Following their first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024, our Rory got a chance to catch up with Aiko to discuss her Malmö experience so far.
Watch our interview with Aiko right here:
During their interview, Rory and Aiko talked about how her first rehearsal went, as well as the secret meaning behind her staging. She also tells us about her love for former Eurovision alum TEYA and their recent release ‘Hunger’. The pair also joke about their favourite comfort food, as well as giving some recommendations for her own sushi restaurant!
Aiko’s Eurovision Journey so far
Aiko was announced as Czechia’s Eurovision 2024 representative in December. This was following on from wining national final “ESCZ” with the song “Pedestal”. “Pedestal” was later revamped, and rereleased in March. It was later determined that Czechia would perform in the first half of the second semi-final, and the producers placed “Pedestal” fifth in the running order.
Over the pre-party season, Aiko performed at five pre-parties: Pre-Party ES the Barcelona Eurovision Party, the London Eurovision Party, Eurovision in Concert and the Nordic Eurovision Party.
On Monday, Aiko performed on the Eurovision stage for her first rehearsal. You can find out more about her first rehearsal, and our thoughts on that here.
Who is Aiko?
Aiko, which is the stage name for singer Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova is a Czech singer, who currently resides in Brighton in the United Kingdom. In 2015, Alena participated in the singing reality show “Česko Slovenská Superstar”. This was the springboard to Alena starting off her musical career. A few years later, in 2018 Aiko released her first album, “Aiko”. In 2020, Aiko released a second album “Expiration Date”. Alongside her second album, Aiko also released her first stand alone single “Hunt” in 2020 as well.
Throughout her career, Aiko has performed at many festivals and big events, so is no stranger to big crowds. One of Aiko’s big musical achievements is that she was the first artist from Czechia to appear at Times Square in New York. In October 2023, Aiko released her third album “Fortune’s Child” – which contained the original version of her Eurovision 2024 song “Pedestal”. Since winning ESCZ, Aiko has also released the single “White Flag” in April 2024.
Aiko will participate in Eurovision 2024 with the song “Pedestal. Steven Ansell wrote the song alongside Aiko herself. As well as writing the song, Steven also produced the track.
Czechia’s Eurovision Journey
Czechia made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007, with Kabát’s “Malá dama”. However, their debut entry finished last in a 28-song semi-final, scoring only 1 point. Afterwards, this kicked off three consecutive non-qualifications, with their best result coming in 2008, finishing in second-last place. Having withdrawn in 2009 due to poor results, Czechia returned to the Contest in 2015. In 2016, Czechia qualified for the first time with Gabriela Gunciková’s “I Stand”.
In 2023, Vesna represented Czechia with their song “My Sister’s Crown”. Performing in the first semi-final in Liverpool, the band qualified for the final – and finished in 10th place in a field of 26 with 129 points. Of these, 94 points came from the juries and 35 points came from the televote.
What do you think of our interview with Aiko? Do you think she will qualify for the final this year? Where would you like Czechia to finish this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we cover the rehearsals of Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: vDanDesign
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