Musician Vojta Nedvěd: No one stepped in my way – Novinky

When you talk to journalists or fans, what percentage of the questions are about your father?

Three years ago, after Dad’s death, it was about ninety percent. It’s going down now, but questions like this always come up. It’s about fifty percent about nothing and fifty percent about me.

What are the most common questions?

They ask me how I worked with him, what our relationship was like or if we ever got on each other’s nerves. They also compare us, both overall and musically.

Do you feel that you are continuing the musical tradition of the Nedved brothers?

Well, you see, this is a question I’ve never been asked before. I always wanted to entertain people and make them happy. That is my main goal. When they leave the concert and I see their virtuous faces through the curtain, it makes me happier than anything. I see my work in the world of music especially as a mission.

You are a singer and songwriter, pretty much picking up where they left off. Have you ever wanted to work in a different genre?

I grew up in a rural environment and I have connected it to my life. I never allow myself to enter another gender. Yes, I like Phil Collins, for example, I really like listening to songs across different genres, but I know where I’m from and what I can handle. It is a matter of my heart.

If I decided to be, say, a rock singer and go for it, I think it would be quite funny. You have to be built for that, you have to have a strong enough rock voice, and I don’t have that.

Were you at the big concert of the Nedvěd brothers in Strahov, Prague, on June 21, 1996?

Yes of course. It gave me goosebumps and I was proud of my father and uncle. I got to know the show backstage. At the same time, just getting there was very daring, because there was a lot of traffic in Prague, which was organized by the organizer of the concert Petr Novotný. When I was approaching Strahov and saw bus queues and huge crowds, it was unbelievable.

For me, the concert is a once in a lifetime event. Unfortunately, I was not on stage at the time, I was nineteen years old and I had only been involved in music professionally for three years. It was still an unforgettable experience.

Have you ever thought that you would like to experience something similar?

I didn’t think of it that way. I try to follow my musical path with all humility and respect for my father, uncle and fans. I am working on myself, I want to improve, reach more and more people. I know many people say that I am the son of a famous father and the son of a famous nephew, and that it was probably easier for me in the early days. But the opposite is true.

No one walked in my path, not even my father, or my uncle. In addition, the musicians around them were very tall, so when I joined the band, I had to work hard on myself to match them. If I wasn’t enough for them, they would say goodbye to me.

I spent and still spend a lot of time with the guitar. I had to find the right technique first. In the band, I played the so-called beglait, ie accompaniment. Dad first advised me about the dynamics of the game. I put too much pressure on the guitar at first, which sometimes drowned out the vocals as well. I had a school that I am very grateful for.

Did your father or the rest of the band bother you?

This has happened many times, especially when you are in Benjamin’s position. But I also got a lot of good advice and it was up to me if I followed it.

Do you ever find yourself writing songs that what you’ve created sound a lot like a song by the Nedved Brothers?

Yes, this has happened to me many times. To prevent this from happening again, I ask my wife Kačka and my closest friends for their opinion on each of my new songs. I ask them if it reminds them of one that someone has already written. I had to throw out more ideas and songs already.

What do you want to give to your audience as a musician?

We do not live in simple times. It’s hectic, people are anxious, they lose their confidence. I want to give them some rest and relaxation with my songs.

Will they also get it at your weekend concerts in Malostranská beseda in Prague?

I believe so. For these concerts, we changed the repertoire, added two old songs, there will also be a premiere, and I will try to tell the audience exactly what I was talking about.

It’s strange, but I will play in Malostranská beseda for the first time. I have been there many times as a spectator, but I have never performed there. Well, in a year I would like to play in the Lucerne Great Hall.