Broadcaster \u010cT aired the competition, called the ESCZ 2024, in December 2023. Seven different contestants battled it out for a chance to represent their country at Malm\u00f6 Arena in Sweden, but ultimately, artist Aiko came out on top<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She won via online voting, with 70 per cent of votes being international, while 30 per cent of voters came from Czechia.<\/p>\n Kry\u0161tof \u0160\u00e1mal, Czechia\u2019s head of delegation, said: \u201cThis year, we witnessed an incredible and diverse cast of finalists, leading to a dynamic evolution in the race for victory.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a total of 98,000 votes received, each stage of the last week presented a different winner almost every two days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are excited to start working with Aiko to deliver a brilliant performance.\u201d<\/p>\n But who is Aiko and does she have what it takes? Here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n Age:<\/strong> 24<\/p>\n Instagram: <\/strong>@aikomakesmusic<\/a><\/p>\n Aiko is a musician and artist whose journey to Eurovision has been three years in the making. She\u2019s the first Czech artist to make it onto Times Square in New York, and the first Czech female artist to participate in the Spotify Equal campaign.<\/p>\n In 2015, Aiko participated in the televised talent show \u010cesko Slovensk\u00e1 SuperStar. After this, she moved to the UK to pursue a music career. <\/span><\/p>\n She has released three albums: 2018\u2019s self-titled Aiko, 2020\u2019s Expiration Date and, most recently, 2023\u2019s Fortune\u2019s Child.<\/p>\n Discussing<\/a> her upcoming performance, Aiko said, \u201cI want it to be an empowering experience. I hope it makes people want to pursue their dreams and goals. And [I hope] that I will serve as maybe an inspiration?<\/p>\n \u201cAfter all, I am still an independent artist. Moreover, I want to put on a great performance and spread the message of the song, which is essentially coming down to loving yourself and putting yourself first.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiko was born on 26th December 1999, making her 24 years old<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Aiko was born in Moscow, raised in Czezchia, and now spends time in the United Kingdom. Her nationality is Czech<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In an interview with the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast<\/a>, Aiko said: \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get into Eurovision for three years, so it\u2019s been a while, but I\u2019m really happy that this is the song that made it in.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not write it with the intention for it to be in Eurovision, so that\u2019s also something that makes me really happy. That it\u2019s something that really is coming from me, from the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n She added in an interview with Eurovision World: \u201cI love making music. I am a musician first and foremost, so I kept on making music after getting told \u2018no\u2019. Eurovision was something I\u2019d love to be a part of and that I\u2019d love to achieve, so I kept on going.\u201d<\/p>\n Czechia\u2019s Eurovision 2024 song is Pedestal<\/strong> and was written by Aiko. She shared her inspiration for the rock song in an interview with Eurovision World<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe actual inspiration was a not-so-happy relationship, even though I hold no bad feelings towards that person,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was me understanding that, at the end of the day, I only have myself to count on. Whenever we\u2019re in a relationship, we tend to get lost in the other person and, as I said, we should put ourselves first, always.\u201d<\/p>\n Czechia was represented Vesna, who performed My Sister\u2019s Crown. This led to them placing 10th<\/strong> in the final, scoring 129 points overall.<\/p>\n The first of the Eurovision 2024 semi-finals will air on Tuesday 7th May at 8pm<\/strong>, with the second show following on Thursday 9th May at 8pm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 11th May at 8pm<\/strong>, taking place at Malm\u00f6 Arena in Sweden.<\/p>\n The Eurovision Song Contest has faced significant criticism over its decision to allow Israel to compete in this year\u2019s competition in light of the current situation in Gaza and the Middle East, with some fans and members of the music industry calling for a boycott of the ceremony.<\/p>\n Noel Curran \u2013 director general of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision \u2013 has said in a statement<\/a>: \u201cWe understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East. We can\u2019t fail to be moved by the profound suffering of all those caught up in this terrible war.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political music event and a competition between public service broadcasters who are members of the EBU. It is not a contest between governments.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a member-led organisation, our governing bodies \u2013 the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group and the Executive Board \u2013 did review the participants list for the 2024 Contest and agreed that the Israeli public broadcaster KAN met all the competition rules for this year and can participate as it has for the past 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n The artists taking part in this year\u2019s contest have also faced backlash for not pulling out of the ceremony, including the UK\u2019s act Olly Alexander, who signed a joint statement<\/a> alongside other entrants explaining they \u201cdo not feel comfortable being silent\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages,\u201d the statement read. \u201cWe stand united against all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections. We feel that it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n The Eurovision 2024 live final will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 11th May at 8pm.<\/strong> You can also check out the full list of<\/strong> Eurovision winners<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>how many times the UK has won Eurovision<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our Entertainment<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Here’s everything you need to know about Czechia Eurovision 2024 entry Aiko. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":51041,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-scaled.jpg",2560,1706,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/05\/who-is-aiko-meet-czechia-eurovision-2024-entry-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Here's everything you need to know about Czechia Eurovision 2024 entry Aiko.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/51040"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Who is Czechia Eurovision 2024 entry Aiko?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Aiko](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-2147803874-e23e965-e1715178345597.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Czechia's")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How old is Aiko?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What nationality is Aiko?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What has Aiko said about representing Czechia at Eurovision 2024?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Aiko](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-2146941122-53fc089.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Czechia's")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
What is Czechia\u2019s Eurovision 2024 song called?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Where did Czechia come in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Vesna](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1254613394-5168482.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Vesna")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>When is Eurovision 2024?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"