Last year the Czech Republic surprised us all with its sudden return to the song contest. And perhaps even more surprisingly, they showed us that they can actually do Eurovision! Marta Jandova and Vaclav Noid Barta received almost double the amount of points of every previous Czech entry combined. Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough to take them to the final.
Spurred on by the 2015 result, the country’s public broadcaster Ceska televize (CT) has just announced fresh details of its plans for Stockholm. Speaking to Eurocontest.cz, the Czech HoD Jan Bors revealed that three songs have been shortlisted. A special panel of experts will meet at some point this month to make the final selection, while the artist will be revealed to the public in February. They’re clearly aiming to go bigger and better, but who should they send? Here’s a selection of artists who we’d be thrilled to see on the Globen stage next May. Czech them out!
1. Lenny
Not only is Lenny successful in her Czech homeland, she’s also starting to make ripples abroad, particularly in London. So far she’s released two EPs, All My Love and Fighter. A full album is planned and we’re expecting it to drop with a bang! At just 21, Lenny has already won a Ceny Andel (a Czech Grammy). She’s definitely capable of delivering everything that’s needed for a win.
2. Thom Artway
Thom and his guitar first appeared in the Czech movie Kridla Vanoc, with his song “Towards the Sun” featuring on the soundtrack. He quickly won over the hearts of the public, going on to release the EP Still Standing in the Unknown. Most recently, he released the single “I Have No Inspiration”. Maybe he will actually find some inspiration and write a Eurovision conquering hit!
3. Ewa Farna
We simply can’t stop raving about Ewa Farna! The singer was on our radar last year and we have to mention her again. Born in Poland, she grew up in the Czech Republic. She sings in Polish and Czech, regularly topping the charts in both countries. The likelihood of Ewa singing at Eurovision is slim, but hey we can dream!
4. Slza
Slza is a Czech duo, consisting of Petr Lexa and Lukas Bundil. They rose to prominence in 2014 with the hit single “Lhuta zarucni”. They’ve followed up with “Celibat” and “Katarze”. They’re known for atmospheric songs sung with feeling.
5. Pavel Callta
We previously speculated about Pavel and Eurovision when news broke that he would be attending a Eurovision event in Prague. However, it transpired that he was just a warm up act for Måns Zelmerlöw. That doesn’t change anything though. We still want to see Pavel in Stockholm! Maybe Måns’ winning ways have rubbed off on him.
6. Lucie Vondrackova
Lucie is multi-talented. As an actress she’s starred in numerous movies and is a regular on the theatre stage. At the same time, she maintains a strong musical career that spans several genres. Y’all might remember Vaclav Barta walked a similar path which took him direct to Eurovision. Could Lucie follow in his footsteps?
7. Light & Love
Now for another all male duo — Light & Love. Made up of Johny and Kosak, the pair were members of Johny Said The Number until 2012 when they started their current project. They describe their genre as “universal” and somewhat inspired by famous artists like The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Coldplay.
8. Gariela Guncikova
Gabriela rose to fame in 2011 when she reached the grand final of Czechoslovak Superstar. Afterwards, she released her debut album Dvoji tvar, which became the tenth best selling album in the Czech Republic. A second album Celkem jina followed in 2013. She’s won over the Czechs and Slovaks, but could she win over Europe?
9. Sebastian
Sebastian first appeared on Czechoslovakia Got Talent as part of the band Just Try. He then collaborated on a couple of songs with the rap group ATMO Music before releasing two solo singles. “Toulava” in particular enjoyed massive popularity. He’s currently working on his debut album, could it contain a Eurovision smash?
10. KLARA.
Klara Vytiskova (aka KLARA.) is a major artist on the Czech dance scene. She started off as part of Toxique, going solo in 2013. With bangers including “Country Girl” and “Survival” to her name, she boasts a contemporary sound that’s sure to intrigue. She released “Forever” in November, with many Czech Eurofans flagging its potential to slay in Stockholm.
What do y’all think? Who would you like to see representing the Czech Republic? Let us know in the comments below.
Take Margaret – Cool me down, to represent Czech Republic I’m talking seriously
Barbora Poláková has the funky vibes and she doesn’t take herself too seriously, I like her song Nafrn?ná: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7auqhgjgig
Ewa or Pavel ftw
I miss Veronika Stýblová on this list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqLa7Rsy0EM
Lerika. Why? Sergey Lazarev is representing Russia.
For the past year I have dug deep into the Czech music industry so I am familiar with all these artists. My personal favourites would be Sebastian, Klara or Mirai
I really want them to qualify!!
Ewa Farna to POLAND Eurovision 2016 <3
Easy: Marta and Vaclav!
In any case, I’m actually looking forward to seeing who they choose.
It would be great to see them qualify!
Ewa Farna said that she won’t go to Eurovision, because she doesnt know which country represent – Poland or Czech 😀
Choosing the song and then the artist seems strange to me. Better to decide both at the same time or give artist more control e.g Belgium last year. Eastern Europe (non balkans) such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia are really due a good performance so I hope to see the Czechs in the final this year.
@Hippo IMO there’s nothing to suggest that the process is separate. Song selected behind closed doors this month. Artist revealed publicly next month. I would imagine that song and artist are already linked.