Next Monday Prague’s Roxy Club is gonna get lit. And this evening state broadcaster Česká Televize revealed the seven ESCZ 2024 finalists who will work the stage in the hope of becoming Czechia’s Eurovision 2024 contestant.
You’ll have to wait to hear their entries. But for now you can dig into these official bios, provided by the Czech delegation.
Czechia: Seven finalists revealed ahead of national selection
Aiko
Moscow born, Czech Republic raised and Brighton based, Aiko is an artist with a unique blend of cultures and influences, who explores topics such as love, solitude and understanding of self with her music.
Aiko’s journey in the music industry has been nothing short of remarkable. Her sophomore album, “Fortune’s Child,” released on October 13th, 2023, is a testament to her growth as an artist and the depth of her musical prowess.
Breaking barriers and making history, Aiko proudly stands as the first Czech artist to grace the iconic Times Square. Moreover, she has earned the distinction of being the first Czech female artist to contribute to the global Spotify Equal Campaign, emphasizing her commitment to inclusivity and equality within the music industry.
Aiko’s magnetic presence extends to the pages of prestigious magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, where her artistry is celebrated for its uniqueness and emotional resonance.
Her live performances have become a captivating experience for audiences worldwide, as she has graced the stages of renowned festivals such as Rock for People, ESNS, Metronome Prague, The Great Escape, and Grape Festival. Aiko has also had the honor of supporting acclaimed artists like Alice Merton and Tamino, further solidifying her place in the global music scene.
Elly
Elly is a Czech singer and songwriter based in Prague. Her music is influenced by artists like Beyoncé, Sia or Adele, but she always adds a unique spark of her own personality to it. Her songs are airplayed by the biggest radio stations like Evropa 2, Fajn Radio or Radiožurnál.
Her song Are You There was a number one in the Evropa 2 Music Chart for several weeks and became the 6th most airplayed song in Czech Republic according to IFPI. In 2022 she released the single High Speed featuring Ben Cristovao which has more than 500k views on YouTube.
She performed at festivals like Colours of Ostrava, Prague Pride or Praha Žije Hudbou.
Gianna Lei
Gianna Lei’s strain of addictive Pop is on the cusp of something great. With Bubblegum melodies, genre-bending beats and the witty lyrical flick of somebody who’s just had their trust broken for the first time, the London based artist is causing quite the stir.
Gianna’s heart was captured by Pop music from an early age. Born in Switzerland and raised in Prague with two older sisters, Gianna spent her youth absorbed in MTV and the escapism it provided through music. Early inspirations such as Gwen Stefani, Rihanna and Taylor Swift set the foundation for Gianna’s own musical flair, with subtle nods to her teen idols hidden within her tracks.
Gianna cites a stint in hospital at age 13 as a pivotal period in her musical journey, as she took up guitar to raise her spirits during her recovery. Shortly after, Gianna tasked herself with self-reinvention when she decided to move to a specialist music school to follow her lifelong passion of making music, and the fresh-faced Pop newcomer we see today started to take form. Gianna went on to study Music Production & Sound Engineering at the renowned Abbey Road Institute in London where she quickly proved that she had the technical knowledge to back up her songwriting and musicianship.
Future releases will see listeners get a deeper insight into Gianna’s world as they grow alongside her artistically, and people will soon realise that there is a lot more to the promising up-and-comer than meets the eye.
Lenny
With her unmistakable voice, outstanding songwriting skills and her strong work ethic, Lenny has established herself as one of the most popular artists in Czechia.
As a proud recipient of 6 Andel awards (the Czech counterpart of the Grammy’s), she is a sought-after live performer, who has already shared the stage with the likes of Mike Shinoda, Imagine Dragons, LP or Emeli Sandé. Lenny’s debut album “Hearts” conquered media and fans by storm, and secured the top position in the charts.
Lenny’s mix of rock, pop, and irresistible ballads is breathtakingly natural and fused by her strongest weapon: Extremely intense vocals, imparting her songs with an outrageous amount of intensity.
With the release of her record-breaking single “Hell.o”, which was awarded Song of the Year in the Czech Republic, she went to #1 in the airplay charts as well as on Spotify and iTunes.
The song became a breakthrough hit in Italy, immediately announcing gold status and Lenny has since performed at Italy’s most favourite shows such as “Che Tempo che Fa” or TV Rai 1’s “Wind Music Awards”. Lenny was also featured in Vanity Fair Italy and Forbes 30 under 30.
On September 2nd Lenny released her long awaited album “Heartbreak Culture”, which had already received critical acclaim and is loved by fans. The album features production credits from Dan Lancaster. (Muse, Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon) or Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park.
MYDY
In just ten years on music scene they acquired status of one of the most productive bands in the Czech Republic. After British Glastonbury festival show or successful American, Canadian, European & Korean tour, Mydy Rabycad proved that the success of Czech musicians can more than acceed the borders of their birth country. All it takes is to have a clear vision, passion and believe in yourself.
The story of the group reminds us of the script of Hollywood melodrama with sweet happy end. The band members met on a summer music camp. Then, around 15 years old, they were immediately connected by common passion for music.
In the centre of new formation next to Nèro Scartch, sax player Mikulas and bass player Johny D stands charismatic singer Žofie Dares. Thanks to her characteristic voice and charisma overall in combination with playful connection of electronics and their energy, they became the leading name of electronic wave not only in Czechia.
Tom Sean
Tom Sean is a singer, actor, songwriter and producer. Although he’s lived most of his life in Prague, Tom’s beloved mother, a former punk singer, gave birth to him in Dublin. That’s where he’d spent the first years of his childhood before the family relocated back to the Czech Republic.
Like many of today’s pop stars, Tom has gained his first bit of popularity on TikTok. He was only 14 when spotted by Honza Gajdos, one of the most prominent Czech music producers, who would later become Sean’s manager and music producer.
Musically, Tom usually tends to blend the borders between Pop and R&B, occasionally throwing in some hip-hop elements, and even jazz progressions. He draws inspiration from his contemporaries, such as Ruel, Justin Bieber, HRVY, FINNEAS, and the likes.
Tom, who has many singles to his name, including the smash hits Heart Hotel, Reach the Stars and Noční Praha, is currently working on his long-awaited debut album, whose release is scheduled for 2023.
Tomas Robin
TOMAS ROBIN is pseudonym of the Czech Republic singer and songwriter Tomáš Červinka. Throughout his musical journey, Tomas has amassed a wealth of experiences, ranging from intimate club performances to gracing the stages of the largest Czech and Slovak festivals. He is known for his other projects We on the Moon and The Lighthouse Journey.
Tomas was voted by listeners as Newcomer of the Year and was received multiple nominations. He was also shared stages with notable acts such as All Time Low, Deaf Havana, Against The Current, and Young Guns. Notably, with The Lighthouse Journey, he made a history as the first Czech artist to be featured on the almighty British Kerrang! radio show.
On May 2022 Tomas announced his new musical project TOMAS ROBIN. He released his debut single `Same Pages` On July 2022 describing it as „I have never felt such a desire for music as I do now. ‘Same Pages’ is about longing and melancholy, but in the end, this songs give you hope.“
His involvement in several European songwriting camps further enriched his expertise, where he contributed both to his own compositions and collaborated on projects for fellow musicians.
Exploring heartfelt British pop, Tomáš’s distinctive and reverbant vocal tone, brings an emotive approach as well as authenticity to his current work. His latest single, “too good to be true,” has been critically acclaimed and is currently airplaying on various radio stations.