Prague - In January this year public service Czech TV decided not to organize a competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, a popular music event held annually among members of the European Broadcasting Union.
Instead a band was chosen without the competition. Roma rap band Gipsy.cz has been selected to represent the Czech Republic in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
Last Friday Gipsy.cz presented two songs at a press conference held in Hybernia Palace.
Now the public will have a chance to select which song will represent their country.
On February 28 the songs will be performed in a TV show Noc s Andělem (Night with Angel) and the Czech public will be able to choose one of these two songs via sms voting.
The sms voting will close on March 14. The winning song will be made public on the Anděl Music Awards show on March 21.
The reasons why Czech TV decided to select the band itself remain unclear. Some speculate that it is the economic crisis, some say it is the lack of bands interested in representing the country.
Show-off show
Western Europe tends to look down at the Eurosong Contest, while former Eastern bloc countries see it as an opportunity to promote their music in the West.
Gipsy.cz's frontman Radoslav Banga seems to be aware of that.
"We'll just be showing off too because we like it. But it will not be only showing, we have more to offer," said Banga.
Since 1958 there is a rule saying that the winning country holds the next contest. After Russian singer Dima Bilan's victory with Believe last year in Belgrade, the 54th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in the Russian capital Moscow. It is also one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world.
Gipsy.cz is the first Czech band that "made" it for the Eurovision Song Contest.
