Michal David
| Michal David | |
|---|---|
 Michal David at a concert in Brno | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vladimír Štancl |
| Born | 14 July 1960 |
| Origin | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Genres | jazz, pop |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter, producer, activist, celebrity |
| Instruments | vocals, piano, electronic keyboard |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels |
Sony, Supraphon Panton |
| Website | http://michaldavid.cz/ (Czech) |
Michal David (born Vladimír Štancl, 14 July 1960, Prague) is a Czech pop-singer, songwriter and producer.[1]
Biography and career
He started his music career during his studies in Prague Conservatory in the 1970s where he created a jazz band with his friends, as jazz has been Michal's main passion and an academic concentration.
However, after a short period of time, he was hired by a successful pop-music producer František Janeček as a piano player and singer. He joined Janeček's pop-music band and soon became a teenage girls' idol.[2]
After the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution in 1989, Michal David as well many other Czechoslovak popular singers fell on hard times, since the political situation changed rapidly and the market started to open to other foreign artists and domestic artists lost their popularity for a while. He was also called a pro-regime singer by some critics.[3] During this time Michal David was mainly focusing on composing and songwriting rather than performing.
His popularity was restored again in 1998 when he composed and sang "hymn" for the Czech national ice hockey team, which won the Nagano Winter Olympics that year.[4]
Then, in 2000, he contributed to the comeback of another famous Czech female singer Helena Vondráčková by writing her hit song "Dlouhá noc".[5]
In 2002 Michal David officially composed his own first "Musical Show" called "Kleopatra" which premiered in Prague theatre Broadway.[5] Since then, Michal has composed 4 other musicals, where he was not only a songwriter but the producer as well.
His song "Treti Galaxie" appeared in Eli Roth's movie "Hostel".
Michal David was a vocal coach on the TV reality talent show The Voice, starting in February 2011 on Czech and Slovak National TV.
Personal life
Michal David is currently living in Prague, Czech Republic with his wife Marcela (Marcela Skuherská), a former successful professional tennis player from the 1980s. (She won the "Fed Cup" in 1983 and 1984 with her team members Helena Suková, Hana Mandlíková and Iva Budařová, and participated in competitions such as US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon). Michal's only daughter, Klára, is currently living in New York, where she studies Art at Sarah Lawrence College.[6]
David has been associated with many charities and non-profits since the death of his second daughter Michaela who died of leukemia at the age of 11.[7]
References
- ↑ "Michal David: Hlas? Zažívám momenty překvapení. Negativní i pozitivní". Denik (in Czech). 4 March 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- ↑ "Michal David svou colu ještě nedopil..." (in Czech). t-music.cz. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ Šeflová, Saša (26 November 2008). "Hitmaker Michal David: Zachránili ho hokejisté" (in Czech). Blesk. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ "13. komnata Michala Davida" (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Michal David: umělec, či mistr kýče?". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). iDNES. 23 October 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ "Dcera Davida prchla do USA! Dítě nechala na krku rodičům!" (in Czech). TV Nova. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ David, Michal (2013). Největší z mých nálezů a ztrát. IKAR. pp. 53–57. ISBN 9788024921969.
External links
- Official website (Czech)