Gipsy.cz video sends the message that we can turn the negative into positive

On Sunday, 3 December, the band Gipsy.cz released its new video for a song called "Je to tak" ("That's How It Is"). The video takes place in a field near Křivoklát Castle and was directed by lead singer Radoslav Banga, who also performs in it.

The new song and video are meant to reflect difficult moments in life when one has the feeling that one's entire world has collapsed. The singer wants people to realize that we must use the bad moments in life to create something good.

"When I was 15 years old and ended up homeless there were moments when I felt I would never get back on my feet. It was minus 10 degrees outside and I was afraid, more than once, that I would not wake up the next morning. Now I am 35 and I know that all the bad things I experienced until the age of 19 gave me a great deal," Banga posted on his Facebook profile about the song.

"I came to understand that happiness in life cannot be measured by money and does not at all depend on whether you are a homeless person or a millionaire - the very worst thing that can happen is that you remain absolutely alone. Today I understand there is no point in living through what has already been, because you cannot change it. The past must not bind you, because only through the 'here and now' do we create our future. That belief, that all that is evil can eventually serve something good, has been my main driving force my entire life and thanks to that the new Gipsy.cz video 'Je to tak' has been created," Banga said.

"From the first moment I began writing the lyrics I knew this was something coming from my deepest self," the singer posted. Gipsy.cz has been performing since 2004, when Banga first met Vojtěch Lavička.

During their 13 years of work the band has become one of the most famous music groups from the Czech Republic and has celebrated many domestic and international successes. In 2006 Gipsy.cz won the "Best New Act" award (Anděl Objev Roku).

At that time their song "Romano Hip-Hop" won the "Most Successful Single of the Year" designation in Filter magazine. The performers' skills were also demonstrated by their winning the OSA 2007 Award, when Banga won in the category of "Most Successful Composer of Popular Music Under 30".

Filter magazine also gave Gipsy.cz its "Best Live Performance" designation in 2007. In 2008 the band first pushed their way into the "Czech Nightingale" (Český Slavík) popular music award competition, which is the oldest and most prestigious in the Czech Republic.

They began in 89th place and shot up to 10th place in the audience surveys, winning the "Rising Star of the Year" award. Today the band includes Banga, Tomáš Baroš (one of the best double bass players in the Czech Republic), accordion player Jan Sochor and the top-notch violinist Viliam Didiáš of Slovakia.

Gipsy.cz has significantly aided intercultural communication and understanding in the Czech Republic, and Banga was the Czech national ambassador for the "European Year of Equal Opportunities for All" in 2007. Last year he left the Czech Nightingale music awards ceremony in protest when a neo-Nazi band won second place and subsequently faced death threats.