Slovakia

Kristína

About Quick Facts NameKristina Peláková Born20 August 1987 Nationality🇸🇰 Slovak National SelectionEurosong 2010 In Eurovision2010 Oslo SongHorehronie (2010) Biography Kristína Peláková, known by her stage name Kristína, was born on August 20, 1987, in Svidník, Slovakia. She is a Slovak singer. Kristína showed an early interest in music, singing, playing the piano, and dancing from a young age. She studied at the conservatory in Košice. After meeting producer Martin Kavulič and signing with H.o.M.E. production, Kristína began her active singing career. Her first single, “Som Tvoja,” featuring rapper Opak from her favorite Bratislava group A.M.O., was released in spring 2007. In 2008, she covered Beáta Dubasová’s song “Vráť mi tie hviezdy,” which brought her widespread fame in Slovakia. On November 11, 2008, Kristína released her debut album, …ešte váham. The album includes eleven tracks and two remixes, featuring the songs “Som Tvoja,” “Vráť mi tie hviezdy ’08,” and “Zmrzlina,” the latter performed with Czech singer Victoria. In 2010, Kristína participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song “Horehronie,”. She won the fifth quarter-final with 36.7% of the votes and the first semi-final with 31.2% of the votes and the highest points from the jury. On February 28, 2010, she competed in the national final and, despite a tie with another contestant, Kristína triumphed due to more viewer votes, earning her the chance to represent Slovakia at the Eurovision final in Norway from May 25-29, 2010. She performed on May 25, 2010, in the first semi-final but did not advance to the final. On September 20, 2010, Kristína released her second album, “V sieti ťa mám”. This album came in two versions: a standard edition and a digipak. The first single from Kristina’s 3rd album, “Jabĺčko,” was released on April 10, 2012, reaching 13th place on Slovak radio and also gaining airplay in the Czech Republic. The album, “Na slnečnej strane sveta”, was officially released on June 25, 2012, featuring fourteen tracks plus three bonus remixes. The album was launched on June 27, 2012, at Bontonland Megastore in Prague, where she received a platinum disc for her previous album’s sales in the Czech Republic. The second single, “Viem, lebo viem,” was released on June 23, 2012. In 2014, she released a compilation album titled “Tie naj”. Kristína’s subsequent albums include “Mať srdce”, released in 2017 with a standard and a deluxe version featuring 2 CDs, and “Snívanky”, released in 2020. She also released a duet with Michal David, “Nla Dani”. A Christmas song, “Čas zimných zázrakov”, followed. In September 2022, her song “Oceán” came out. Her next single was “Pre Teba”, released in May 2023, followed in October by “Tancuj”. She teamed up with Martin Kavulič again for a song “Tatranci”, which was released in December. Entries Horehronie Country🇸🇰 Slovakia Year2010 LanguageSlovak LyricsMartin Kavulič MusicMartin Kavulič BackingsDavid SchimmerHanku ServickúMartin MikulášekPeter ŽivnerSlavomír Kolkovič Results Semi Points: 24Position: 16Running order: 4 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/j8G6byTMr0o?si=SnjPvKvqM71IRaAw

UEFA 2020: DAY 13

It’s gonna be the last day of the first round today. Four matches will be played again. We can put the first two countries, Poland and Sweden, in only one song. In 2018, Poland was represented by Polish DJ Gromee and Swedish singer Lukas Meijer. They sang “Light me up” in a Polish/Swedish co-production. The second match will be between Slovakia and Spain. For both countries, we chose a ballad, sung by a duo. For Slovakia we chose for the 2009 contestants Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková and their duet “Leť tmou”. The Spanish song is a love duet from 2018: Amaia and Alfred sang “Tu canción”. Portugal will meet France tonight. Both countries most often sing in their native languages. So we decided to pick the exceptions. In 2008, Sebastien Tellier sang “Divine”. Only a few lines were in French, the biggest part in English. This year, the Portuguese band The Black Mamba sang it’s song “Love is on my side” in English. And we have the match between Hungary and Germany today. The city of Munich is not allowed to make a statement and colour the stadium in rainbow colours. That’s what UEFA decided. However, we don’t need UEFA’s permission. So we add Kati Wolf’s “What about my dream”; the 2011 Hungarian entry. It was the fan favorite, and we all know that a big part of the Eurovision fan base is at least very gay friendly! Even more clear was the German singer Lou in 2003 in her song “Let’s get happy”. Why? Well, just listen!

UEFA 2020: DAY 8

The European Soccer Championship has already reached it’s 8th day. Today, we will see three other matches. To start with Sweden-Slovakia. What we found was a couple of mystical songs. Sweden once sent the group One More Time to the contest with the song “Den vilda”. One of the members of One More Time was Peter Grönvall, the son of Abba’s Benny Andersson. Another one, his wife Nanne Grönvall, is still very famous in Sweden. For Slovakia we chose a song about the beautiful area of Horehronie in Slovakia. The song, which was also called “Horehronie”, was sung by Kristina and hit the number one spot in the Slovak charts. Croatia and Czech Republic will play against eachother. Girls in not too much clothes! That is what brings those two countries together. We thought about Albina, who represented Croatia this year. We also thought about Tereza Kerndlová, who sang “Have some fun” in 2008. And the last match for today is the one between England and Scotland. That made us bring up two ladies, who both earned the trophy for the United Kingdom. Who remembers Sandie Shaw, barefoot, back in 1967? And who remembers Lulu, with false eyelashes and dressed in pink, yelling “Olé!” at the end of the song? Sandie was English, Lulu was Scottish.

Max Jason Mai

About Quick Facts NameMiroslav Šmajda Born27 November 1988 Nationality🇸🇰 Slovak National SelectionInternal selection 2012 In Eurovision2012 Baku SongDon’t Close Your Eyes (2012) Biography Miroslav “Miro” Šmajda, born on November 27, 1988, in Košice, Slovakia, is a dynamic Slovak singer who has made a significant mark in the music industry. Miro initially gained widespread recognition in the Czech and Slovak music scene through his participation in the inaugural season of the Česko Slovenská SuperStar in 2009, where he finished in second place. This early success laid the foundation for his career. Miro’s journey into the world of music began before his television fame. In 2006, he participated in the Košický Zlatý Poklad 2006, a musical contest, presenting his song “Suchý ľad” with his band Skivers. Although the song didn’t win over the judges, it marked the beginning of his journey in music composition and performance. His breakthrough came in 2009 with Česko Slovenská Superstar, catapulting him into the limelight. Following this success, Miro continued to perform and give concerts, rapidly growing his fan base. In the fall of 2010, he released his first original single, “Last Forever,” followed by a Slovak single, “Baby.” His debut album “Čo sa týka lásky,” recorded with the group Rosemaid, was released on November 8, 2010, showcasing his ability to blend emotive songwriting with captivating melodies. In 2010, Miro expanded his artistic reach by participating in the dance show Let’s Dance 4 alongside dancer Katarína Štumpfová. In March 2011, he won in three categories at the Žebřík 2010 awards: Album of the Year (“Čo sa týka lásky”), Song of the Year (“Last Forever”), and Discovery of the Year, cementing his status as a rising star in the Slovak music scene. Miro has performed at various Czech and Slovak festivals, including Votvírák, Sázavafest, Cibulafest, and Europa fest, showcasing his music to a diverse audience. In May 2011, he released a new single, “Loneliness,” accompanied by a music video on October 21, 2011, which remained in the top ranks of the TV Óčko chart for five weeks. On October 15, 2011, he embarked on his first tour, Miro Šmajda Goodbye Tour 2011, spanning nine Czech cities, bringing his music directly to his fans. On March 7, 2012, he was internally selected by RTVS to represent Slovakia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan, under the name Max Jason Mai. He performed the song “Don’t Close Your Eyes” during the second semi-final evening, finishing in the 18th position. In 2015, Miro founded the band Terrapie and since 2017, he has been the frontman of the legendary Czech rock band Walda Gang, continuing his passion for music and performance. They released an album in 2018, “Je Tu Léto”. In 2018, Miro took part in Tvoja tvár znie povedome (Your Face Sounds Familiar). His solosingle “Youtuberi” was released in October of that year. In July 2019 his new song “Narkoman” came out. Two months later he joined with Terrapie for the video and release of two songs, recorded at the same day: “Do pekla jo!” and “Sněhurvu”, two months later followed by “Tam Život Je Fajn”. In early 2020, the song “Pán PRCtenů” came out. In the summer of 2021, a new tour with Walda Gang took place. Terrapie released a new album, entitled “Hevy MeNtal”. In the summer of 2023, Miro toured with both bands, Walda Gang and Terrapie. The new Terrapie single “Mařena” was released in July. In December 2023, the single “Diagnoza” came out. For this song, the band teamed up with Xholakys and Pilsen Voice. Entries Don’t close your eyes Country🇸🇰 Slovakia Year2012 LanguageEnglish LyricsMax Jason Mai MusicMax Jason Mai BackingsBranislav JurnečkaTomas GabrisSamuel JurnečkaRadovan Gardian Results Semi Points: 22Position: 18Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/OTXz60794lI?si=4IdItV7DOrS8F6ym

TWiiNS

About Quick Facts MembersVeronika NízlováDaniela Nízlová Born15 May 1986 Nationality🇸🇰 Slovakia National SelectionInternal selection 2011 In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongI’m still alive (2011) Biography Twiins, formerly known as Tweens, is a Slovak musical duo formed by twin sisters Veronika and Daniela Nízlová, born on May 15, 1986, in Hronský Beňadik. The sisters pursued their education at the University of Economics and Public Administration in Bratislava. They first garnered attention in 1996 when they won a children’s song contest, Hviezdička, marking the beginning of their musical journey. Originally named Tweens, a name conceived by Daniel Hevier, they embarked on their musical career with their debut album “Tweens” in 2000. This was followed by “Máme čas…” in 2001, “Škrtni zápalkou” in 2003, and “Láska chce viac” in 2005, all under their initial band name. These albums helped establish their presence in the Slovak music scene. In 2008, the duo underwent a significant transformation, changing their name to Twiins. This change coincided with the release of their music video for the song “I Don’t Know,” which was filmed in the USA. This marked a new phase in their career, expanding their audience and artistic direction. The Twiins’ journey took an international turn on May 14, 2011, when they represented Slovakia at the 56th Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. Their participation in this event was a direct nomination by RTVS, the Slovak public broadcaster, due to budgetary constraints that year. Under their new name, Twiins, they released the album “Compromise” in 2009, showcasing their evolution as artists. They continued to release music, including “Singles Collection” in 2017, a compilation that highlighted their journey and success over the years. In 2021, they released “Zlatá Brána Dokorán,” further solidifying their place in the music industry. Entries I’m Still Alive Country🇸🇰 Slovakia Year2011 LanguageEnglish LyricsBryan ToddSandra Nordstrom MusicBryan ToddSandra NordstromBranislav Jančich Backings– Results Semi Points: 48Position: 13Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Lmn1mvWQIOY?si=gtPZRC_NAczt2IBZ