Conchita Wurst
Tom Neuwirth was born on November 6th, 1988, and he for the first time performed as his alter ego Conchita Wurst in 2011. Since then, he has been a symbol for tolerance and artistic freedom in Austria and beyond. His motto: "Be the best version of yourself rather than a bad copy of someone else!"Conchita Wurst was born as Tom Neuwirth on November 6th, 1988 in Gmunden, Austria. The young artist had always dreamed of a career in showbusiness. It all really started in 2006 when he took part in the talent show Starmania. In 2007, he joined the boy band "jetzt anders!", which however only survived for less than one year.
He first performed as his alter ego Conchita Wurst, the famous long-haired full-bearded lady, in the talent show Die große Chance in 2011. Since then, he certainly has not gone unnoticed in Austria. More recently, Conchita Wurst participated in the ORF production The Hardest Jobs Of Austria, where she worked in a fish factory, and in Wild Girls, where a group of candidates had to survive in the deserts of Namibia, Africa together with native tribes.
Get to know Conchita Wurst
What are the highlights of your previous career?
Well I appeared in 2011 for the first time as Conchita on the Austrian talent show Die Große Chance. In 2012 I participated in the Eurovision Song Contest national selection, I came second. While working on music and my career as an entertainer I got the chance to meet fabulous people like Stefan Raab, Brendan O'Connor and Jean Paul Gaultier. in 2013 I appeared on German TV the first time, in a show called Wild Girls which was made in Africa. And then of course the biggest milestone so far is the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Because of that i still get the chance to meet my fans all over Europe.
What's special about your entry?
For me the most special and honoring thing is that Austria shows tolerance and acceptance and I’m so happy to be this statement. I’m allowed to be the voice of their beliefs during this time and this really makes me very proud. We, and not at least myself, want to stand for a society without hate and discrimination. And if I’m honest, I think everyone of the contestants should stand for the same, cause we are joining a very opend minded project, so they should be open minded too.
What do you want achieve with your entry?
For me as a musician it’s like the biggest thing so far. I really want to reach a good place in the ranking for my country, and for myself, I want to be proud of my performance. Because I’m my worst critic. Besides that, I really hope that I get the chance to change some minds all around Europe. I want to show them that you can look whatever you want and that everybody must have the right to live their life however they want it, if nobody gets hurt.
Where do you get your inspiration?
From so many different people and situations around me. From my parents to my granny and my friends to Cher. I’m a person focusing on the good things in life and that's the most inspiring thing.
What is your message for your fans?
Well, first of all I’m so thankful and privileged to live the life I do. And that’s because there are people out there who care of what I do. Thank you so much for that. And then, I really want to convince them to be the best version of themselves rather than a bad copy of someone else! You can do whatever you want if you’re not hurting anyone.
What is your personal relationship to Eurovision Song Contest?
I watched the Song Contest as far back as I can remember with my mom. I always wanted to be on this stage and now it’s my turn and I’m beyond happy and thankful for this opportunity.
