There are moments in an artist’s career that feel like fulfillment and a beginning all at once. For 18-year-old Czech dark-pop rising star THERA, stepping onto the stage at Prague’s O2 Arena at the start of March, on a Monday night, was exactly that: a homecoming that doubled as a declaration of intent, performed in front of 20,000 people, including the family who watched her first steps into music just years ago.
She was already on 1883’s radar as a rising star, so a group of THERA aficionados and I flew to Prague just to see her shine in her home country. THERA has been supporting global superstar Jason Derulo and the final night of his European arena tour, happened to be in Prague of all places. We headed to the venue together and, to the surprise of us Londoners, getting to the venue and finding our seats was a much more relaxed and straightforward affair than we’re used to.
The night kicked off with THERA welcoming the crowd that watched her grow from bedroom recordings to international stages in her mother tongue. As she commanded the cavernous space with confidence, all I could think of was how special it must feel to get to conclude this major tour in her home city. The evening opened with déjà vu, THERA’s voice cutting through the arena’s pristine acoustics and THERA moving across the expansive stage with purpose. What struck most was how naturally she shifted between English and Czech throughout her set, and the seamless balance she struck between the weight of personal storytelling and her genuine joy to be on stage, lost in her love of music.
The set’s emotional peak came during guardian angel, her vulnerable anthem about protection and loss. During rewind, her track about toxic relationship cycles, she transformed what could have been a heavy moment into something cathartic and almost celebratory. The contradiction worked perfectly: dark themes delivered with infectious energy.
The surprise highlight came with her cover of Charli XCX’s Break the Rules. What could have felt like a predictable crowd-pleaser instead became something more interesting—THERA’s darker, more introspective take on the pop anthem had the entire arena singing along, but with a weight that felt distinctly her own. It was a smart choice that showcased her ability to reinterpret familiar material while staying true to her artistic vision. The crowd’s response suggested they were hungry for more of this – both the covers and, crucially, whatever original material comes next.
Throughout the 30-minute set, THERA moved with the kind of ease that comes from months of arena touring. This was her fifteenth arena show of the European run, and it showed in every gesture. She knew when to pause for crowd response, when to push forward with momentum, and how to use the O2’s staging.
The context wasn’t lost on anyone in attendance. Just over a year ago, THERA was supporting Eurovision winner Loreen on a smaller scale; now she was closing out a major international tour at one of Europe’s premier venues, in her hometown, before an audience that included the family who supported her from the beginning. The trajectory feels both rapid and earned. What made the performance particularly compelling was how THERA managed to honour both sides of her artistic identity: the deeply personal songwriter who writes about PTSD and emotional trauma, and the confident performer who can command arena stages. She never sacrificed one for the other, instead finding ways to let them complement and strengthen each other.
As she closed the set and took her final bow, all one could wonder is what this hardworking and passionate 18-year-old, who still attends school between tours, is set to conquer in the coming years, if this is just the beginning.
For us, the night wasn’t over just yet. We were lucky enough to get into the VIP area right by the stage to dance the night away with THERA when Jason Derulo took the stage. We snapped selfies, sang our hearts out, and left rooting for Christina – the singer’s real-life persona, as she puts it – just as much as we root for THERA.
Being around THERA, it’s striking how much the music’s momentum seems to mirror her as a person: warm, aware, and empathetic. Her songs connect because she performs them like she means them – and in Prague, you could feel an entire arena meeting her halfway.
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Words by Beril Naz Hassan
