Ben da Silva Cristóvão (born 8 June 1987), known professionally as Ben Cristovao or Benny Cristo, is a Czech singer. He was nominated to represent the Czech Republic in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, after winning the national round with the song "Kemama".[1] After the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Czech Television confirmed that Cristo would instead represent the nation in the 2021 contest.[2] Cristo sings in both Czech and English.
Cristo's mother is Czech and his father is from Angola.
Music career
In 2009, Benny Cristo was one of the finalists on the talent show
Česko Slovenská SuperStar. The experiences gained in this show motivated him to focus on his singing career. In 2010, he released his debut album, Definitely Different. A year later, his second studio album, called Benny Cristo, came out. It contains two collaborations with Monika Bagárová, another contestant from Česko Slovenská SuperStar.
In 2013, Cristo was nominated for the Český slavík award in the category Music Video of the Year, for the song "Bomby".[citation needed] The same year, he released his third studio album, Made in Czechoslovakia.
In 2016, Cristo won the Český slavík award in the category "Most Streamed Czech Song", with the track "ASIO". He did not attend the award ceremony, however. As he later stated to the media, he did not want to be in the same room as the Czech group Ortel, known for their xenophobic texts.[3] Also in 2016, Cristo recorded a cover of the David Koller song "Nic není na stálo", which was released together with songs by artists such as Katarzia, Kato, Mucha, and Vladimír 518, on the album David Koller & Friends.
In 2017, Cristo issued the EP Poslední. In 2018, he performed at the Anděl Awards ceremony, singing his song "Nohy", with the guest appearance of Jiří Korn. He later collaborated with Mária Čírová on the theme song for the movie Backstage, directed by Andrea Sedláčková. The song is called "Padam". Cristo himself appears in the film as a judge in a dance competition. The same year, he became a judge on Česko Slovenská Superstar.[4]
In 2019, Cristo released the six-song EP Kontakt. He was selected to represent his country in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, after winning the national round. He was to perform in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with the song "Kemama". However, the event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, it was confirmed that Cristo would sing for the Czech Republic in the 2021 event, with a new song. His entry for 2021, "Omaga", was released on 16 February 2021.[5] He sang in the second semifinal of the contest but did not qualify for the final, finishing 15th, with 23 points.[citation needed]
Activism
Benny Cristo is vegan and an animal rights activist. He takes part in various projects and campaigns supporting animal rights. In 2018, he worked together with the organisation Obránci zvířat (OBRAZ) and made a voiceover for one of their campaign videos, called "Jak to snáší",[6][non-primary source needed] dealing with the issue of caged hens.
Sport career
Alongside his musical career, Benny is also an active sportsman. He has competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu around the world. In September 2016, he participated in the Asian Championship and placed third in the medium heavy (up to 88 kg) white belt category.[7] In October of the same year, he participated in the international championship Madrid Open and won the gold medal in the same category.[7]
