To be honest, when I first heard that the Austrian entry was a long-haired, bearded lady called Conchita Wurst, I thought that Austria had stopped taking ESC seriously. Surely they had no hope of winning with that act. Yet “Rise Like a Phoenix” is one of the stand-out songs of this year’s competition. It has all the drama and soulfulness of a classic James Bond theme song. I can’t wait to see how this song will be staged, but I’ll bet it gives both the wind machine and the glitter cannons a good workout. There may even be fireworks! And the wardrobe…I can see lots of glitz and ‘flowing fabric’. Beware those playing drinking games!
So perhaps the Austrians do know their stuff? While unknown to the rest of the world, it seems that Conchita is a popular performer and overall celebrity in her native Austria. Although she has cancelled recent shows due to a cold, so hopefully she recovers for her big week!
But can she win? There is always a risk that gender-bending acts will not win the votes of more conservative countries. However, that didn’t stop the openly transsexual Dana representing Israel in ESC 1998 (incidentally, the year that Conchita turned 10) and winning the competition. Let’s face it, in a competition that can be won by a group dressed up as monsters, anything can happen!