Conchita Wurst
Conchita Wurst
Conchita Wurst (born Thomas Neuwirth on November 6, 1988) is an Austrian singer, songwriter, drag queen, and LGBTQ+ rights activist who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Austria with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix".
Early life and career
Neuwirth was born in Gmunden, Austria, and began performing in drag as Conchita Wurst in 2006. The character's name was inspired by Wurst's grandmother, who was called "Conchita" and was a fan of the German singer-songwriter Conchita Bautista, and "Wurst", meaning "sausage" in German, a tongue-in-cheek reference to an Austrian-German phrase meaning "that's all there is". In 2007, Wurst participated in the third season of Starmania, an Austrian television talent show, as Tom Neuwirth. Wurst was eliminated in the semi-finals.
In 2011, Wurst released her debut single, "Unbreakable", which charted at number 11 in Austria. In 2012, Wurst participated in the fifth season of the German television talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of Pop Idol. Wurst was eliminated in the semifinals.
In 2014, Wurst was selected to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Wurst won the competition with 290 points, making Austria the second country to win the competition twice in a row, after Luxembourg in 1972 and 1973.
Post-Eurovision career
After winning the Eurovision Song Contest, Wurst released her debut album, Conchita, which charted at number one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The album was certified platinum in Austria and Germany. Wurst embarked on a tour of Europe and North America in support of the album.
In 2015, Wurst released her second album, Rise Like a Phoenix, which charted at number two in Austria and Switzerland, and number three in Germany. The album was certified gold in Austria and Germany. Wurst embarked on a tour of Europe and North America in support of the album.
In 2016, Wurst released her third album, From Vienna with Love, which charted at number two in Austria and Switzerland, and number three in Germany. The album was certified gold in Austria and Germany. Wurst embarked on a tour of Europe and North America in support of the album.
In 2017, Wurst announced that she would be retiring the Conchita Wurst character. Wurst said that she wanted to focus on her personal life and her career as a songwriter.
In 2019, Wurst announced that she would be returning to music under her own name, Thomas Neuwirth. Wurst released her debut single under her own name, "Trash All the Glam", in 2020.
LGBTQ+ rights activism
Wurst has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. In 2014, Wurst was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 2015, Wurst spoke at the United Nations General Assembly about the importance of fighting discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. Wurst has also been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Personal life
Wurst is openly gay. Wurst has been in a relationship with Austrian fashion designer Jacques Patriaque since 2015.
