Eurovision 2021 Czech Republic profile: ‘Omaga’ by Benny Cristo

Czech Republic at Eurovision

Since first entering the Contest in 2007, the Czechs have struggled to make their mark in the competition, with five NQs out of their eight appearances so far.

Their three Grand Final appearances have resulted in mixed fortunes, with 2016’s ‘I Stand’ finishing 25th, 2018’s ‘Lie to Me’ finishing 6th, and their most recent entry, 2019’s ‘Friend of a Friend’, just failing to crack the top 10 in eleventh place.

2021 Entry: Benny Cristo – ‘Omaga’

• Semi-final: Benny will perform ‘Omaga’ in slot 3 of semi-final 2

• My Eurovision Scoreboard fan ranking: 25th out of 39 entries

• Odds to win ranking: 33rd out of 39 entries

• Odds to qualify from semi-final 2 ranking: 14th out of 17 entries

(as of 30 April 2021)

About the artist

Born Ben Cristóvão in 1987 to a Czech mother and Angolan father, Benny Cristo got his start at the age of 22 appearing on Česko Slovenská SuperStar, the 2009 Czech-Slovak iteration of the international Idol franchise. He became an established fixture in the Czech music scene as a result, even being asked to open for Pitbull on his Planet Pit World Tour.

After 3 studio albums, 3 extended plays and a number of Český slavík awards, Cristo entered ESCZ in 2020 with ‘Kemama’, an upbeat, Afropop inspired dance number. The song later beat its six competitors to become the Czech Republic’s 2020 entry. After the 2020 Contest was cancelled, Cristo was quickly announced by the Czech broadcaster as a returning entrant in 2021.

Outside of Eurovision, Cristo is a championship-level practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as a vegan and animal rights activist.

About the song

Sung in English but featuring lines in his native Czech, ‘Omaga’ is Benny Cristo’s 2021 entry. Just as ‘Kemama’ was a blended form of ‘OK, Mama’, ‘Omaga’ brings ‘Oh My God’ to life in a similar fashion.

Cristo has said that the song is a celebration of human interaction in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that: “I’m a single man in the lockdown. I just wanted to meet people. I just wanted to spend time with people. I genuinely want to have fun. That’s what the lyrics are about. It’s like, ‘you, just come over.”

Above all, Cristo has expressed a desire to bring “straight-up positive energy” to this year’s Contest in Rotterdam.

Aussievision podcast Czech Republic episode

Check out the Aussievision podcast review and rank episode including comments from the team. Listen via:

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