Lenka Dusilová

Lenka Dusilová
Background information
Birth name Lenka Dusilová
Born December 28, 1975
Origin Karlovy Vary
Czech Republic
Genres Alternative rock, Acoustic
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1988–present
Labels B&M
Universal
Independent
Website lenkad.com

Lenka Dusilová (born December 28, 1975) is a Czech Angel Award-winning singer-songwriter.

Career

Dusilová began her career in 1988, joining the Bambini di Praga children's choir at age 13 after singing in family band RSP with her mother and brother. RSP played folk music, set to Czech and Polish poetry. During the 1990s Dusilová belonged to several groups (most notably the popular Czech pop-rock band Lucie), playing guitar and singing on several CDs. The band opened for the Rolling Stones in their 1995 show at Prague's Strahov Stadium.

Between 1991 and 1995 Dusilová led the rock band Sluníčko (Little Tiny Sun), which released an eponymous CD in 1994, won the Marlboro Rock '94 competition and opened the Open Air Gampell music festival in Switzerland. Dusilová was nominated for the 1994 "Discovery of the Year" Angel Award.

After Sluníčko she formed Pusa (Kiss) with two other former members of Lucie. Their song, "Muka" ("Wheels of Desire") was nominated for an Angel Award in 1996. She and Lucie's David Koller collaborated on two soundtracks, and several of her recent songs have been included on other soundtracks.

Dusilová won the Angel Award for best female vocalist in 2000, and has been voted best female vocalist every year since 2000 by readers of Czech music magazine Report. She performs and records with her band, Secret Service.

In addition to her solo work, since 2000 Dusilová has recorded and performed with the Czech folk-rock band Čechomor. She appeared on the band's album Proměny (Transformations), produced by Jaz Coleman. Coleman merged Czechomor's electrified traditional sound with the symphonic power of the Czech Philharmonic Collegium. Dusilová's duet with Czechomor's Franta Cerny on the CD's title song was on the Czech charts for several months in 2001 and won the Angel Award for song of the year. Proměny went multiple-platinum and won the Angel for album of the year.

Dusilová records for Universal Music, tours regularly in the Czech Republic and appears on stages throughout Europe. Her earlier solo efforts, "Lenka Dusilová" and "Spatřit světlo světa" went gold, and the single "Pro Tebe" ("For You") from her debut CD spent eight weeks in the IFPI Top 20.

2005: Mezi Světy (Between Worlds)

Young, dark-haired woman in black playing red acoustic guitar on stage
Dusilová in 2008

Dusilová's 2005 CD, Mezi Světy (Between Worlds), went gold within weeks of its release. It won the 2006 Czech Academy of Music Angel Award (the Czech Grammys) for best rock album, and Lenka won for best female vocalist. The CD was produced by Ben Yonas at Coast Recorders in San Francisco and New York with Dusilová and guitarist Martin Ledvina as co-producers. Also playing on the CD were San Francisco session musicians Jon Evans (bass) and Scott Amendola (drums).

2006–2008

During this period Dusilová toured the United States with her American band (playing with Emmylou Harris) and the Czech Republic with her Czech band, which included Czech musicians Beata Hlavenkova, Peter Binder, Rasto Uhrik and Danko Soltis from the Vertigo Quintet. She also performed and recorded with other musicians such as the Vertigo Quintet (Live u Staré Paní) and Czech songwriter and poet Jan Burian (Dívčí Válka and Muži jsou křehcí).

Eternal Seekers

Dusilová's latest project, Eternal Seekers, is a collaboration with Clarinet Factory and Beata Hlavenková. For songs she turned primarily to Bogdan Trojak, poet and winner of the Jiří Orten Prize and the Magnesia Litera literary award. Other songs draw on the poetry of František Halas; another, never recorded, was written by Dusilová at age 15 for Sluníčko.

Discography

Studio albums

As lead artist
As featured artist
  • 1994: Sluníčko with Sluníčko, BMG Ariola
  • 1996: Pusa with Pusa, BMG Ariola
  • 2008: Eternal Seekers, with Clarinet Factory quartet and jazz composer Beata Hlavenková, label: Respekt Publishing[1]
Other appearances

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Award Category Result Ref
2000 Herself Ceny Akademie populární hudby (aka Ceny Anděl) Best Female Vocal Performance Won [2]
2003 Nominated [3]
2005 Won [4]
Mezi světy Album of the Year - Rock Won
2006 Herself Best Female Vocal Performance Nominated [5]
2008 Won [6]
2011 Won [7]
BAromantika Album of the Year Nominated [8]

References

[9]

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Ceny Akademie populární hudby 2000". Akademie populární hudby (in Czech). APH. cenyandel.cz. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  3. ↑ "Žánrové ceny Anděl 2003 - Nominace k vyhlášení cen Akademie populární hudby Anděl 2003". Muzikus (in Czech). Muzikus.cz. 2004-03-07. muzikus.cz. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  4. ↑ "Anděl Allianz 2005". Akademie populární hudby (in Czech). APH. cenyandel.cz. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  5. ↑ "Nominace na Anděly 2006". Superbeat.cz (in Czech). Superbeat.cz. 2007-02-10. superbeat.cz. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  6. ↑ "Ceny Anděl 2008". Akademie populární hudby (in Czech). APH. cenyandel.cz. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  7. ↑ "Ceny Anděl 2011". Akademie populární hudby (in Czech). APH. cenyandel.cz. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
  8. ↑ "Ceny Anděl 2011". Akademie populární hudby (in Czech). APH. cenyandel.cz. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
  9. ↑ Lenka Dusilova on the list of Czech Celebrities Curriculum Vitae

External links