Fast Confession - Andrea Pomeje: If I didn't have Anička, I wouldn‘t live here anymore
Andrea Pomeje became famous mainly for her relationship with Jiří Pomeje, who died of larynx cancer at the end of February. Although the couple had lived separately for a year before his death, Andrea had to face a wave of criticism from the public, which even blamed her for his death. And even though she sees her husband every day in the face of their daughter Anička, the beautiful DJane was not afraid to start a new life. In an interview with LP-Life.cz, she speaks about her plans for the future as well as her feelings for her late husband and current partner...
Summer is already over, how did you enjoy it? How are you feeling?
My summer was full of work. My year is divided into a winter and a summer season. The winter season starts in September (laughs) and ends around April. There‘s always a break around then when there I don't have many bookings. Then summer begins. That means festivals, and this year I had a festival every weekend, so the summer was really all about work.
And what about your daughter?
My daughter was in a suburban children‘s camp. And then she visited both grandmothers, so I managed somehow.
Isn‘t she about to start going to school soon?
She was born in September, so she still has a year. I thought it was better not to rush her into school right now – besides, she‘ll have a longer childhood and I‘ll get a bit of free time out of it. Because once compulsory school attendance start, you get nothing done anymore. So we‘ve postponed it for a year.
Are you happy now? It hasn't been that long since your husband died. What has changed since then?
Before Jirka died, we had lived separately for almost a year. And I met Peter six months after leaving Jirka, so those things aren‘t connected for me. And what has changed? You mean since Jirka died?
Yes, for you. Because I know that at that time the public was pulling you to pieces.
When I look back, because I feel like it‘s all a bit foggy for me, the worst horrible thing wasn‘t all the bullying from the social sphere, the hate mail I was getting and the media hype, it was the fact that it had really happened. That Jirka was dead. It paralyzed me that Anička wouldn‘t have a father, even though we hadn‘t been getting along in the last year. I disagreed with Jirka's approach to life and there was no way to communicate with him on a normal level. Yet I loved him and he left a gap here, I will always miss him.
How is your daughter handling it? After all, she's already big enough to understand what death and disease mean.
Children take it differently. I thought I was supposed to protect her from it, I was simply afraid that she would be sad or cry, that she would be overwhelmed by loneliness. But children are very rational when it comes to this, if you explain them how things really are, they will accept it. They take it as a fact, no matter how much they might miss their daddy. She seems to think he probably exists somewhere, she just can‘t see him.
But she knew that he was ill, that he was fighting for his life?
She did know that.
She probably can't read yet, which is good. But one day she will read it all, all those articles…
If she were of an age when she could read, she would probably also know what was going on at home and she‘d be able to draw her own conclusions about what was true and what wasn't. Even at this age, although she‘s very little, the rumours still reach her, for example in kindergarten, because the parents or adults discuss it and it doesn‘t bother them that a child could overhear it. I‘ve already had that happen, for instance, she came home from kindergarten, when one of the children told her something they‘d heard at home. It's not pleasant, but everything can be explained if you try.
And how did your partner take it? After all, the media went after him as well, it had to be a trial by fire.
I went through many trials while Jirka was still alive. It wasn't easy either, because Jirka was kicking around himself. And he was aiming mainly at my partner. But one can‘t be angry with him, it's normal. It was to be expected, but Peter took it incredibly well. I was unable to deal with it sometimes, I‘d have break downs at some point, but he stood steady.
That‘s incredible, he must really love you!
Well, I hope so. (laughs)
All the more so because he had to go through everything with you. Your ex-husband's death, the media spitting on your name…
They were mainly spitting on him. Things were circulating through the media where Jirka was blaming him for a lot of different things that were personal and not true. I would have defended myself, if it were me. I admit that if it had somehow happened the other way around, I would have defended myself in some way. But he remained aloof, providing us with silent support without talking into anything or being nasty to Jirka.
Since he‘s already gone through all this, isn‘t he planning to propose?
I wouldn't go there right now. I think a wedding is totally unimportant. I‘ve already had a quick wedding with Jirka.
That was in Thailand, right?
Yes, but the main reason why it was in Thailand is that I didn't want there to be a hype around our wedding, which would have been unavoidable here. He proposed when we were together for three quarters of a year. I think it was very early. And I was too young to change my mind. But thanks to that, I have a daughter, so I guess everything is as it should be.
When I look at your daughter, she reminds me of Jirka.
She has my eyes, but otherwise I also think she takes after Jirka.
Isn't that difficult for you?
Quite the opposite. I also see Jirka's mother in her, they looked alike.
Would you like to have another child?
Probably yes. Four years ago, I told myself that I wouldn‘t, and that if I got pregnant I would have an interruption. That I wouldn't want to bring a child into the situation I was in, but I'm not against it now. But I don't think it will happen any time soon.
Tell me what your regular day is like. The only female DJ I know is DJane Lucca. I think it's still the domain of men and you women are rare pearls, am I right?
From Monday to Friday, I'm simply a mom. In the morning I take Anička to kindergarten, of course except for the summer holidays, and attend to my work duties, I work for a radio station. I have a regular show on radio Kiss, which takes two days to prepare, because I always have an hour-long mix there, for which I have to buy the music, mix it, run it through various programs. Create something that makes sense out of it. I also have to speak live, and so I try and find interesting things from the world of DJing or electronic music in general in order not to talk nonsense. So my Mondays and Tuesdays are devoted to the radio. The broadcasting takes place on Wednesdays. In addition, there are various PR events I participate in every now and then.
On Friday, Anička is usually with my parents, they‘re great that way, so I take her over to their place, which is just ouside Prague, and then I set out on the road. Lately it‘s been mostly Moravia, which means I have to brave the D1. When Petr comes home from work, we take off.
Because I work Fridays and Saturdays, I try to book events in a way that, for example, allows me to play in Olomouc on my way back from Ostrava, where I‘ve had an event the previous night, because then I don‘t have to drive across half the country. Sometimes it doesn't work, so I have to do it the hard way. I return on Sunday, pick up my little girl at my parents‘, and I'm completely dead. That‘s my routine.
What about Jirka's parents, do they want to see their granddaughter, too?
They do. She‘s just been there for the holidays. She spent a week with Jirka's mom, so they had a nice time together. Jirka's dad had her for a while too, they went swimming together. So we see each other regularly, we communicate. Whenever they get in touch or are in Prague, we meet up.
How do you care of yourself? DJ Lucca is blonde, you're dark-haired. Is there any particular style that is significant to you as a DJ?
Of course, it‘s necessary for a DJ to maintain some sort of appearance. Think what you will, the skills needed to play a set are the most important thing. All the top DJs all mix in the same way, it's just about the choice of music.
But it‘s also about how you look, what you radiate, if you‘re enjoying it, if you have the energy that adds to the performance. And your image belongs to it, so it's rather important. For me, it‘s mostly about the choice of clothing, because there are often some outputs, photos and videos that I want to use as a promo. So I mainly focus on what I‘m wearing, but also on my face. I've had dark hair for almost three quarters of my life, so I don't want to change that.
The only thing I‘ve changed now, because I‘m already 31, right, is that I started taking care of myself, especially of my skin. I didn‘t give a damn about that in the past, usually I would come home and fall in the bed, leaving a faceprint on the pillow, without even thinking I should maybe remove my make-up. But now I do.
Do you feel like after thirty, the body behaves completely differently?
I think it's more in my head. Instead of buying some expensive creams and leaving them standing on the shelf unused, I realize what those creams are intended for and I make time for it. I didn‘t use to do that before, I was less grounded and more careless.
Are you already considering cosmetic surgeries, or not yet?
I am getting ready for one, which I‘ve admitted. It will be a corrective breast surgery, because I had an agumentation three months prior to getting pregnant, which is not an ideal time. After my pregnancy I had a capsulation form on one of my breasts, that is when your breast hardens, and now I have it on the other one too, so I have to do something about it.
It doesn‘t even hurt, nor is it aesthetically disturbing. A lot of people didn't even notice it in my case, they couldn‘t tell. We have many people in show business whose cosmetic surgeries are noticeable, one could even say you can read the serial number on their silicones, but they keep lying about it. So, I‘m going to have a surgery, and it‘s mainly for medical reasons.
Aren‘t you afraid?
I am. I wasn't afraid before, I was looking forward to it turning out great, but now I'm afraid. I guess it‘s the age again. Or maybe it is because there is a problem that needs to be fixed. I'm worried.
When are you going to have the surgery?
It's scheduled for November. So, I have November "booked out", because I won‘t be able to play, right...
Are you also aiming abroad?
Well, the worst thing is I have the options. I have an agency that represents me in Europe, I have an agency that represents me in Asia, Bangkok. I get various DJing offers, but my calendar is full now, I'm already booking next April. I'm completely booked out until December.
And because my calendar is so full, I have to plan long term. Next year I would like to focus more on abroad. Mainly Europe, because Thailand is easy. I can go there whenever I feel like it, because I have resident clubs there I always return to. All I have to do is pick up the phone, and I have a tour planned out according to my wishes. I‘ll combine it with a vacation and get someone to watch Anička... you have to plan these things in advance.
When I play somewhere in Europe, it usually takes me all weekend. The logistics is more complicated, so I'm glad I can play in the Czech Republic. I can honestly say that I like doing gigs in the Czech Republic, because I‘m at home here. It was pretty demanding lately too, I wasn‘t doing as much as I used to in the last two years, let alone being more involved in production. I was glad I could forget about everything while playing the gigs I‘d been offered.
Haven‘t you thought about moving out of the Czech Republic?
I have. For example, we‘ve been to Thailand with Petr, I wanted to escape from all that was going on here. I also have that opportunity. I have the opportunity to play and live there, but I was afraid to go because of my daughter. At first I thought we could do it. I was telling myself that it could work, that she was big enough. But then you are here in the Czech Republic, and the more you‘re thinking about it, the more risks you begin to see. I would need to have a nanny, because if I am to play there, I can't go alone, Petr always goes with me. I can't go to the clubs alone, someone has to go with me again. And rather than paying someone who‘d go with me from club to club, it's better to take Petr. But there is Anička, so I‘d need a nanny again. It's difficult with a child, if I didn‘t have her, I'd probably be long gone.
