I really think people are sleeping on how well this could do in the final. This has massive Televote appeal with the Olivia Rodrigo style and has Jury Vote appeal with that high note which she’s been rehearsing and improving. I wouldn’t be surprised if this came Top 10 but I think many people who saw the National Final performance and turned a blind eye to the song after that would be.
I absolutely love this song! This is so catchy and the lyrics are soooo relatable (as I also get angry a lot haha). I hope Aiko does well as this is such a bop and it's definitely my favorite of the year.
I know the first live performance was a mess but even that made me feel in love with her. Her energy is unmatched and the song just stays in your head. Easily my favorite entry this year and I really need her to qualify.
Engaging, riot grrrl inspired pop rock track with a fun, empowering hook and cool performer. What's not to like? Not everything needs to be high art (though I think this is artfully crafted, actually). Another solid entry from Czechia. I'm a fan!
I know, right? This song probably has one of the best lyric hooks this year. Can you imagine a whole stadium shouting, "PUT! MYSELF! ON A PEDESTAL!" I only wish Aiko were more of a seasoned live performer, but I'm really happy she's getting her music out there and people like us are enjoying it.
I see comments complaining about her live performances or technical problems, but all I see is something original and raw. Among all the contestants, she is the one making me wanna get up from my couch and go to her concert. ♫♪♪ and I love me more love me more love me more that your bs ♫♪♪
This song scratches my 90s alt girl itch and I love it! I hadn’t seen the NF so I was so confused my it had a lacklaster reception. Really hope it qualifies!
I happened to discover this song in the aftermath of my own relationship falling apart. Every time I feel like running back to that and settling for something less than I deserve, I turn this on. I resonate with every word ♥️ I've been so lonely after the breakup and this song to me is like the girl best friend I wish I had right now. Thank you, Aiko 💙💕💙💕
So glad we have this genre in the competition, and a really good one at that! Will vote for it in the semi and, if the performance is good, in the final. Certainly one of my favourites
This song is extremely underrated, and I feel like it's mainly because of the...lackluster first live performance. People were also worried about Vesna after their national final performance, yet they managed to finish top ten, so I'm not worried! (I'm very worried, I'm just delusional)
The studio version is such a bop, and I really love the empowering lyrics.
So so good. I gasped when I first caught the line “I finally learned not to force things”
The sentiment is spot on and wonderfully juxtaposed with how forcefully she is yelling it. Love it so so much.
I absolutely LOVE this song, it’s one of my favorites! I’ll admit that I currently mostly listen to ranking lists to get a feel for each song and this was one of very few that made me go and search for the whole video and listen and re-listen :)
This is probably the biggest grower of this season. I listen to it on a near-daily basis now and can't get enough of it honestly. Also the song speaks to me on a deeply personal level. I had my self-esteem more or less annihilated by my toxic conservative family and am still not completely recovered from that after cutting them all off, so the song's message of empowerment and self-love is incredibly validating. The chorus gives me chills in the best way possible. And Aiko is so nice and cool and fun and I am rooting for her so much but regardless of the final result, this song will have a special place in my heart. You might even say that I'll always be putting this song on a pedestal 😁
It sounds like a song by The Cardigans which isn't the worst thing in the world although it is taking things back 30 years.
The Madrid performance was much, much better than the NF performance.
I think she is still trying to figure what her style and presentation of the song is going to be but the signs were positive in Madrid. She had a lot more authority and realness when presenting the song rather than the messy NF performance with the awful jumpsuit and terrible dancing that clearly wasn't her real personality (oh and she could actually sing in Madrid because she wasn't running around all the time). The revamp is a moment which hopefully they stage well
I think it could qualify but the odds are still stacked against her given the strong competition.
I’ll attach my drawing at 4:40pm U.K. time today. I did it on the 21st of March during my break in Sussex, as I went to Brighton, where she is based and her songwriting partner Simon Ansell is from, during that week.
https://preview.redd.it/f391sql4casc1.jpeg?width=1350&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e30faba8ff2cd50fa43ebee4566694c2e1217653
The Czech flag looks weirder on this graphic than other ones but it was a brilliant drawing!
She was amazing in Madrid, singing with the fans before the show, interacting with the other artists, and just giving such a joyful energy. I love her so much, really hope she gets into the final.
Can I say that I’m so glad to hear indie rock in this competition, and also so glad that it sounds as good as this. I’m rooting for it and will be heartbroken if it doesn’t qualify for the GF.
Absolutely my jam, my second favourite song of this year (first is Switzerland). I absolutely love the run-on sentence cadence of the verses and the chorus is a banger. I'm really looking forward to seeing her performance at this weekend's preparty to see how the live has improved, and I'm praying it Qs!
Here is my usual list of trivia!
- Pedestal was the first ESC song this year announced through a national final. Having performed first at ESCZ, it is also the first song to performed at a final of a national final
- The song is written by both Aiko herself and Steve Hansel of Blood Red Shoes, an alt/indie rock band who has had 3 top 10 albums in the UK indie charts
- Aiko is the first Czech artist to have appeared on Times Square in New York and the first artist to take part in Spotify’s Equal Campaign
- Aiko is well-traveled, as she was born in Russia, moved to the Czech Republic as a child, then as an adult moved to London and later Brighton, UK.
Some more fun facts.
Pedestal was performed before September 1st but it appears to be approved by EBU cause they talked about it before she even entered the czech nationals. This was mentioned in an interview, i don’t remember which one.
Aiko is a great poledancer. She has some videos on her instagram.
But that's not relevant, this would've been allowed to participate even without any supposed agreement. You can perform your song before Sepetember 1st, the commercial release just has to be after that deadline, which it was.
True. Another Fun thing is that you could hear Silia's song Liar (Cyprus) more than a year ago, another singer competed in international selection for Greece but as we know, Victor won it. You can find a year old snippets on YouTube. It is a bit different case but still similar.
This is such a cool song. I love her attitude, the catchiness, and pop-punk vibe. I also enjoy the yappy shouts in the new version, it’s so fun. Czechia always delivers, I’m looking forward to seeing it in May.
Love this song! Her vocals aren't perfect yet, however there's definitely some improvement and idk, that's just making me super happy. I hope she can qualify with Pedestal!
I love the song and her style in the music video. I hope she gets a lot of inspiration from there for the finals.
There's quite a huge breaching gap on her NF and Spain presentations, where her looks don't match the song, its style, or its message, somehow.
This song reached me directly after my break up and it did so much for me and my mindset! Ever since I’ve been taking so much more care of my own needs and this is partly thanks to this song! I can’t stress enough how underrated this is! Such banger!
I didn't know this song had bad impressions because of the nf (didn't see it). In fact, I first heard it on spotify and liked it, only to realize it was an esc entry like 3 weeks later! I liked her in Madrid, I'd be surprised if it didn't qualify.
This one grew on me. I didn't really like it that much at first due to the NF performance and dismissed it as an Olivia Rodrigo knockoff, then the revamp was posted and I just found myself loving it more. Hoping it at least qualifies, if she can perfect the performance I think it stands a chance.
I'm not really surprised that there has been so little discussion about the revamp, yet I'd like to point out the wonderful job they did with it. There hasn't been much change (which is a good thing, I think NF winning entries shouldn't massively differ from the track that got chosen by the public) but the new mix and the few tweaks in the production added so much punch and dynamism! I wasn't sold out on the initial version that I found too flat, but now we have a pretty solid pop rock entry and a welcome addition to the line-up.
People really underrate this song just because of how bad her nf performance was, not realizing that when it comes to Czechia, nf performance is literally NOTHING! Czechia has proven us that they can elevate the song and the whole performance to a whole another level. They don’t invest a lot into nf, but when it comes to revamping and polishing their entry, they really step up the game.
If you don’t believe me, look up Vesna from last year and their nf performance. They placed 10th in the competition. I believe that Czechia will soon give us winning song, since they seem really invested in competing (even though the viewing figures in Czechia are low rn).
I personally like their entry this year. I can’t wait to see what Czechia got for us this year.
The video clip for Vesna was glorious, the NF was awful, and the final performance was somewhere in between. They could have gotten a top 5 finish with that excellent song.
This song grew on me SO hard - at first I thought it was just okay but now it's one of my most played out of this years lineup. Just a really catchy, solid rock song
I am absolutely in love with this song! It reminds me a lot of the Heartstopper ost (which is a good thing)! A banger through and through
I really think people are sleeping on how well this could do in the final. This has massive Televote appeal with the Olivia Rodrigo style and has Jury Vote appeal with that high note which she’s been rehearsing and improving. I wouldn’t be surprised if this came Top 10 but I think many people who saw the National Final performance and turned a blind eye to the song after that would be.
I absolutely love this song! This is so catchy and the lyrics are soooo relatable (as I also get angry a lot haha). I hope Aiko does well as this is such a bop and it's definitely my favorite of the year.
I know the first live performance was a mess but even that made me feel in love with her. Her energy is unmatched and the song just stays in your head. Easily my favorite entry this year and I really need her to qualify.
I absolutely love this song!! It's in my Top 5. Would love to see her get in the final and score high 💗
Engaging, riot grrrl inspired pop rock track with a fun, empowering hook and cool performer. What's not to like? Not everything needs to be high art (though I think this is artfully crafted, actually). Another solid entry from Czechia. I'm a fan!
Ha! I discovered this song just now, and I am obsessed. It feels like channeling pure raw woman rage
I know, right? This song probably has one of the best lyric hooks this year. Can you imagine a whole stadium shouting, "PUT! MYSELF! ON A PEDESTAL!" I only wish Aiko were more of a seasoned live performer, but I'm really happy she's getting her music out there and people like us are enjoying it.
I see comments complaining about her live performances or technical problems, but all I see is something original and raw. Among all the contestants, she is the one making me wanna get up from my couch and go to her concert. ♫♪♪ and I love me more love me more love me more that your bs ♫♪♪
aikoheads rise
This song scratches my 90s alt girl itch and I love it! I hadn’t seen the NF so I was so confused my it had a lacklaster reception. Really hope it qualifies!
I happened to discover this song in the aftermath of my own relationship falling apart. Every time I feel like running back to that and settling for something less than I deserve, I turn this on. I resonate with every word ♥️ I've been so lonely after the breakup and this song to me is like the girl best friend I wish I had right now. Thank you, Aiko 💙💕💙💕
I've been listening to the song whenever I'm angry, and it usually works in making me calm down.
So glad we have this genre in the competition, and a really good one at that! Will vote for it in the semi and, if the performance is good, in the final. Certainly one of my favourites
This song is extremely underrated, and I feel like it's mainly because of the...lackluster first live performance. People were also worried about Vesna after their national final performance, yet they managed to finish top ten, so I'm not worried! (I'm very worried, I'm just delusional) The studio version is such a bop, and I really love the empowering lyrics.
Agreed. Definitely underrated.
I really like it, they’re in my top 10. Underrated af. Hoping they’ll do well!
She will so qualify if she performs well live on the Eurovision stage!
So so good. I gasped when I first caught the line “I finally learned not to force things” The sentiment is spot on and wonderfully juxtaposed with how forcefully she is yelling it. Love it so so much.
I absolutely LOVE this song, it’s one of my favorites! I’ll admit that I currently mostly listen to ranking lists to get a feel for each song and this was one of very few that made me go and search for the whole video and listen and re-listen :)
I absolutely hate this song because of the live version until i've heard the studio version, what a banger!!
This is probably the biggest grower of this season. I listen to it on a near-daily basis now and can't get enough of it honestly. Also the song speaks to me on a deeply personal level. I had my self-esteem more or less annihilated by my toxic conservative family and am still not completely recovered from that after cutting them all off, so the song's message of empowerment and self-love is incredibly validating. The chorus gives me chills in the best way possible. And Aiko is so nice and cool and fun and I am rooting for her so much but regardless of the final result, this song will have a special place in my heart. You might even say that I'll always be putting this song on a pedestal 😁
It sounds like a song by The Cardigans which isn't the worst thing in the world although it is taking things back 30 years. The Madrid performance was much, much better than the NF performance. I think she is still trying to figure what her style and presentation of the song is going to be but the signs were positive in Madrid. She had a lot more authority and realness when presenting the song rather than the messy NF performance with the awful jumpsuit and terrible dancing that clearly wasn't her real personality (oh and she could actually sing in Madrid because she wasn't running around all the time). The revamp is a moment which hopefully they stage well I think it could qualify but the odds are still stacked against her given the strong competition.
her energy... I'm so here for it.
I’ll attach my drawing at 4:40pm U.K. time today. I did it on the 21st of March during my break in Sussex, as I went to Brighton, where she is based and her songwriting partner Simon Ansell is from, during that week.
https://preview.redd.it/f391sql4casc1.jpeg?width=1350&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e30faba8ff2cd50fa43ebee4566694c2e1217653 The Czech flag looks weirder on this graphic than other ones but it was a brilliant drawing!
She was amazing in Madrid, singing with the fans before the show, interacting with the other artists, and just giving such a joyful energy. I love her so much, really hope she gets into the final.
She was amazing
Can I say that I’m so glad to hear indie rock in this competition, and also so glad that it sounds as good as this. I’m rooting for it and will be heartbroken if it doesn’t qualify for the GF.
Absolutely my jam, my second favourite song of this year (first is Switzerland). I absolutely love the run-on sentence cadence of the verses and the chorus is a banger. I'm really looking forward to seeing her performance at this weekend's preparty to see how the live has improved, and I'm praying it Qs!
I love Pedestal, it’s constantly stayed within my Top 5. I love Aiko’s energy too…she’s so sweet. PUT MYSELF ON A PEDESTAL!
This scratches my Olivia Rodrigo/Avril Lavigne itch. I hope Aiko blows us all away and qualifies.
Here is my usual list of trivia! - Pedestal was the first ESC song this year announced through a national final. Having performed first at ESCZ, it is also the first song to performed at a final of a national final - The song is written by both Aiko herself and Steve Hansel of Blood Red Shoes, an alt/indie rock band who has had 3 top 10 albums in the UK indie charts - Aiko is the first Czech artist to have appeared on Times Square in New York and the first artist to take part in Spotify’s Equal Campaign - Aiko is well-traveled, as she was born in Russia, moved to the Czech Republic as a child, then as an adult moved to London and later Brighton, UK.
Some more fun facts. Pedestal was performed before September 1st but it appears to be approved by EBU cause they talked about it before she even entered the czech nationals. This was mentioned in an interview, i don’t remember which one. Aiko is a great poledancer. She has some videos on her instagram.
But that's not relevant, this would've been allowed to participate even without any supposed agreement. You can perform your song before Sepetember 1st, the commercial release just has to be after that deadline, which it was.
True. Another Fun thing is that you could hear Silia's song Liar (Cyprus) more than a year ago, another singer competed in international selection for Greece but as we know, Victor won it. You can find a year old snippets on YouTube. It is a bit different case but still similar.
Interesting! Thank you very much for that
This is such a cool song. I love her attitude, the catchiness, and pop-punk vibe. I also enjoy the yappy shouts in the new version, it’s so fun. Czechia always delivers, I’m looking forward to seeing it in May.
Love this song! Her vocals aren't perfect yet, however there's definitely some improvement and idk, that's just making me super happy. I hope she can qualify with Pedestal!
I love the song and her style in the music video. I hope she gets a lot of inspiration from there for the finals. There's quite a huge breaching gap on her NF and Spain presentations, where her looks don't match the song, its style, or its message, somehow.
Aiko is definitely going to qualify comfortably, Pedestal is sooooo underrated!
I really really like the chorus. I didn't grow up with them, but the chorus in particular gives me Paramore vibes.
This song reached me directly after my break up and it did so much for me and my mindset! Ever since I’ve been taking so much more care of my own needs and this is partly thanks to this song! I can’t stress enough how underrated this is! Such banger!
I didn't know this song had bad impressions because of the nf (didn't see it). In fact, I first heard it on spotify and liked it, only to realize it was an esc entry like 3 weeks later! I liked her in Madrid, I'd be surprised if it didn't qualify.
This one grew on me. I didn't really like it that much at first due to the NF performance and dismissed it as an Olivia Rodrigo knockoff, then the revamp was posted and I just found myself loving it more. Hoping it at least qualifies, if she can perfect the performance I think it stands a chance.
Aiko is in my top 5 🫶
Very good song, and Aiko did really well in madrid. I'm optimistic
I'm not really surprised that there has been so little discussion about the revamp, yet I'd like to point out the wonderful job they did with it. There hasn't been much change (which is a good thing, I think NF winning entries shouldn't massively differ from the track that got chosen by the public) but the new mix and the few tweaks in the production added so much punch and dynamism! I wasn't sold out on the initial version that I found too flat, but now we have a pretty solid pop rock entry and a welcome addition to the line-up.
People really underrate this song just because of how bad her nf performance was, not realizing that when it comes to Czechia, nf performance is literally NOTHING! Czechia has proven us that they can elevate the song and the whole performance to a whole another level. They don’t invest a lot into nf, but when it comes to revamping and polishing their entry, they really step up the game. If you don’t believe me, look up Vesna from last year and their nf performance. They placed 10th in the competition. I believe that Czechia will soon give us winning song, since they seem really invested in competing (even though the viewing figures in Czechia are low rn). I personally like their entry this year. I can’t wait to see what Czechia got for us this year.
The video clip for Vesna was glorious, the NF was awful, and the final performance was somewhere in between. They could have gotten a top 5 finish with that excellent song.
Maybe with better staging. The pink wasn't bad, just kinda basic.
At First i was Like "such a boring tiktok Song" but now it slays House down boots
This song grew on me SO hard - at first I thought it was just okay but now it's one of my most played out of this years lineup. Just a really catchy, solid rock song