ČT has announced the finalists that will take part in ESCZ 2023 – the Czech national final for Eurovision in Liverpool. The live show, the country’s first since 2008, will be broadcast live (in English and Czech) on ČT and streamed on Eurovision’s official YouTube channel starting at 21:00 CET on Monday 30th January.
We previously announced that just three artists would perform in the country’s first live final in 15 years, but Head of Delegation Kryštof Šámal explains why the show will now feature five artists:
“The level of the songs and artists; and also, the essence of ESCZ to share the talent and diversity in our music scene made it not only very hard but impossible to select 3 finalists therefore we are happy to reveal the 5 finalists that will compete to represent us in Liverpool.”
The voting will be 100% audience-based. 70% will come from the international audience and 30% from the Czech public. The voting will once again be through Eurovision channels with the support of the official Eurovision partner DIGAME. A voting window lasting one week will open after the show, and end on Monday 6th of February.
While ČT will leave some suspense about the songs, we now know the following five artists will compete in ESCZ 2023 on 30th January:
Maella
A Prague native, Maella moved to London when she was 20 to develop her own production skills. She is known for her dark alt-pop sound, which has been featured by the BBC. She was also October 2022’s ambassador for ‘Spotify Equals CZ&SK’, and was featured on the giant screen of Times Square.
Marketa Irglova
Markéta Irglová is native of Valasske Mezirici in the country’s east. She is an Academy Award winning musician was has been playing the piano almost her entire life. She has lived in Ireland, and the USA, but now calls Iceland home. In fact, Markéta competed in Söngvakeppnin 2022 and came in 4th place in the second semi final. She has released 3 solo albums ‘Anar’ (2011), ‘MUNA’ (2014), and ‘LILA’ (2022).
Pam Rabbit
Pam Rabbit is a Czech singer with Armenian roots who is making her third ESCZ appearance (2019, 2020). Her work is inspired by her fictional haunting, yet humorous, tragic world, which helps her understand, explain, and cope with the real one. She has been on the Eurovision stage before, as she was a backing vocalist for Mikolas Josef in 2018 in Lisbon.
Rodan
Rodan is a Czech pop and indie folk singer making his ESCZ début. He rose to fame in the Czech Republic in late 2020 when he was nominated for ‘Discovery of the Year 2021’. He was subsequently included among the 50 hopefuls of Czech music by influential music magazine Headliner.
Vesna
Vesna is a female band led by singer and songwriter Patricie Fuxova. The group’s members hail from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia. Since forming, they have released two albums, and in 2019 the group received a nomination for the Anděl Awards and was chosen as a support act by the Scandinavian singer Aurora. Vesna’s music combines elements of folklore set to modern pop to create a dreamy and lively performances on stage.
Mr. Ahmad Halloun, the International Head of Press for the Czech Republic, adds that the show will be bilingual, featuring English alongside the Czech language to help the international audience during the show.
“The international reception of our decision about bringing the format to a live show has been overwhelmingly positive. We are shaking things up to expand the Eurovision/ESCZ brand in Czech Republic and bringing a live show to the mix is a wise step. The show will be substantially in English so the Czech and International audience can enjoy”.
What do you think of ESCZ’s plans for 2023? Let us know below in the comments or on our social media @escbubble! Last year, ESCZ was won by We Are Domi. The group opened the Grand Final in Turin, finishing in 22nd place overall with “Lights Off”.
