Daniel Landa releases new album Minový pole and presents selected songs at Prague’s O2 arena concert

“The album is actually a comprehensive statement about how I feel, how I perceive the world, its risks or pitfalls. And that in the form of songs that belong together. It’s a musical booklet,” says Landa.

In songs like Anička Malinová returns to history in the same way he did on the album Greetings from the Front released in 1997. The Blanick manifesto is a protest song from the period when the musician spoke against the adoption of an amendment to the pandemic law and he called to civil resistance, for example in the form of e-mail flooding of hygiene stations, which at the time were busy due to the covid-19 disease. This action by Lando was criticized by health unions, and the then Minister of Industry and Trade and Transport Karel Havlíček from the ANO movement called his supporters “fools”.

Lando’s view of today’s politics is reflected on the new record, for example, in the title single Mine field. “With the recording, I commented on the current situation, but it is not the first plan, the songs will be relevant even years from now. When the finger is pointed at some specific thing, the composition loses its charge over time,” says Landa.

In a song A supposed savior there are quotations from the musical Krysař, which celebrated its 2000th reprise this year at the Kalich Theater in Prague. It premiered in 1996. Three years ago, Landa received an award for selling 150,000 CDs with music from this work. “I believed that it would be a successful performance, but the level of response is fascinating. You write a musical at the age of twenty-six and at the age of fifty-four you go to see a rerun for 2,000,” he marvels. “I don’t understand that I was able to write such a thing. It just happened,” he adds.

Minový pole is not planning a tour for the new album, but will present selected songs on November 4 at a big concert in Prague’s O2 arena. “We will also include songs from the new album in the program. They will complement the old songs so that we can enjoy my entire musical career,” he indicates, adding that this is his only performance in the Czech Republic this year and the biggest indoor concert he has organized so far.

However, Daniel Land has not succeeded in everything in recent years, for example the planned “tricks”, such as a win in a Thai boxing match against a professional, or an attempt to get the Sigma Olomouc footballers to the Champions League final. Both projects were to be made into a film documentary. “It was about trying to achieve things that exceed your capabilities, going through a story and filming it. The project ended, but it was excellent, only the realization of that intention was worse,” Daniel Landa looks back.

The fifty-four-year-old singer reappeared in the media less than 14 days ago, when the company Žito 44, associated with his alter ego, the magician Žito, filed for bankruptcy. The singer owns a majority stake in it. Company he owes 1.3 million crowns, the overwhelming majority to the Prague tax office as arrears of corporate income tax, and is requesting a declaration of bankruptcy. They informed about it Hospodářské noviny.

“I didn’t manage this dysfunctional company for many years. Mr. Jiří Jurtin managed all the finances and management at the time, I was solely in charge of the artistic and sports side of the projects,” says Landa. He says he personally does not owe money to anyone. “I properly pay a lot of taxes from all my ongoing activities,” he claims.

Debt film and musical producer Jurtin last fall he committed suicide at the age of 46. Landa he said Radio journal that he “ran into”.

Today, the singer controls 80 percent of the company Žito 44, a tenth share is held by an Afghan businessman and president of the Czech-Afghan Mixed Chamber of Commerce Fawad Nadri, the rest belonged to Jurtin. The company, which has been in liquidation since 2018, has filed for bankruptcy several times in recent years, Hospodářské noviny wrote.

Daniel Landa started his musical career in the skinhead group Orlík, which broke up after the release of the second album in 1991. Since then he has been performing as a solo artist. He made his debut as a musical author with Krysař, and his other successful musicals include Touha and Tajemství.

A graduate of the Prague Conservatory in the field of music and drama, he played in the films Černí baroni and Proch?, in addition to portraying the character of Emanuel Moravec in the episode The Day after Munich of the Czech Century TV series.