Aiko
“Pedestal”, 2024 in Malmö (2nd semi-final)
As of: May 10, 2024 12:01 a.m
Aiko represented the Czech Republic at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. In the Czech preliminary round, she successfully asserted herself against six other acts. However, she didn’t make it to the ESC final.
In her luggage for Sweden she had the song “Pedestal”, which she performed live in the preliminary round “ESCZ 2024” at the beginning of December. Afterwards, fans were able to vote for another week via the official ESC app as to which of the seven acts would win the ticket to Malmö. Interesting: According to the votes of the Czech public, it was only enough for fifth place. But there the 70 percent of international votes counted, she owes them the victory in the end. However, “Pedestal” was not able to convince in Malmö: Aiko was eliminated after her appearance in the second semi-final.
VIDEO: Czech Republic: Aiko – “Pedestal” | Second ESC semi-final 2024 (3 min)
Released too early?
Shortly after Aiko was declared the winner, a clip of her song appeared online. So far, so normal. The only problem: The recording of “Pedestal” comes from a festival appearance in June. However, the ESC rules state that the songs of the current year may not be published or performed in front of the public before September 1st of the previous year. The background to the rule is that countries should not gain an unfair advantage through earlier publication. However, the EBU did not see such an advantage in Aiko’s case. In any case, the Czech delegation informed the EBU about the appearance before the Czech preliminary decision. The small outcry that circulated when the video appeared on social networks – in vain.
Deep alternative pop
The 24-year-old singer Aiko’s real name is Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova. She was born in Moscow and grew up in the Czech Republic. She currently lives in Brighton, UK. She took singing and guitar lessons as a child. In 2015 she made it to the semi-finals of the casting show “Česko Slovenská SuperStar”, and three years later her debut album “Aiko” was released. Her second album “Fortune’s Child” was released in October. In her musical work, Aiko takes up themes such as love, loneliness and self-image and pours them into alternative pop music. She is also committed to inclusivity and equality in the music industry.
Put yourself on a pedestal
In her song “Pedestal,” Aiko puts self-love on a pedestal.
The song “Pedestal”, which was co-written by the singer herself, is about self-empowerment and self-love. Aiko sings about putting yourself first and becoming independent of toxic relationships and external influences. She literally sings: “I have to learn to put myself on a pedestal.” A kind of mantra for self-love and a reminder to reflect on yourself again and break out of insecure behavior patterns.
Further information
The Czech Republic celebrated its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki. After a break of several years, the country returned to competition in 2015. more
3 Min
Aiko competes for the Czech Republic at the ESC with “Pedestal”. Here is the official music video for the song. 3 mins
This topic in the program:
ONE | Eurovision Song Contest | May 9, 2024 | 9:00 p.m