Janek Ledecký is one of the most famous Czech music stars. He was born on July 27, 1962, in Prague. After graduating with a law degree in 1984 and he has successfully passed his rigorous exams in 1985, earning the title of JUDr. (doctor of law). During his studies, he came into contact with the Hanspaul scene, and Ivan Hlas thus became his lifelong role model as a lyricist. In 1982, he became a member of Jana Koubková’s Horečka Band, and she subsequently connected him with the newly formed band Žentour, which enriched the Czech underground scene with its unconventional, theatrical approach to concerts, collaborating, among others, with the Caban Brothers’ Baletní Jednotka Křeč. Their first album, titled Žentour 001, was released in 1987. In 1989, Žentour won the Triangl TV chart three times in a row with the song “Utajený světadíl,” and in the summer, they won the Bratislava Lyre at the most prestigious Czechoslovak international music festival with “Promilujem celou noc.” This was followed by the single “Všechno bude fajn,” and Žentour was definitively catapulted from rock clubs to stadiums. The album Žentour 003 became the best-selling album on the market. This was followed by the album Žentour 005, featuring the legendary hit “Proklínám.” Two gold and platinum records propelled Žentour to the top of the radio and television charts.
In 1992, Janek set out on his own. His first solo album, Na ptáky jsme krátký*, was so successful that he became a true megastar of show business. His success was confirmed by numerous prestigious awards. At the album launch, Janek symbolically made the first bungee jump in the country. And while filming the music video, he crashed with his parachute and, due to his injuries, couldn’t play the guitar for more than half a year—*“We’re no match for the birds.” Janek’s second album, Právě teď, was released in 1993, while he was starring in the musical Pěna dní at the ABC Theater in Prague. In May 1994, this album was certified gold. In the fall of that same year, his third live album, Jenom tak, was released.
Within two months, it was certified gold, and the concert video won the award for Best Video of the Year. A significant moment of 1994 was the final concert of the tour, which took place at a sold-out Lucerna. With producer Ivan Král (Patti Smith, Iggy Pop), Janek recorded the album Některé věci jsou jenom jednou. Songs from this album dominated the entire “TOP 10.” In February 1996, the record went not only a gold but also a platinum. In 1996, Janek released a new album, Sliby se maj plnit o Vánocích. It immediately went gold, and the concert at Lucerna, broadcast by Czech Television, broke all previous records. Within a few years, the Christmas songs from this album became a symbol of the Czech Christmas spirit.
In 1997, Janek received the Czech Grammy (Zlatý Anděl) award for Singer of the Year, presented to him personally by Chris Rea. In the spring of that same year, he recorded a new album titled Mít kliku and signed an exclusive contract with BMG.
The producer of the album Mít kliku—Martin Kumžák—encouraged Janek to take a truly bold step: to try retelling Shakespeare’s most famous play of all time through songs. And so Janek spent 1998 writing and composing the musical Hamlet. When he announced his plan at a press conference, the vast majority of the professional community thought he was joking. And when he also revealed that he was building a brand-new theater for Hamlet, even his closest friends began to worry about his future. The premiere took place on November 1st, 1999, at the new Kalich Theater in Prague. With 700 performances, three CDs (greatest hits, a complete recording, and a symphonic recording—two gold records), the musical achieved incredible success in the Czech Republic. This was followed by 150 performances at the Nová scéna in Bratislava.
Encouraged by his enormous success, Ledecký completed a new musical inspired by the life of the famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. The musical Galileo was the most eagerly anticipated premiere of 2003. Following its premiere at the Kalich Theater on February 15, 2003, it was performed four hundred more times. And once again, gold and platinum records. At the same time, however, the success story of Janek’s previous musical continues—and is even taking a new and fascinating direction. Vince Parrillo, an American professor of sociology and one of the directors of the Leonia Theater, came to the Kalich Theater to see what he couldn’t believe. One of the most frequently performed plays, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, had been adapted into a rock musical. He was so captivated by the Prague production that he decided to do whatever it took to bring Janek’s work to the U.S. And he succeeded. After presenting excerpts from Hamlet at the Leonia Theater in New Jersey, Janek announced a competition to adapt Hamlet back into English, which was decisively won by George Harvilla, a brilliant drummer, percussionist, and actor. He was also the winner of the 2000 Hemingway Prize for American Poetry. In September 2003, the first staged reading of the musical Hamlet took place at Lamb’s Theater on Broadway, featuring stars such as Louis Pitre from Mamma Mia, John Hickok and Delisco from Aida, and Jeremy Kushnier from the musical Rent as Hamlet. Three performances were held. All ended with standing ovations. The show was recognized by TRU as one of the three best staged readings of 2003 and received a grant for further productions. However, the most significant outcome was that Robert Johanson, a renowned theater director, decided to join the team. Robert had served for 18 years as artistic director of the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey’s most prestigious theater. He had directed and adapted more than 140 plays on Broadway and other American stages. And by the way, in the 1980s, he played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. His only condition was that Janek agree to the idea of an “American” adaptation of the play. And so, in January 2004, Janek traveled to the U.S. to meet with Robert. And he was relieved to find that all of Robert’s comments and ideas were based on his years of theater experience and love for Shakespeare. The first opportunity to present part of the adaptation came in April 2004 at the Abingdon Theatre in New York. Jeremy once again starred as Hamlet, alongside Josh Tower (Simba in The Lion King) as Horatio, PJ Benjamin (Mr. Cellophane from Chicago) as Polonius, and other famous Broadway names. Over the summer, the team completed the final revisions. In the summer of 2005, they decided to polish everything up where it all began. The result of the first “preview performance” of the new adaptation at Prague’s Kalich Theater, featuring Sebastian Arcelus as Hamlet and Cullen Titmas as Laertes, was an enthusiastic audience response, fantastic reviews in the media, and a DVD containing a recording of the entire performance.
In October 2007, Hamlet was introduced to South Korean audiences. On opening night, there were 68 musicals playing in Seoul, yet Hamlet instantly became a hit in the Korean musical theater industry. It ranked second in ticket sales immediately after its first public dress rehearsal. The second production of Hamlet in Korea took place in February 2008. It was nominated for Best Foreign Musical, alongside Hairspray and Sweeney Todd. In 2009 and 2010, another 350 performances were staged.
In October 2011, Hamlet returned for its fourth run at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul, and in February 2012, the Japanese version, directed by Tamyo Kuryama, premiered in Tokyo. After 80 sold-out performances, the show moved to Nagoya and Osaka. In March 2012, the international version of Hamlet premiered in Czech, directed by Robert Johanson, at the Broadway Theater. The number of audience members who have seen Janek’s retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous drama is now approaching one and a half million. Hamlet returned to Seoul in 2017, celebrating the tenth anniversary of its original South Korean premiere.
On November 30, 2011, another of Janek’s musicals, Vánoční zázrak [A Christmas Miracle], subtitled “Sliby se maj plnit o Vánocích” [“Promises Must Be Kept at Christmas”], opened at the Broadway Theater. It has returned to Broadway during Advent seven more times since then, and another Advent series of performances is planned for December 2027.
In 2013, Janek teamed up with Jan Černý to record the album Žentour 007, which was released after a twenty-two-year hiatus. The project featured collaborations with Štěpán Smetáček, Freddy Bittner, and other leading figures from the Czech music scene.
Janek and Robert set out to adapt another famous Shakespearean drama, Othello. After three years of work, they completed the ambitious piece titled IAGO. The premiere was preceded by the release of a radio version of the central duet “In the Name of Love.” The premiere of the Czech-Slovak co-production, directed by Robert Johanson, took place in the Slovak version at the Nová scéna theater in Bratislava on September 16th, 2016. A year later, on September 21st, 2017, the Czech version was presented at the Hybernia Theater. IAGO ran in Bratislava until 2022.
In 2014, the duet album Všichni dobří andělé was released, featuring Janek alongside Ivana Chýlková, Lucka Vondráčková, Marta Jandová, Sabina Laurinová, Dasha, Petr Muk, Ivan Hlas, Peter Nagy, Jožo Ráž, Petr Kolář, Marek Ztracený, Richard Tesařík, Bohouš Josef, and Honza Kalousek.
Until 2015, Janek performed most of his concerts as part of a trio with rhythm section legends Štěpán Smetáček and Dave Mendez. In June 2015, multi-instrumentalist Hanz Sedlář took over as drummer.
Janek’s long-awaited solo album, titled Na konci duhy, is being released, featuring a total of thirteen new songs. Janek began recording it in March 2015 at Modern World Studios in Tetbury, England, produced by Greg Haver. Honza Ponocný took over production for the second half of the album. The song “Jestli to pomůže” was composed and produced by Janek’s son, Jonáš Ledecký. In addition to them, Chris Childs, Nick Nasmyth, František Táborský, Adam Jánošík, Jan Lstibůrek, Dasha, Alena Průchová, Naďa Wepperová, Radek Kašpar, Jan Šatra, Radek Němec, the Nostitz Quartet, Richard Dvořák, Štěpán Škoch, Petr Kužvart, Marek Mečiar, Roman Vícha, Ája Suková, Mišo Kovalčík, Boris Brna, Dave Mendez, and Jana Feriová. Tomáš Krejčí directed the music video for the song “Já se vracím.” The music video for the song “Na konci duhy” was completed in October 2015, followed by a concert tour. Pavel Mucha, who plays keyboards, accordion, and saxophone, became a permanent member of the band.
In the spring of 2016, Janek joined Kuba Kohák and Jitka Čvančarová on the judging panel of the show Your Face Sounds Familiar. With regular viewership exceeding one million, this TV competition became one of the most successful shows on the air, and Janek remained a judge for the next six seasons.
In July 2018, Janek & Band performed for the Colours of Ostrava audience, headlining Stage B. Although it rained throughout the whole show, nearly twenty thousand attendees still enjoyed it.
In the spring of 2019, Janek embarked on an acoustic tour set in the theatrical backdrop of “Bar Svět.” The concept appealed not only to the audience but also to Janek and his band so much that two years later it became a permanent part of his traditional Christmas concerts.
In July 2018, Janek & Band performed for the Colours of Ostrava audience, headlining Stage B. Although it rained throughout the whole show, nearly twenty thousand attendees still enjoyed it.
In the spring of 2019, Janek embarked on an acoustic tour set in the theatrical backdrop of “Bar Svět.” The concept appealed not only to the audience but also to Janek and his band so much that two years later it became a permanent part of his traditional Christmas concerts.
In July 2021, the book Verše potrhlé [Whacky Rhymin'] is being published, written by Janek and illustrated by his son Jonas Ledecky. “During the pandemic, we couldn’t perform live. And I realized that I had a growing pile of lyrics that didn’t fit into any new songs. I tried writing one poem, and when my family encouraged me—because it made them laugh—I added another. When I had five of them, I realized they were all about animals, so I decided to stick with the fable format. And also to make sure that not only children, but also their parents or grandparents would enjoy reading them,” explains Janek. “I knew Jonas had a great sense of humor and that his illustrations would take the poems to another level,” says Janek. Although Janek and Jonas received offers from all the major publishing houses, they ultimately decided to publish Verše potrhlé through their own imprint, Ice Music. A bonus feature of the book is an audio version, available to anyone who purchases the book. And the audiobook features the cream of the crop of the Czech acting industry: Marek Eben, Ivana Chýlková, David Matásek, Pavla Tomicová, Hynek Čermák, Jakub Kohák, Ondřej Sokol, Jitka Čvančarová, Aleš Háma, Petr Rychlý, Marek Taclík, Sabina Laurinová, Jakub Prachař and others.
By the end of the year, the book had gone through two reprints, followed by ten more in the years that followed.
In December 2021, Czech Television filmed Janek’s Christmas concert for the third time, this time from the Hybernia Theater.
In April 2023, he records his signature acoustic concert for ČT Art.
On October 27, 2023, Janek’s latest musical, Zapomeňte na Shakespeara [Forget About Shakespeare], premieres at the Hybernia Theater. In addition to composing the music, writing the lyrics, and penning the libretto, Janek is also directing this musical comedy about a downfall of a theater.
During several concerts at the Doupě Music Club, the idea was born to fulfill Janek’s lifelong inspiration by Bob Dylan into a special project. Janek teamed up with the band 333, his son Jonas, and blues harmonica legend Ondřej Konrád, and together they celebrated Bob Dylan’s 83rd birthday at Doupě on May 24, 2024, with a concert featuring Dylan’s most famous songs. The band named themselves Mr. Everest and have since brought the work of this global folk-rock icon to life at numerous concerts, including the Metronom and Krásný ztráty festivals.
On February 8, 2025, a feature-length documentary about Janek, Všechno bude fajn, premiered on ČT1, drawing an audience of over 700,000 viewers.
In the spring of 2025, Janek returns to Slovakia after a long hiatus. He has once again joined forces with the legend of Slovak rock guitar, Michal Kovalčík. Michal was there at the inception of the album Jenom tak and has since collaborated with Janek on all his studio projects, as well as contributing to the recording of Janek’s musicals. In the musicals IAGO and Zapomeňte na Shakespeara, he also served as music producer. For their chamber concerts, Janek and Michal invited percussionist Joža Gorel to join them, and what was originally planned as five concerts eventually grew to thirty.
Throughout the year, Janek alternates between solo concerts, an acoustic Slovakian trio, symphonic concerts, Mr. Everest, and standard shows with his band. And to top it off, around thirty Christmas concerts, where Janek’s Band is joined by the M. Nostitz Quartet. This year marks the thirtieth time this exclusive string quartet has joined Janek for the traditional Christmas Tour.
In the fall of 2025, Verše potrhlé 2 is released, following up on the previous bestseller. Joining the array of personalities who, as with the first book, supplemented the print version with audio recordings are Zdeněk Svěrák, Ondřej Vetchý, Tereza Kostková, Pavel Zedníček, Linda Rybová, Jan Révai, Aneta Krejčíková, and others.
Janek performs over a hundred concerts every year. During the winter season, in between concerts, he joins his daughter—the multiple Winter Olympic Champion Ester Ledecka—and her team for training and competitions. And in the summer, between open-air concerts, he always manages to find the time for windsurfing in the Ionian Sea.