A report from LUIS MALDONADO from Argentina who will be joining the OGAE Rest of the world reporting team in Vienna 2015

We can all be sure of one thing by now, next May the ESC community will be focusing on the outcome of the most unprecedented plot twist the EBU has made in recent years, Australia’s participation as a one-off entry under the same rules and rights as a Big 5 regular contestant. But, while we lay our eyes in the much talked about Aussie debut, we might be ignoring other significant accomplishments taking part in Vienna this year, like the celebrated return of Czech Republic, after participating for only three consecutive years, and then declining to take part since Oslo 2010.

Long time has passed since Kabát, the trash metal band from Teplice, stepped on the Finnish stage in 2007 carrying the Czech flag (at least symbolically, since the hair was the only waving flag), with Malá Dáma, a heavy rock song that despite winning their national selection and raising a lot of expectations for being the first song to ever represent the landlocked country, failed to catch the European audience. The fact that it was a very powerful year with strong entries, and perhaps due to lack of foreign publicity and interest, ended up granting the Czechs only one point from Armenia and a semifinal elimination.
After that, the Ceska Televize (CT) tried again with Eurosong ‘08, the national selection event where the audience probably realized a change or a completely different path was needed to try to seduce more public, and that’s how Tereza Kerndlová, a 22 years old singer from Brno, ended up winning the big golden ticket to Belgrade. “Have some Fun” was the title of the catchy tune presented, and despite an excess of silver glitter, and a level of corniness a bit unnecessary for the kind of entry, Tereza’s 2008 entry ended up getting 8 point more than 2007, making it, as of 2014, the most successful entry in the history of Czech Republic, but not successful enough to flight her to that year’s Final Show.

For 2009, things got a little more serious for fans in the country, since rumors stating CT was planning on withdrawing due to poor ratings and results started making the rounds, but by the end of the previous year, the country was already planning on an internal selection to provide Europe with their next Final Show entry. Gypsy.Cz, a romani hip hop group was Czech Republic’s big leap of faith, and with their eccentric music, colorful outfits, and lack of reason in a live entry that could only be described as “all over the place”, ended up receiving the country’s dreaded Null Points in the first semifinal. After that result, it was only to be expected for a subsequent withdrawal.

But, time has passed, things have changed, and Eurovision keeps reinventing itself, and so plans to do the Czech Republic, by returning for 2015 with the dynamic rock duo formed by Marta Jandová (a successful singer in the European metal scene) and the well-known singer and actor Václav Noid Bárta, with a song in English which title is determined to reflect Czech common feel while in Vienna, “Hope never Dies”. Our hopes, in the other hand, go for a well-thought stage show, and, apart from a powerful music and meaningful lyrics that bring out the best of both singers, a creative staging using streams of light and a wall-divider breaking between the two comes to mind, in the style of Demi Lovato and Olly Murs’ videoclip for Up, as a simple yet effective way of mixing the couple and concept together, giving interaction and beauty, without losing the rock core of the artists.
If Czech Republic finally receive a fast-pass to the Grand Final, should do so because of the chemistry and interaction between the artists, leaving out the kitsch staging in favor of well-tailored outfits, on point camera movements, and outstand with a well thought background and lighting that reflect the elegance and class of a glorious comeback.

Time to prove you deserve that spot, Czech Republic, and make Europe feel you never should have left. See you in Vienna!