Conchita entered the world of entertainment as Tom Neuwirth (with his real name), by taking part in a third season of the Austrian TV show Starmania. Right from the beginning, it was more then clear, that this (back then) 18 year old boy from a small town Gmunden, has big dreams, but also an amazing talent, that will lead him to unbelievable goals, sooner or later, including to the Eurovision victory in Copenhagen.
*Here you can check all the videos about Conchita we have produced in previous months.
Thomas ended second in that Austrian singing competition series, but he didn’t give up. A year later, a new boy band called Jetzt Anders (Now Different) was formed and he joined this pop “schlager” quartet with three other singers. Unfortunatelly that chapter in Tom’s career didn’t last long.
Conchita: "It's about tolerance and acceptance!"
After four years, Tom returned to television, but as a drag persona Conchita Wurst, explaining that his new role represents “a call for tolerance for eveything that seems different”. In 2011 she released a debut single Unbreakable, that peaked at number 32 in Austria. Few months later, a new Conchita’s song was out That’s What I Am, as a digital download, achieving much bigger success, especially after taking part in the Austrian national selection (Die große Chance) for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. In that first attempt to attend Europe’s Favourite TV Show, Conchita finished second, but luckily she still didn’t give up on her dream!
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In 2014, the Austrian national broadcaster (ORF) decided to go for the internal selection, offering Conchita to be an entrant for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. When Eurovision.tv met her in March this year, for the very first year, she said: “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 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.”
