He gained his spurs by playing on the streets, started his own work three years ago. With his first single Gone, the Czech singer-songwriter Rodan hit the charts in 2020 and 2021.
The nineteen-year-old musician recently released his debut album Glasses Off, produced by Jan Čechtický (Ohm Square) and featuring guest appearances by keyboardist Miroslav Lacko, guitarist Yarda Helešic, cellist Vít Petrášek and singer Charlie One. Rodan balances between contemporary pop and indie folk with ease, intimacy and subtlety.
Although his debut breaks out of the usual musical boxes, it does have one unifying element. It can be found in the title Glasses Off. According to the singer, this is the imaginary overarching idea of the whole album.
“I wear glasses myself almost all the time and I have to say I couldn’t do without them. Despite that, there are moments when I take them off. Especially when writing songs. I do it because the vast majority of them are about things, situations or people that don’t really exist. To write a song about something that doesn’t exist, I need to use my imagination to the fullest. The glasses act as my connection to the real world, but I need to detach myself from it so I can transport myself to my own world, where I can then create,” Rodan explains.
“All in all, Glasses Off is one of this year’s most interesting debuts, and I hope domestic radio takes notice, because that’s the kind of pop I want to hear on them.” Marek Reinoha, Headliner magazine