Conchita Wurst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Conchita Wurst
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| Birth name | Thomas Neuwirth |
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| Born | 6 November 1988 Gmunden, Austria |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Austria |
| Associated acts | Jetzt Anders! |
Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, songwriter, and performer known for his stage character Conchita Wurst (or just Conchita). He became famous worldwide after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Austria with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Thomas Neuwirth is a gay man and describes Conchita as his drag queen persona.
Born in Gmunden, Austria, Thomas moved to Graz to study fashion. He started his singing journey on the TV show Starmania in 2007. Later, he was part of a short-lived boy band called Jetzt Anders!. In 2011, Thomas introduced his character Conchita, a female persona known for her beard. Conchita came in second place in the Austrian competition to enter Eurovision in 2012.
Two years later, Thomas was chosen to represent Austria as Conchita at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Conchita's performance earned the most points, leading to her winning the contest. This victory brought international attention to Conchita and made Thomas a symbol for the gay community. He was then invited to perform at many pride parades, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Office in Vienna.
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Early Life
Thomas Neuwirth was born on 6 November 1988 in Gmunden, Austria. He grew up in the small town of Bad Mitterndorf in the countryside. He has said that growing up in the mountains was wonderful. However, he also faced challenges for being different. He sometimes wore a skirt to kindergarten and school. When he was 14, Thomas moved to Graz to attend a fashion school. His fashion inspiration was Victoria Beckham.
Career
Early Musical Career (2006–2013)
In 2006, Thomas Neuwirth took part in the Austrian TV show Starmania. He finished in second place. A year later, Thomas started a boy band called Jetzt Anders!, but the group broke up that same year.
After this, Thomas created his drag persona, Conchita Wurst, a woman with a beard. The last name "Wurst" means "sausage" in German. However, Thomas chose it because of a German saying, "Das ist mir doch alles Wurst", which means "it's all the same to me" or "I don't care." He got the name "Conchita" from a Cuban friend.
Thomas explained that the beard on Conchita was "a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look." Adding a beard to a drag look was not a new idea. Other performers had done it before in the 1970s.
Conchita first appeared on the TV show Die große Chance in 2011, where she placed sixth. In 2012, she competed in the Austrian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and came in second. Conchita also appeared in other TV shows, like The Hardest Jobs of Austria and Wild Girls.
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Selection for Eurovision
On 10 September 2013, the Austrian TV channel ORF announced that Conchita would represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. The contest was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 2014. In March 2014, Conchita's song was revealed as "Rise Like a Phoenix". Many people thought she was one of the top ten favorites to win. Conchita's performance was serious and elegant, and she was one of the few performers to be on stage alone.
Conchita's selection caused some discussion and was criticized by some groups, especially in Eastern Europe. This showed that there were different opinions across Europe about how people should be treated. In Austria, many people joined an "Anti-Wurst" page on Facebook. Petitions were also started in Russia and Belarus asking their TV channels to remove Conchita's performance from the show.
Winning Eurovision
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At the second semi-final on 8 May, Conchita qualified for the final. At the finals in Copenhagen on 10 May 2014, she won the competition with 290 points. This was Austria's first Eurovision win since 1966. It was also the first time a singer won without backing singers or dancers since 1970.
Conchita received high scores from Western European countries. She also got good scores from some Eastern countries like Georgia and Ukraine. However, the support for Conchita varied across Europe. She received fewer points from some countries and more from others. This showed that different countries had different levels of acceptance.
When she received the trophy, Conchita held it up and said, "We are unity and we are unstoppable." She later told reporters that this message was for politicians who did not support equal rights for all people.
Subsequent Career (2014–present)
On 28 June 2014, Conchita performed at Trafalgar Square in London during the city's annual LGBT Pride Parade. Actor Ian McKellen introduced her to a crowd of over 300,000 people. She told reporters that she loved London and that day was very special for her.
She also performed at other Pride festivals. These included Madrid's LGBT Pride festival on 2 July, Stockholm Pride on 30 July, Antwerp Pride on 10 August, and Manchester Pride on 24 August.
On 9 July, Conchita made her modeling debut on the catwalk for fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris. She took the final spot, which is usually for Gaultier's favorite model. In August, she modeled Givenchy clothes for Karl Lagerfeld's fashion magazine. She was also invited to the 2015 Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.
On 8 October, Conchita performed for 2000 people at an anti-discrimination event at the European Parliament in Brussels. Her speech focused on the importance of tolerance. She said, "As I always say, you don't have to love me, but you have to respect that I'm here."
On 3 November, she performed at the United Nations Office at Vienna. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was there. A spokesperson for Ban called Conchita a "cultural icon." They said that everyone deserves the same basic rights and dignity without being treated unfairly. Conchita said she would like to spend time with Russian President Vladimir Putin to understand his government's views on human rights.
Conchita then started working on an album. Her first song after Eurovision, "Heroes," was released on 8 November 2014. She performed the song for the first time on the TV show Wetten, dass..?.
On 19 December 2014, it was announced that Conchita would host the green room at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna.
On 7 May 2015, Conchita published her autobiography. Her first album, Conchita, was released on 15 May 2015. Before that, her second single, "You Are Unstoppable", came out on 5 March 2015. Two other songs from the album, "Firestorm" and "Colours of Your Love", were released together on 7 August 2015.
On 3 March 2016, Conchita performed at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She was joined by Australian stars like Courtney Act and Guy Sebastian. This was part of the Sydney Mardi Gras festival.
In April 2018, Conchita said that Israel's Netta Barzilai and her song "Toy" were her favorite for Eurovision Song Contest 2018. In August 2018, Turkey's public broadcaster said it would not take part in Eurovision if someone like Conchita could win.
In 2019, Thomas Neuwirth shared that he would be separating his artistic characters. Conchita would continue with a more feminine style. A new persona called WURST would allow for a more masculine expression. Thomas also announced new music as WURST. The song "Trash All the Glam" was released on 8 March 2019. A second song, "Hit Me," followed. A third song, "See Me Now," was released on 5 April 2019. The album was named Truth Over Magnitude.
In 2019, Conchita became a permanent judge on the drag competition TV show Queen of Drags. She judged alongside Heidi Klum and Bill Kaulitz.
In 2020, Thomas Neuwirth appeared as Conchita in a small role in the Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. As Conchita, he also performed “Waterloo" with Charlotte Perrelli and Carola during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
Personal Life
Thomas Neuwirth created a fun, fictional background story for the Conchita character. He said Conchita was born in the mountains of Colombia and was married to a French dancer named Jacques Patriaque, who is a friend of Thomas. He explained that using the character helps protect his own private life. It's like how singers like Beyoncé use different stage personas.
Discography
- Conchita (2015)
- From Vienna with Love (2018, with the Vienna Symphony)
- Truth Over Magnitude (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Conchita Wurst para niños
- Verka Serduchka – a drag character who entered Eurovision
- Silvía Night – a fictional character who entered Eurovision
- DQ – a drag queen who entered Eurovision
- Sestre – a drag band who entered Eurovision
- Dana International – the 1998 Eurovision winner from Israel
