Czech-Slovak co-production of TV singing contest to feature Romani celebrity on the jury

SuperStar, a joint Czech-Slovak version of the Idol series’ Pop Idol, is a co-production of TV Nova (Czech Republic) and TV Markíza (Slovakia) and will begin a new season in 2020. Monika Bagárová, a singer from the Romani community who won the contest 10 years ago, will be a new member of the jury.

Palo Habera, an experienced “matador” of vocalist competitions, will also be a jury member. Other new jurors will be the moderator Leoš Mareš, the actor Patricie Pagáčová and the musician Marián Čekovský.

The jury will have five members for the first time, all of whom are professionals from different branches of the arts. Bagárová has announced that she is really looking forward to this new phase of her career.

“The offer to perform as a juror on SuperStar sparked an enormous mixture of emotions in me. I was surprised, pleased, horrified – it gave me a kick and forced me to assess things. I realized it has already been 10 years since I went through that competition myself. I therefore have a feeling of accountability to and respect for all the people who set off on such a journey, who participate as contestants, who go before the public and the cameras for the very first time, people whose lives can be fundamentally influenced by the experience. I also have a feeling of accountability to and respect for the staff who create the program and who have to make it entertaining for viewers. Mainly, however, I feel an enormous sense of joy and enthusiasm over the fact that we have the opportunity to create, for a certain amount of time, a group of people who share the aim of aiding the search for new, young talents in our area, all in an atmosphere of cultivated entertainment,” Bagárová posted to her Facebook profile.

Ever since participating in the singing contest, previously called Československá Superstar (Czechoslovak Superstar), Bagárová has been a fixed star in the firmament of the Czech music scene who is frequently called the Czech Pop Princess. She has collaborated with many eminent musicians during her career, releasing two albums, countless singles, and singing the title song for the film “Čertova nevěsta” (“The Devil’s Bride”).