Singer Lenny’s concert at the O2 Univerum in Prague finally took place on Thursday evening
Lenny started preparing for her biggest concert of her career back in 2020, when the album WEIRD & WONDERFUL was released. However, with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, her plans had to be canceled and subsequently changed several times.
During this period she wrote and recorded her third album HEARTBREAK CULTURE.
Lenny enchanted the LRB audience with her personality and songs, lighting up the whole stage, back in September 2017. Returning back to Prague the following day. During that short period we were left in no doubt that we had enjoyed an acoustic set from a hugely talented artist with an enormous potential to fulfill.
It was the last time Lenny performed in the UK so we feel an affinity to both Lenny and her musical journey.
It is a journey that has brought multiple awards including ANDEL, Czech Academy of Popular Music Awards, in four categories – Album of the Year for HEARTS, Song of the Year Hell.o, Singer of the Year and Video of the Year, Hello. Besides her main awards she also received the music genre Andel Award in Rock & Pop category, becoming one of the Forbes magazine “30 under 30” personalities who “change the world around” growing beyond the early press tags of ‘wonder kid of Pop’.
Lenny signed a global contract with a German subsidiary of Universal Music in June 2017 and released a remix of “Hell.o” by an American duo Fancy Cars. On 20 February 2018 Lenny supported British soul singer Emeli Sande at her concert in Prague’s O2 Arena, a venue Lenny was to produce her own show a couple of years later with two more full albums WEIRD AND WONDERFUL and HEARTBREAK CULTURE to add to debut album HEARTS.
J and Lyn were holding the flag for Little Rabbit Barn, flying out to Prague the day before to soak up the culture and sights of this magnificent city before heading to the O2.
Lenny very kindly arranged for her manager Kate to meet us and escort us through security to her room back stage. Kate was lovely, spoke excellent English and showed a genuine interest in Little Rabbit Barn and how we knew Lenny. It took us back to the 80s & 90s where we were regular guests of Chris Rea. It was a special moment to say Hello, exchange hugs and spend five minutes catching up.
I was struck how remarkably calm and at ease Lenny appeared, despite telling us she was nervous, there was no indication that in less than 90 minutes she would be taking to the stage for the largest solo show of her musical journey. Her performance was to show us how meticulously she had prepared
BACK STAGE AT THE O2 PRAGUE | 90 minutes to Show Time.
Lenny asked if we would like a copy of her new album HEARTBREAK CULTURE so of course we accepted before requesting a photo which Kate kindly arranged.
She described the experience of her biggest concert so far revealing the difference between Czech and foreign audiences.
“The people in the Czech Republic were very polite, they seemed quieter to me and they have a lot of respect. They are calm, I would say a little loud, but the Italians, there is a great temperament, they almost grab you by the ankles. The experience is different and I enjoy discovering it.”
“People keep asking me when I will be able to sing Czech, but English has worked for me. Especially when it comes to representing our country abroad. I was convinced by the success of my song Hell.o in Italy that those boundaries can be conquered,”
“Tickets went on sale at the beginning of 2020, and then, unfortunately Covid, so it was delayed by two years. Ticket prices have been held for two years despite the increase cost of producing the show. But now we were here.”
“I am a person who rehearses a lot and regularly. At the concert, I want to let go and really enjoy it, so I have rehearsed every day, I only rested the day before the concert. I’ve prepared physically and musically, you have to be fit.”
Lenny thanked us for coming, and wished us to enjoy the show, we reminded her that she flew in especially to play our show at LRB in 2017 so we wanted to come to her home town show.
Several thousands of fans were treated to Lenny’s biggest hits as well as new releases from the album HEARTBREAK CULTURE.
The production, slick lighting and effects were stunning with a wonderful piece of theatre for the acoustic part of the show.
Starting with the song All My Love from the her 2013 EP on stage piano. Then the tracks Enemy, Bones and Animal followed at a brisk pace with Lenny stalking the whole stage in front of her band.
Lenny takes to a flower decorated grand piano that descends from the ceiling into the middle of the auditorium and then gracefully ascends several metres above the floor to play three acoustic songs to delighted fans, telling them…“I’m really glad you came tonight. As a singer and songwriter, I love seeing how my music touches you. You’re making my childhood dream come true,”
Captured on Iphone from the audience, so not the usual LRB quality but lovely to capture this moment from such a great show.
Friends for Life from Lenny’s new album HEARTBREAK CULTURE
BONES from Lenny’s first album HEARTS.
Before the song Lithium, which Lenny produced, Mike Shinoda, from the band Linkin Park greeted the audience with a recorded video message.
“I’m glad I can at least greet you this way. It’s a song we made together and thanks to you, the fans. So I would like to express my admiration to you,” Mike Shinoda said in the video.
The rapper Marpo, joined Lenny for the song Superpower, that they co-wrote for the new album. He hadn’t switched on his remote microphone for the beginning, but fortunately relised before the song finished: He tells the audience, “There is no one here like Lenny, who makes music with such love as her.”
The song Hell.o, accompanied by hugely impressive fire effects, was saved for the grand finale. It was the song which Lenny broke through not only on home radio stations, but further afield in Italy.
