She’s the Eurovision 2014 winner who recently earned even more respect from her fans in the Eurovision community and beyond for coming out as HIV positive.
But for Conchita Wurst life goes on, and that includes giving interviews to various press outlets. In a recent interview with The Independent, Austria’s latest Eurovision champion discussed her thoughts on the acts competing at Eurovision 2018 and who she is backing for victory.
Of the 43 competing acts, Conchita picks Israel’s Netta as her favourite, saying: “If she wins I will love it. The first time I heard “Toy” I was like “oh my god, this is so good, so incredible”, it’s a little bit Bjork, it’s a little bit quirky.”
She isn’t 100% behind the song, though. “I have to say the chorus, to me, was a disappointment – it becomes a little bit obvious”. However, she admits she too can often be victim of being too ‘obvious’.
“Again, who am I to judge? I had a song that was called That’s What I Am, so it doesn’t get any more obvious than that!”
Nevertheless, Conchita still feels that Germany threw away an opportunity to win the entire competition by not selecting Ryk, who competed at Germany’s national selection Unser Lied für Lissabon with the song “You And I”. She states: “Germany could have won it had they sent Ryk with the song ‘You And I’. You must listen to it. This song was so good, he would have been the best contestant in Lisbon but Germany went with a different choice.”
Unfortunately, we’ll only be able to hypothesise about whether Conchita is correct, and that Germany really would be among the favourites to win this year if they had made a different decision at the national final.
“I really would not consider myself as a ‘drag queen'”
Eurovision 2018 wasn’t the sole focus of the interview though. Conchita also touched on her recent performance at the London Palladium with the BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as her love for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
However, one theme that crept up throughout most of the interview was the Austrian singer’s change in perception of herself since her Eurovision victory in 2014. It was picked up that we haven’t seen Conchita wear a dress for some time now, but she explained: “It’s a little bit ‘been there, done that’.”
She notes that the line between Conchita the character and Tom Neuwirth the person are blurring more and more:
“I started out as being a diva in a golden dress and now to a more bearded drag artist guy in boots…I do what I feel at the moment and I dress how I feel at the moment, and this goes now towards a more masculine look”
This discussion goes further though when the Eurovision champion talks about the possibility of featuring on RuPaul’s Drag Race. She was initially approached to feature on the show after her Eurovision victory, but unfortunately couldn’t find the time to make it over to America. However, she notes that she doesn’t feel like the right person to be judging the queens competing on the show as: “I really would not consider myself, especially not these days, as a ‘drag queen’”.
She goes on: “On the other hand what is drag and what is not? But what these girls are doing is so much more effort. I don’t shave my legs, I have no padding going on and I hot-glued on my lace when necessary. I don’t do a face transformation with my make-up, I just paint my face like I want it to be.”
Again, when commenting on the on and off talks she’s had to be a judge on possible Drag Race Germany or Drag Race UK spin offs she states that she doesn’t see herself as one: “I think to be, like the head judge of a Drag Race anywhere you’d really need to know what drag is, and I think I’ve only scratched the surface – I’m doing my thing but it’s not what these American girls are doing. I can host it, guide the audience, but I wouldn’t want to be the judge!”
Conchita Covers Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus”
Conchita is nevertheless still producing new music and set to collaborate with the Wiener Symphonika orchestra on a new album “From Vienna With Love” to be released this October. But before that, her latest effort is a cover of “Rock Me Amadeus”, the 1985 UK and US chart-topping song by Austrian musician Falco.
Before performing the song as the opening number of the 2018 Amadeus Austrian Music Awards (the Austrian equivalent of the Grammys), Conchita posted a music video to her YouTube channel.
In the video we see the more masculine Conchita vogueing and posing in front of both a black and white background. Donning a wig with a fringe that often covers her eyes, the Austrian songstress also switches between wearing a black turtle-neck t-shirt and swarovski crystal mesh kimono with a crystal embellished front – she may no longer be wearing dresses, but our queen still knows how to sparkle!
There are however also moments where Conchita wears no top whatsoever, exposing her bear chest. This demonstrates just how confident she now feels to show off her masculine body, and we salute her for not being afraid to show the world her true self.
So, do you think Conchita is backing the right horse with Netta from Israel? Would Ryk have been in line to give Germany their next win if he had gone to Lisbon? And what do you make of the more masculine Conchita? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below!
I totally agree with Conchita’s views on Germany – Ryk was fantastic and I too believe he could have won!
Conchita’s career is so interesting. She is so talented but sadly had to create a character to get the success she deserved, maybe for being ‘too gay’ for TV (hi homophobia!). But she shut mouths up becoming Queen of Eurovision and people loved her but Conchita devoured Thomas. I’m sure he felt very frustated for this situation, people were living for Conchita but didnt know who real-Thomas was, how to kill the character made you famous? His transformation has been very well and smartly done, from drag queen to an androginous persona that fits more with him and actually is… Read more »
Conchita is the best but 100% sure on her Rock me Amadeus version
OMG, just give it the trophy to Netta already. I can’t deal with her constant praising literally here and Instagram, it’s so unfair to other contestants, so yes even though I didn’t like the song after first listen, I would just want to see already is she the BIG WINNER this year, so I can accept it and move on.
But I always liked Conchita so much, she truly is amazing and I kind of smiled, when she said that she doesn’t like the chorus that much. I was like, yes, that’s what I have been saying 😀
Conchita saying that she supports netta is a big deal as she is a former winner… saying stop praising netta and post about her to wiwibloggs is like saying stop posting a bout esc…. this is news… if the other contstents havnt done anything or had something special happend to them then there is nothing to see about them…
Haha:D
We got Queen Conchita onboard the hype train! Lady’s got taste.
(I also like Ryk’s song but it was such a horse race between him and Michael that ultimately I was satisfied either way. Also, VoxxClub were robbed. Just saying.)
Bear chest? I loved it. ?
Netta/Toy is “a little bit Björk”?!?! WTF, Conchita!
Netta is the best. Thank to Conchita for the support!
Wiwi posts like this one (above), although they also occur in many order profile media outlets, are what I call “contest politics”. Tom Neuwirth / Conchita Wurst obviously has other musical tastes than those fulfilled by Netta’s song, but supporting politically correct propaganda of alternative sexuality and misandrous feminism must prevail. It’s like the Eurovision wouldn’t be primarily a SONG contest. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t claim that Tom / Conchita wouldn’t have affirmed that he/she supports Netta for the win or that the Wiwi would lie about it, but that both Conchita and Wiwi are making contest politics.
I love Conchita, but Ryk… really? If I ran out of sleeping pills I would just need to watch his performance.
It’s good to hear some love for that song. It’s amazing.
Colin, Sabrina and purple mask may remember that I said exactly the same about Ryk during unser lied.
She’s not wrong. There are a lot of people who agree with her that Ryk could have been a winner. Not so many saying the same thing about Michael. Yet, Michael won the final quite comfortably, both with juries and the public. That’s one of the reasons why national finals are so fun for those of us outside those countries.
none of germany’s selection would get top 10 maybe ivy would be close
Ivy is a great Performer but House on Fire is just lame.
I like that Conchita is following the contest. But Ryk, considering the other entries this year, I feel his song would’ve been overlooked and ended with a low score. Michael’s strength is that his voice and the melody of his song grabs attention, there’s something interesting that makes your ears perk up when it starts.
Last year, for example, Perfect Life could’ve played all the way through and I wouldn’t have even realized it was on
Not wurst, but worst.
Can you imagine how Michael will feel after reading this?
So what? There were thousands of people voting that night for somebody different than michael schulte. Why should he suddenly feel soooo bad that conchita wurst had another song in the german nf she adored way more? He won’t die of somebody liking another song better.
Delusional Ryk would not have won that song is boring af no offense.