June is when Pride events of the LGBTQ+ community take place all over the world. In order to pay our tribute to the community we are going to release a series of posts, where we celebrate LGBTQ+ supporters that took part in ESC.

Note: Don’t forget that you can access our site through our alternative domain: http://www.myeurofreaks.lgbt !

Conchita Wurst – Rise Like A Phoenix

In 2014, Austria selected Conchita Wurst and her song “Rise Like A Phoenix”.

It was composed by Charlie Mason, Joey Patulka, Ali Zuckowski and Julian Maas. The song won the contest with 290 points, giving Austria its second victory in its ESC history

Conchita Wurst is the drag act of Thomas Neuwirth. Thomas was born on 6th November 1988, in Gmunden, Austria. He was raised in Styria. At the age of 14, he moved to Graz to study fashion. In 2006 he participated at the third season of the Austria music show Starmania, where he finished third. At this point in his life, he started developing his drag persona. Conchita first appeared in the Austria talent show Die große Chance in 2011, where she finished 6th. In 2012, she tried to represent the country to the contest, but he came second.

In 2014, she won Eurovision with “Rise Like A Phoenix”. Since then, she has released 3 studio albums – all entered the countries charts – with the most recent being released in October 2019. Her latest single was released a couple of weeks ago.

Austria 2014

In 2014, she won the contest with the song “Rise Like A Phoenix”. That was the first victory for the country since 1966. Western European countries gave Austria an average of 10.5 points each, while Eastern countries didn’t vote. Notable exceptions are Georgia and Lithuania, which gave 10 points to the song. Conchita was the first drag act to ever win the contest. The most memorable part of Conchita’s 1st place, in my opinion, was her victory speech:

“We are a Unity and

We are Unstoppable”

Conchita Wurst

What do you think about Conchita Wurst? Do you like her entry? Let us know in the comment box below!

Don’t forget to #openup to Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️