also quite some hate thrown at their Russian member (because she’s Russian, despite her supporting Ukraine).
That is quite unfair. This young woman obviously supports Ukraine, and participates in a group which consists of international women supporting each other and being anti-war. She is as worthy of being there as the others are. Good luck to all six wonderful ladies of Vesna.
My vote goes to Rodan, best of the lot. And good to see him leaving Smaractus and creating a new path for himself in the Boii.
*It’s from a book, where there was a character also named Rodan. A henchman of a useless landlord named Smaractus. The book is set in Roman times, and that’s why I’m using the ancient name of the Czech Republic area.*
Eurofans, do your civic duty and vote for Vesna
Vesna is clearly the best choice among the 5 songs. However, their vocals need a little bit of refining and the staging needs to be clean, too much action and movements make a performance a bit sloppy. Good luck to Czechia though, I love their commitment to ESC!
I agree. I’m hoping the staging will be much more grand and cinematic at ESC (like in the music video) but yeah, hopefully they can sing a bit louder too
Nice selection, I wouldn’t mind any of them winning. Based on studio cuts Vesna is my choice, I find it really hard to get the chorus out of my head. Btw, I really wonder how Markéta Irglová sounds when she’s sad.
might just be me but i was disappointed with this selection. all songs have a very low chance of qualifying. i did not like vesna, but that one could make the cut solely on the fact that it has ukrainian lyrics. pam’s song was nice but weak as well.