Meeting with the band Vesna, which will represent the Czech Republic in Eurovision in May, April 25, 2023, Prague. From left, Bára Šůstková, Patricia Fuxová, Tereza Čepková and Olesya Ochepovská.
Prague – The girl band Vesna will represent not only the Czech Republic, but also Slavs in the Eurovision music contest. The leader and singer of the band, Patricia Fuxová, told ČTK. There are two weeks left until the Eurovision semi-finals, so every day the group rehearses their singing and choreography. In the national round of Eurovision, the band Vesna won based on the audience's vote and will represent the Czech Republic in May at the competition in Great Britain. Its composition is international. In addition to the three Czechs, its members are Slovak, Russian and Bulgarian.
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these countries in common,” Fuxová told ČTK.
According to her, preparations for the semi-finals of the competition are intense. “We have two weeks left until the semi-finals and three weeks until the finals, which means that we are now at the finish line and the preparations are now at their peak,” she said. Every day, the band has rehearsals, such as choreography rehearsals, singing lessons, preparing costumes or visual content for the performance. “It's more challenging than anything I've ever experienced,” added Fux.
The first semi-final of the competition, which will be attended by 15 countries including the Czech Republic, will take place on May 9, the second with 16 participants two days later. The final will be held on May 13, 26 countries will compete – ten from each semi-final will advance, joined by France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Great Britain, who are automatically guaranteed a place in it, and last year's winner Ukraine.
The band Vesna will compete with the song My Sister's Crown, translated as Koruna moje sestry. Similar to the group's previous song, this latest song also has an undertone of female themes. This time, the members of the band react to current events in society, reflect on lack of freedom and call for mutual understanding and empathy. However, apart from appreciation, the song and music video are getting negative reactions from various quarters. According to Fuxová, the authors wanted to support Ukraine facing the Russian invasion. The song and clip were banned in Russia and Belarus, but some Ukrainians also criticize it. Among other things, they are bothered by the participation of a Russian member of the band, which is the keyboardist Olesja Očepovská. They also criticize the use of the narrative about sister Slavic nations, which is also often used by Russia.
The most watched year of Eurovision was in the Czech Republic in 2016, when 340,000 viewers watched the final, to which the Czech Republic then advanced. In 2018, 255,000 Czech viewers watched the final, and in 2019 there were 296,000. Last year's edition, in which the group We are Domi with singer Dominika Hašková finished in 22nd place with the song Lights Off, was watched by 139,000 viewers.
The first edition of Eurovision was held in May 1956, and the most famous winner in the history of the contest is considered the Swedish group ABBA, which broke through in 1974 with the hit Waterloo. Other famous faces who succeeded in the competition include the Canadian Céline Dion, who represented Switzerland in 1988.
