Mikolas Josef

Mikoláš Josef[2] (Czech pronunciation: ['mɪkolaːʃ 'jozef ]; born 4 October 1995), known professionally as Mikolas Josef, is a Czech singer, songwriter, music producer, music video director, and choreographer.[3] He represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song "Lie to Me", reaching sixth place. Josef is the most successful Czech entrant to date in Eurovision history.

For the Czechoslovak ice hockey player, see Josef Mikoláš.

Mikolas Josef
Josef in Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon
Born
Mikoláš Josef

(1995-10-04) 4 October 1995
Prague, Czech Republic
Occupationsinger, song writer, dancer, author
Years active2013–present
Home townKamenice, Czech Republic[1]
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Websitemikolasjosef.com

Life

Mikolas was born on 4 October 1995 in Prague into a musical family.[4] He is of Czech, Moravian, Austrian, German and Italian descent.[3] He has a brother named Karel and an older half-sister called Martina. He has been playing guitar since he was five years old.[5] He grew up in Znojmo and in a small village in central Bohemia.[1]

In 2006-2008 he studied at an art school, majoring in playing the guitar, which he was not able to finish. He continued his studies at a grammar school where he received an E in a music class! “At that point I told myself there is no authority nor institution called school that will help me get wherever I want to be. Then I chose to take a whole different path. And it was the best decision I have ever made.”[6]

He knew he wanted to make music ever since he was five years old. The moment he realised this was at a concert of a local folk band called Fleret. He first began making folk records moving on to hip hop, house and pop music influenced by folk music, creating a unique combination and style.[7]

In 2015 he graduated from the English College in Prague[8]. At the age of 17 he was awarded a gold medal for solo acting by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.[9] However, he decided not to pursue this course. Instead of studying in prestigious universities, he decided to devote his life to music.

While studying he was involved in many fashion shows and shoots for major brands, such as Diesel, Replay or Prada.[10] He ended this promising career as he did not agree with its practises.[11]

After his modelling experience he made a living by busking in large European cities, such as Prague, Oslo, Zurich, Hamburg, and Vienna.[12] “Busking was the best musical education I could ever have wished for. If I hadn´t started in the streets, I would never have understood what it means to be a musician,” Mikolas says.[13] At that time he was also cleaning a recording studio during the week – so that he could produce his own music there once a month whenever it was empty.[14]

In 2018 he appeared in a selection of “18 inspiring people of 2018” in a Forbes magazine who “overcome convention and inspire others”.[14] In 2019 he was the face of an ad campaign for Tezenis underwear and Huawei.[15]

In 2019 he and his family established their own independent record company, Vivienne Records. Mikolas´ family supported him in his career from the beginning and now they make up his management team.[16]

Music career

Mikolas decided to pursue music professionally. He independently released his debut single "Hands Bloody" in 2015.[17] The following year, he released the single "Free", which became a top four hit in the Czech Republic.[18][19] That same year, he also released the single "Believe (Hey Hey)".[20][21][22] After this he moved to Vienna, following an invitation by Nikodem Milewski.[3]

Josef was approached to represent the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "My Turn", but rejected the offer as he did not believe the song suited him.[23] In November of 2017, Josef released the single "Lie to Me" where he spoke about infidelity in a past relationship. "You can always look at things from a different perspective, even though they might feel like the worst at that moment".[24] He later confirmed that the song would compete in the Czech national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon.[25][26][27] "Lie to Me" later won the national selection, and represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. He finished 6th with 66 points from the international jury and 215 points from the audience, giving the Czech Republic its best result so far in the competition.[28][29] In May of 2020 Lie to Me reached 30 million streams on Spotify, a major global streaming platform, which puts the single into the position of most streamed Czech song.[30]

In April 2018, in Munich, he signed an international deal with Sony Music and RCA Records.[31] Later in 2018, he released the single "Me Gusta" on which he collaborated with a Swedish song writer Joacim Persson and others.[32] Its music video was shot in the baroque library Klementinum. "Abu Dhabi" was his final release for Sony Music. Since then, he began recording independently once more, currently for Vivienne Records. "Acapella", a latino-themed song, was his first release for this label. It achieved success in Czech Republic (his first chart-topper here) and in Poland. At the end of November 2019, he released a single “Colorado”. The inspiration behind it came from his longing for countryside and mountains and to once again be the person he used to be before all the publicity.[33]

In July 2019 Mikolas performed in Athens in front of 55 000 people. “You come there, spread your arms wide and suddenly what you´re doing becomes a drug and it´s like jumping off a plane. You are invincible, you are everything and nothing. It´s an addiction.”[34] In April Mikolas debuted with his own concert in a sold out Forum Karlin, Prague, called “My Name is Mikolas” where, amongst all his hits, he performed a range of unreleased singles accompanied by six African vocalists.[35] In December 2019 he toured the Czech Republic with his show, “Closer to You”.[36]

Discography

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CZE
[37]		 CZE (Dig.)
[38]		 AUT
[39]		 FRA
[40]		 GER
[41]		 POL
[42]		 SCO
[43]		 SPA
[44]		 SWE
[45]
"Hands Bloody" 2015 ————————— Non-album singles
"Free" 2016 4————————
"Believe (Hey Hey)" —————————
"Lie to Me" 2017 522912229—563921
"Me Gusta" 2018 710———————
"Abu Dhabi" 2019 —22———————
"Acapella"
(featuring Fito Blanko and Frankie J)		 120———2———
"Colorado" 4664———5———
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released.
Title Year Album
"Used to This"[46]
(Lukas Rieger featuring Mikolas Josef)		 2019 Justice
gollark: Nah.
gollark: Can we create a dedicated, separate #weather channel?
gollark: Also, how do you plan to reach it?
gollark: I'm fairly sure it has very variable brightness.
gollark: ... probably, but don't go there.

References
  1. "Bio". Mikolas Josef. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  2. "Official webpage of Mikolas Josef". Mikolas Josef. Vivienner Records s.r.o. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  3. televize, Česká. "Mikolas Josef – Lidé — Česká televize". ceskatelevize.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  4. "Mikolas Josef je novou tváří návrháře Lukáše Macháčka" (in Czech). ČTK. 14 February 2016.
  5. Coufalová, Veronika Angelina (10 July 2016). "ROZHOVOR: Zpěvák Mikolas Josef, sám sobě producentem" (in Czech). Krásná.cz. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  6. Jít svou cestou bylo nejlepší rozhodnutí, říká Mikolas Josef. Forbes.cz [online]. 2019 [cit. 2020-07-27]. Dostupné z: https://www.forbes.cz/jit-svou-cestou-bylo-nejlepsi-rozhodnuti-rika-muzikant-mikolas-josef/
  7. Mikolas Josef: Rodiče se mnou měli svatou trpělivost. Youtube.com [online]. Radiožurnál, 2019 [cit. 2020-07-27]. Dostupné z: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz7pdew2V0Y&feature=youtu.be
  8. Watch 2015 ECP graduate, Mikulas Josef, give his first interview, on Óčko today at 15.35! [online]. Facebook, 2015-10-13. Dostupné online:https://www.facebook.com/englishcollege/posts/10156343014000157.(anglicky)
  9. Soutěžící > Mikolas Josef [online]. Česká televize. Dostupné online:https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10000000302-eurovision-song-contest-2018/11024-soutezici/53692-mikolas-josef/. V anglické verzi [3].
  10. iReport.cz. "Mikolas Josef interview: Do školy už nikdy v životě nevlezu, leda ji podpálit". iREPORT – music&style magazine (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  11. "Mikolas Josef: český model, který zběhl k muzice". iDNES.cz. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  12. "Mikolas Josef je novou tváří návrháře Lukáše Macháčka | Protext - PR služby ČTK". www.protext.cz. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  13. "Mikolas Josef vydává osmý single "Colorado"". tv.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  14. "Mikolas Josef mezi 18 inspirativními roku 2018". 18 inspirativních - Forbes speciál (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  15. "Tezenis: Mikolas Josef ve spodním prádle (2019)". TVspoty.cz (in Czech). 25 February 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  16. Lukeš, Filip (3 May 2020). "Zpěvák Mikolas Josef: Fanynky někdy reagují dost drsně, píší o sebevraždě". Deník.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  17. Herrmannová, Nela (17 September 2015). "Připadal jsem si jako hadr, říká český model, který zběhl k muzice". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech).
  18. "Mikolas Josef na Apríla odpremiéruje nový videoklip k písničce "Free"" (in Czech). Musicserver.cz. 31 March 2016.
  19. "Talentu Mikolase Josefa nelze nevěřit. Potvrzuje to i v novince "Believe"" (in Czech). Musicserver.cz. 30 September 2016.
  20. Martínek, Josef (29 September 2016). "PREMIÉRA: Mikolas Josef singlem Believe potvrzuje mezinárodní ambice. Žánrové hranice nemá" (in Czech). iREPORT.cz.
  21. Balušek, Honza (5 December 2016). "Mikolas Josef do "Believe" obsadil Island a krásnou holku" (in Czech). Musicserver.cz.
  22. "VIDEOPREMIÉRA: Mikolas Josef, kandidát na účast v Eurovizi, natočil klip Believe (Hey Hey) na Islandu" (in Czech). iREPORT.cz. 8 November 2016.
  23. Adams, William Lee (14 January 2018). "Mikolas Josef: "Lie to Me" is about not getting swallowed by negativity during tough times". Wiwibloggs.
  24. "Mikolas Josef v Kompotu: o Eurovizi, budoucnosti v Los Angeles a španělských fanoušcích". Radio Wave (in Czech). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  25. "CZECH REPUBLIC: SIX ACTS TO CONTEST EUROVISION 2018 NATIONAL SELECTION". wiwibloggs.com. 7 December 2017.
  26. "CZECH REPUBLIC: JAKUB ONDRA AND MIKOLAS JOSEF SET FOR SIX-ACT NATIONAL FINAL". wiwibloggs.com. 9 December 2017.
  27. "CZECH REPUBLIC: CT REVEALS PHOTOS OF THE SIX FINALISTS… BUT ONLY SHOWS THEIR LEGS". wiwibloggs.com. 15 December 2017.
  28. Halpin, Chris (29 January 2018). "Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef wins Eurovision Song CZ with "Lie to Me"". Wiwibloggs.
  29. Weaver, Jessica (29 January 2018). "Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef to Lisbon with Lie To Me!". ESCToday.
  30. Lie to Me, retrieved 28 July 2020
  31. Granger, Anthony (4 April 2018). "Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef Signs Worldwide Record Deal". Eurovoix.
  32. Witek, Jan. "Nový song Mikolase Josefa je venku: „Je to zatím má nejlepší práce, tak doufám, že se bude líbit"". www.lui.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  33. Netky.sk [online]. Slovensko, 2020 [cit. 2020-07-23]. Dostupné z: http://www.netky.sk/clanok/reportaz-najpocuvanejsi-spevak-v-cechach-a-na-slovensku-mikolas-josef-v-cechach-mnohi-netusia-ze-som-cech
  34. "RADIO TALKS - Mikolas Josef". Audioboom. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  35. "NAžIVO: Mikolas Josef ve Foru Karlín - ambiciózní koncertní debut s výpravou z říše snů". musicserver.cz. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  36. "Mikolas Josef: vánoční turné Closer To You - Ostrava". Informuji.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  37. "CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 MIKOLAS JOSEF" (in Czech). ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  38. "CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 MIKOLAS JOSEF" (in Czech). ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  39. "Discographie Mikolas Josef". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  40. "Discographie Mikolas Josef". lescharts.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  41. "Mikolas Josef – German Charts". GfK. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  42. Peak positions for singles in Poland:
  43. Peak positions for singles in Scotland:
  44. "Discography Mikolas Josef". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  45. "Discography Mikolas Josef". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  46. Rieger, Lukas (16 May 2019). Used to This (YouTube.com). Retrieved 22 May 2020.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Martina Bárta
with "My Turn"		 Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest
2018		 Succeeded by
Lake Malawi
with "Friend of a Friend"
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