Biography of Vesna
Vesna, a six-member folk band hailing from the Czech Republic, has been selected to represent the country in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with their entry "My Sister's Crown". The band members are Patricie Fuxová, Bára Šůstková, Olesya Ochepovská, Markéta Vedralová, Tereza Čepková, and Tanita Yankovová, a very international band, there are also members from Russia and Slovakia.
In 2016, the band's lead singer Patricie Fuxová founded an all-female group to celebrate femininity and the bond of Slavic sisterhood. Although their music is classified as Czech folk, Fuxová doesn't see it as such, saying "I don't see what we do with Vesna as folklore, they are not folk songs. For me, these are songs [don't] that work with those archetypes." The band was formed at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory, where Fuxová met violinist Bára Šůstková, flutist Andrea Šulcová, and flutist Tanita Yankovová.
In 2018, Šulcová and Yankovová departed from the band, and pianist Olesya Ochepovská and drummer Markéta Vedralová joined. That same year, Vesna released their debut album "Pátá bohyně", which Fuxová said was inspired by her own life experiences and Czech fairy tales. The album won the Discovery of the Year award at the 2018 Ceny Anděl Czech music awards.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Vesna began working on their second album, "Anima", which features animal motifs, exploring the relationships between men and women, and the female form, according to band member Bára Šůstková.
Vesna was announced as one of six participants in ESCZ 2023, the Czech national selection for Eurovision. They earned 10,584 votes and won by a margin of 6,368 votes, securing their spot as the Czech representatives for the competition. Unfortunately, the show has only been broadcasted on YouTube and not in the Czech television.
The Song
Song: My Sister’s Crown
Writer(s): -
Composer(s): -
Broadcaster: Česká televize
The Czech entry, "My Sister's Crown," is an exceptional song that draws on strong Slavic influences. Its theme revolves around female empowerment and the unity of Slavic nations against a common aggressor. The song emphasizes the importance of the brave sisters holding onto their rightful crown and not letting it be taken away. Ultimately, the message is a call for an end to the senseless violence. And for everybody it should be clear, who is meant. "My Sister's Crown" is a unique and powerful song that deserves to be appreciated and not underestimated.