As the Eurovision Song Contest kicks-off Lake Malawi is ready to play at its biggest gig yet
The 64th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest is set to start on May 14th in Israel. Forty-one countries are sending bands to Tel-Aviv. Representing the Czechs is the indie-pop band Lake Malawi, whose frontman, Albert Černý, is known as one of the most talented young Czech pop musicians.
Albert Černý, who writes the band’s music and songs, was born in the Silesian steel producing city of Třinec.
Already before the 30-year-old Černý set up Lake Malawi, he was an established musician, leading the band Charlie Straight during his late-teens and early-twenties. The band won many prestigious domestic awards and even the MTV Award for Best Czech/Slovak Act in 2010.
In 2013, the same year that Charlie Straight broke up, Černý announced the formation of Lake Malawi’s and presented the new band’s first single, Always, on BBC Radio London.
Two years later, in 2015, the band released its debut LP We Are Making Love Again, which was created in collaboration with leading British music producers and received critical aclaim. The Czech music website iReport wrote that Lake Malawi‘s music was on par with that of leading British indie bands.
Lake Malawi has also caught the attention of world famous artist MIKA and bands such as 30 Seconds to Mars and the Kooks, with the Czech formation playing as the support band at their concerts in the Czech Republic.
In 2017, the band released its debut album Surrounded by Light. One of the hit songs was titled Prague (In The City) and was praised for its music video by fans.
Lake Malawi has played over 300 gigs in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria and Britain. On Tuesday, the band is about to perform at perhaps their biggest gig yet – at the Eurovision Song Contest in the Israeli city of Tel-Aviv.
The song they will play is called Friend of a Friend.
Adam Černý says it is different to much of Lake Malawi’s other work. Its modern sound is more similar to the style of Maroon Five. However, it also contains 1980s synth sounds and has a touch of retro in it. The lyrics are also more autobiographical than in most of Mr. Černý’s songs.
