Too good for this world: What happened to bearded singer Conchita Wurst after she won Eurovision?

Music

Iva Růžičková

06/11/2022

Even after eight years, many still wonder why the Eurovision in Copenhagen was won by drag queen Tom Neuwirth, who created the artistic alter ego of Conchita Wurst. The answer is simple: Because he sings damn well. Tom Neuwirth celebrates his 34th birthday today.

Protests from the ranks of Russian conservatives against Conchita’s victory in 2014 were not surprising, but disapproval was also heard from Austria, where Tom Neuwirth comes from. (Austria gives birth from time to time to artists whose work goes far beyond its borders: before Conchita Wurst, such examples were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Falco, or the writer Elfriede Jelinek, who did not accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004 for fear of ” did not become a flower on Austria’s lapel”.)

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“The Trouble With That Beard”

The majority of Czech viewers got to know Conchita twice thanks to the competition Your face has a familiar voice. In 2016, Ondřej Sokol “jokingly” told Ivana Chylková in Conchita’s dress that she “has a problem with that beard” in this program, and Jitka Čvančarová told the world what bad language people have been saying since the very beginning: “Conchita needs a beard to impress, but you don’t need them, Ivanka.” Fortunately, Ivanka is a good actress, so she more or less played the vocals, and nobody really minded that she didn’t even come close to the vocal range required for Rise Like A Phoenix. Also this year, your face has a familiar voice, a song by Conchita Wurst, Diamonds Are Forever performed by Martin Carev, was brought to Czech living rooms. We prefer to leave his performance without comment. In the end, Allysa Flower, a member of the travesti group Crazy Goddes, took over Conchita’s legacy in the Czech Republic in the most dignified way, with the greatest feeling and sincerity.

Being a star is work

Becoming an icon is not as simple as wearing a beard with a woman’s dress (everyone would do that). Unlike her caricatures, each of Conchita Wurst’s artistic creations not only abounds with evidence of luxurious vocal equipment, great dancing talent and proficient choreography (let’s not forget the brilliantly innovative costumes), but especially has something to say in addition to giving joy.

For example, in the cover of Heast As Net, a duet with Ina Regen (originally sung by Hubert Von Goiser), Conchita commits to the extremely demanding singing discipline of yodeling, carefully avoiding the comic in order to leave a soft, pure touch. The above-mentioned Diamonds Are Forever duet with drag artist Trevor Ashley filled such a legendary venue as the Sydney Opera House. In the song Hit Me, he seems to be communicating literally with the haters, who are a thorn in his side purely because of his free choice of how to look. Last year, at the age of 33, Tom Neuwirth announced that Conchita Wurst’s artistic career had reached the point where she had gotten everything she wanted and was ending.

Tom Neuwirth in his more civilian form

Conchita is going in 2022

Nevertheless, he published the single Call Me Up under his pseudonym in recent days. In it, he psychoanalyzes himself in a silk bathrobe that would be comfortable even for Jeff from the Big Lebowski. Tom Neuwirth seems to be making fun of himself for wanting to tell the world why the hell he’s wearing those clothes and beards. Other novelties include the (originally Jürgens’) song Ich Weiss, Was Ich Will, sung as part of the soundtrack to the film Der Onkel (written and directed by Ostrowski / Koepling), which will be released in cinemas this year. The trailer for Der Onkel (also called Hawke) is not only interesting, but looks very promising, and we wish him success, as well as Thomas Neuwirth aka Conchita Wurst on his 34th birthday today.

Tributes and executions

For the record, let’s give the historical context: people with an androgynous appearance were worshiped in ancient times, there is even a written mention of an Athenian priestess with a beard from the 5th century BC, while in the Middle Ages they were burned and accused of consorting with the devil. From that point of view, Conchita is nothing new under the sun, yet the society that has seen almost everything in the 21st century still cannot get used to personalities who are guilty of nothing but originality and talent.

Rise Like A Phoenix

Tom Neuwirth, among other things, with his public declaration that he is HIV positive, de-taboos this disease and draws attention to the fate of people blackmailed by their ex-partners, as it happened to him. In the light of this story, the song Rise Like A Phoenix has the essence of bravery and determination to walk and not give up despite fatal obstacles.