Helena Vondráčková facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helena Vondráčková
|
|
|---|---|
.JPG) |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 24 June 1947 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | |
Helena Vondráčková was born on June 24, 1947, in Prague, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. She is a famous Czech singer. Her amazing career has lasted for over sixty years! She has performed for many generations and is known for her powerful voice and stage presence.
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Childhood and First Steps
Helena grew up in a town called Slatiňany. From a young age, she loved music and took piano lessons. Her talent was clear very early on.
In 1964, when she was just 17, Helena became famous. She won a big national talent contest on April 27. A few months later, on September 3, she made her first recording. It was a Czech version of the song "Red River Valley", called "Červená řeka" (which means "Red River").
Rising Star and Awards
In 1965, the same year she finished high school, Helena was voted the most popular singer in Czechoslovakia. This was by the readers of a magazine called Mladý svět. She won the Golden Nightingale award, which was a huge honor.
Even though she won the Golden Nightingale only once, she often placed second or third. She earned eleven Silver Nightingale awards and sixteen Bronze Nightingale awards throughout her career. This shows how consistently popular she was!
Festival Successes
Helena started performing at music festivals in 1966. She first competed at the Bratislavská Lýra festival with another singer, Marta Kubišová. Their song, "Oh Baby Baby", won them the second-place Silver Lyre award.
Her first solo festival performance was in November 1967 at the Rio de Janeiro International Music Festival. Her song "Vzdálený hlas" won the Golden Rooster award there. She continued to win awards at other festivals, showing her talent to the world.
Early Hits and First Album
Helena's duet with Marta Kubišová, "Oh Baby Baby", reached number 2 on the Czechoslovakian music charts. In September 1967, Helena had her first number 1 hit with "Nedoufej". This was a Czech version of the Sonny & Cher song "Little Man".
She recorded many Czech versions of popular songs. These included ""Pátá"" ("Downtown") and "Chytila Jsem Motýlka" ("I Only Want to Be with You"). Another big hit was "Růže kvetou dál", a version of Gilbert Becaud's "L'Important c'est la Rose". This song became her second number 1 hit in November 1967.
Helena's first album, also called "Růže kvetou dál", came out in 1969. It was a collection of her popular songs released since 1964. That same year, she also starred in a fairy tale movie called The Incredibly Sad Princess.
The Golden Kids Group
Helena often performed at the Rokoko Palace in Prague. There, she met singers Václav Neckář and Marta Kubišová. They sometimes sang together.
In January 1968, Helena, Václav, and Marta performed as a group at a music event in Cannes, France. This led to them performing for a month at the famous Olympia Theatre in Paris.
On November 1, 1968, they officially formed a group called 'Golden Kids'. They recorded two albums and performed a lot in Czechoslovakia and Germany. However, the group had to stop performing in February 1970. This was because of political reasons in Czechoslovakia at the time.
The Golden Kids reunited for a special concert on November 3, 1994. It was at the Lucerna Palace in Prague and was even filmed for TV. They also released a concert album.
Later Career and Global Performances
The 1970s and Festivals
In November 1970, Helena took part in the first World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan. This led to her signing with Polydor Records in Japan. She then recorded her first album not in Czech, called Isle of Helena, in 1971. It was sung in English. Since then, she has sung in many languages, including French, Polish, Slovak, German, Russian, and Japanese.
Helena had her first big solo concert, Helena 71, in 1971. For most of the 1970s, she toured the world. She visited countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
She continued to win awards at festivals. In 1974, her song "Malovany dzbanku" won the Golden Lyre award at the Bratislavska Lyra festival. This song also helped her win the Grand Prize at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland in 1977. This made her very famous in Poland.
From the 1980s to Today
Helena started the 1980s by touring in Canada. As the 1980s turned into the 1990s, she reached a huge milestone: selling a million albums! She also performed in a Czech concert called Helena 90. In 1993, she released two Broadway-themed musical albums, one in Czech and one in English.
After big political changes in 1989, Helena's career slowed down for a few years. Some people connected her with the old government. But after some time, the Czech public began to appreciate her again. From 1997, she appeared often on TV Nova. In 2000, she made a big return to recording with her album Vodopád. This album sold 35,000 copies and reached Platinum status.
Helena kept releasing successful records in the 2000s. She is the best-selling singer ever in the Czech Republic (and Czechoslovakia before it). In 2005, her long career was celebrated with a 4-CD set called The Golden Collection. She also released her memoir, I Remember and I Don't Regret Anything.
On October 18, 2005, Helena had a big concert in Prague to celebrate 40 years of performing. It was filmed for TV. In 2006 and 2007, she appeared on the Slovak and Polish versions of the TV show Dancing With the Stars. Her 2007 "Best Of" album, Jsem jaká jsem..., reached the top ten in the Czech charts. In 2007, she received the Diamond Record award for selling half a million records.
Helena has written several books about her life. She has also appeared on German television shows for over forty years, both as a singer and a presenter.
Eurovision Attempt
In February 2007, Helena was invited to compete in Eurosong 2007. This was the national competition to choose the song for the Czech Republic's first entry into the Eurovision Song Contest. Helena was going to sing a song called "Samba".
However, her song "Samba" was later disqualified because it had been recorded too early. Helena then submitted another song, "Ha ha ha". But she soon decided to withdraw from the competition. She was not happy with how the winner was being chosen by SMS voting.
Stage Career
Helena made her debut in musical theater on June 25, 1992. She played the role of Fantine in Les Misérables in Prague. She played this role again in a new production of Les Misérables in 2003.
She was also involved in the first Czech production of Miss Saigon. In May 2005, she was invited to star in a production of Hello, Dolly! in Bratislava, Slovakia. Helena called the lead role in Hello, Dolly! her "life role."
Helena returned to the musical stage in 2009 in a new musical called Mona Lisa. She played the heroine's mother. Her role was made bigger because of her star power.
In 2015, Helena took on the lead role of Donna in the Czech production of Mamma Mia!. She has been alternating in this role with other actresses since then.
Carnegie Hall Concerts
Helena has performed two sold-out concerts at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City. The first was in 2000, and the second was in 2005. This is a big achievement for any artist!
Personal Life
Helena Vondráčková was married to East German musician Helmut Sickel from 1983 to 2001. In 2003, she married Martin Michal, a businessman who also became her manager.
Her niece, Lucie Vondráčková, is also a successful singer and actress.
Discography
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s part 1
|
1990s part 2
2000s
|
See also
In Spanish: Helena Vondráčková para niños
