Czechia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Czechia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 and its participation is organised by the public broadcaster Czech Television. The country took a short break from the competition from 2010 to 2015, but returned with entries including 'Friend of a Friend' by Lake Malawi, 'Lie to Me' by Mikolas Josef and last year's song 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi.
The Eurovision Song Contest is yet to be hosted in Czechia but the nation has opened its doors to Eurovision in other ways. Czechia had the unique honour of hosting the Eurovision Young Dancers Competition in the capital city of Prague back in 2017.
2023 Entry: Vesna - 'My Sister's Crown'
Vesna will compete in 13th spot in semi-final 1
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 7th
Odds to win ranking: 9th
(Rankings of 18 April 2023)
About the artists
Vesna is an all-female band, led by Czech singer-songwriter Patricie Kaňok, who acquired gained many of her skills whilst studying at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in the United States.
Vesna's violinist and vocalist, Bára Šůstková, is also one of the creative minds behind the band's visuals, often taking part in the scenography for their music videos. Bára attended the Department of Dramatic Theatre within the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
Tanita Yankovová is the group's Bulgarian rapper who left the group in 2018 but who opted to return to collaborate on 'My Sister's Crown'. In addition to her creative endeavours with Vesna, Tanita composes music for theatre and commercials. She enjoys working in Czech improvisational theatre, providing accompaniment on the piano.
Markéta Vedralová is Vesna's drummer, as well as a vocalist, guitar player and composer. She joined the group in 2018 at a time when they were working on their first CD.
Olesya Ochepovská moved to Czechia from Russia when she was 18 and is the pianist in the musical group. Olesya studied music at the Prague Conservatory and is a lover of many forms of art, including literature and film.
The group's bassist, Tereza Čepková, comes from Slovakia. She is the newest addition to Vesna's line-up, having joined only in 2019.
About the song
'My Sister's Crown' is a moving ode to female power and empowerment that incorporates the group's linguistic through the use of a blend of languages, featuring Czech, English, a Ukrainian chorus and a dash of Bulgarian. The band explained on Instagram that 'My Sister's Crown' is a way for them to use their music in order to celebrate the sisterhood between Czechia and Ukraine, describing it as "a ballad that draws heavily upon the band's Slavic Pop background to help support their sisters across the globe."
How Vesna was selected for Eurovision
Vesna was chosen via the national selection competition ESCZ. The group's song was a huge fan favourite going into the first live show, and they dominated both the Czech and international fan vote, gaining more than double the votes of the runner-up.
Aussievision review and rank podcast episode
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Or wherever you get your podcast.
Czechia will compete in semi-final 1 on May 9 (European time) in Liverpool.
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet