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 Conchita Wurst (2014) | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Conchita Wurst |
| Born | (1988-11-06) 6 November 1988 (age 36) Gmunden, Austria |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988), better known as her drag persona Conchita Wurst, is an Austrian singer. In the role of Conchita Wurst, she will represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The singer, who identifies as gender neutral, uses female pronouns for herself (her/she rather than him/he).
Biography
Before taking up a drag persona, Neuwirth worked as a shop window decorator. She first appeared in public media in an advertisement in 2006. In 2007, competing under her birth name, she reached the final of the 2007 Austrian casting show Starmania. In 2011 she returned to television in drag as "Conchita Wurst." As Conchita Wurst, she participated in the ORF production The Hardest Jobs of Austria, where she worked in a fish factory, and in Wild Girls, in which a group of candidates had to survive in the deserts of Namibia together with native tribes.
Neuwirth graduated from the Graz School of Fashion in 2011, and has lived in various locations in Vienna.
Music career
2006–07: Starmania & Jetzt anders!
In 2006 she took part in the third edition of the Austrian show Starmania. She placed second (Nadine Beiler placed first). One year later, in 2007, she founded the boyband Jetzt anders! that disbanded the same year.
2011–12: Die große Chance & Eurovision 2012
In 2011, Neuwirth participated in her debut as Conchita Wurst, in the ORF's show Die große Chance. She got the second place in the Austrian preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
2013–14: Eurovision Song Contest 2014
On 10 September 2013, it was announced that Wurst would represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, after being selected by the Austrian national broadcaster ORF. Wurst's selection sparked controversy in Austria. Four days after ORF announced its decision, more than 31,000 people liked an "Anti-Wurst" Facebook page. In October, the Ministry of Information in Belarus received a petition calling on BTRC, Belarus' state broadcaster, to edit Wurst's performance out of its Eurovision broadcast. The petition claimed that the performance would turn Eurovision "into a hotbed of sodomy." In December, a similar petition surfaced in Russia.
In March 2014, Conchita's song was revealed as "Rise Like a Phoenix". Conchita made it to the final on 10 May.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | |||
| 2011 | "Unbreakable" | 32 | Non-album singles |
| 2012 | "That's What I Am" | 12 | |
| 2014 | "Rise Like a Phoenix" | 51 |
External links
References
- Morgan, Joe. ""Belarus calls to cancel Eurovision over inclusion of trans singer"". Gay Star News. Gay Star News Ltd. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- "Austria: Bearded Woman Conchita Wurst Bids For Eurovision". The Eurovision News. 2 December 2011.
- "Conchita Wurst – Neues Leben nach "Starmania"". Kleine Zeitung (in German). 24 February 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- "Conchita Wurst soll Österreich beim Song Contest vertreten". nachrichten.at (in German). 10 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- "Editorial: Why ORF Must Stand By Conchita Wurstl". wiwibloggs.com. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- "Will Belarus Remove Conchita Wurst from its Eurovision Broadcast?". wiwibloggs.com. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- "Will Russia cut its broadcast of Eurovision 2014 because of Conchita Wurst?". wiwibloggs.com. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Conchita Wurst". Austrian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
| Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
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| Participation | |
| Artists |
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| Songs |
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| Note: Entries scored out signify where Austria did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest. | |