Czech Republic reveals lucky 7 for ‘ESCZ 2022’ 🇨🇿

The broadcaster has also explained a number of changes to the ESCZ format, which we’ll explain after we’ve met the seven acts hoping to make their way to Turin in May.

Performances of the songs are available to watch exclusively on the ESCZ 2022 website and you can vote on them via the Eurovision Song Contest app.

Giudi

Jezinky

The ‘Jezinky’ are mythical creatures from Czech folklore that lure people into the darkest parts of the Bohemian forests… perhaps now’s the time their story was told on the biggest stage of all?

Giudi says the creatures represent those deep-rooted fears that must be faced so we can heal our hearts.

The artist blends fashion, art and music, and works with some of the coolest names in multimedia.

Elis Mraz

Imma Be

Elis is a Czech singer-songwriter with a back catalogue of bangers ready to be released!

She narrowly missed out representing the Czech Republic when she finished runner-up to Benny Cristo in ESCZ 2020 by the narrowest of margins. Could this be her year?

We Are Domi

Lights Off

We Are Domi is an electro-pop band formed in the United Kingdom in 2018 and currently based in Prague. The members come from Czech Republic and Norway, enriching their spectrum of musical taste.

The band channels a unique blend of electro and Scandi resulting in an alternative-pop sound.

Something else to look forward to: they’re known for their high energy performances.

Skywalker

Way Down

Skywalker is a 4-piece modern rock band from Prague with a decade’s worth of experience in the bag.

The band has been touring all over Europe with the likes of Beartooth, Crystal Lake, Normandie and Counterparts, and flying out as far as China and Japan where dedicated local fans follow their every step.

ANNABELLE

Runnin’ Out Of Freakin’ Time

A big fan of stick-on tattoos and the colour yellow, ANNABELLE is a singer/rapper from Prague via London where she studied music.

Already a name in her native Czech Republic, ANNABELLE has enjoyed hits with Dadae, Black Hole and Anxiety, amassing hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify – now she’s ready to take on the world!

Jordan Haj x Emma Smetana

By Now

These two have roots in Czech Republic, France and Israel, and it’s their international background that’s key to understanding the many musical styles that influence their work: indie, hip-hop, pop, rock, electronica, and good old-fashioned disco!

Their duets have notched up an incredible 4 million views on YouTube, and they’re now ready to set the Eurovision stage alight!

The Valentines

Stay or Go

The Valentines are a pop band from Hradec Králové, consisting of Honza on bass and vocals, Ondřej taking care of guitar and synths, and with Matěj on drums.

In 2019, they won Radio Wave’s Starter (a song contest), earning the opportunity to make a video for their single Did My Back Hurt Your Knife? Since then they’ve gone from strength to strength.

ESCZ 2022: dates, rules, format…

First things first: ESCZ 2022 takes place in December rather than January (as is usually the case) to allow the lucky winner an extra month to prepare for the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.

The public voting window will open on Tuesday 7 December and close on Wednesday 15 of December, with the winner being announced on Thursday 16 December.

ESCZ’s judging ratios have changed: 50% international jury; 25% international fans; 25% Czech fans. These changes have been made to give international fans a bigger say in who is going to represent Czech Republic at Eurovision this year.

Performances of the songs are available to watch exclusively on the ESCZ 2022 website and you can vote on them via the Eurovision Song Contest app.

So what do you think? Do these acts Czech all the right boxes? Let us know via the official Eurovision Song Contest Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook channels.