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Conchita Wurst
Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, media personality and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst. He came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Austria with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix".
Born in Gmunden, Neuwirth moved to Graz to do his Matura exam with a focus on fashion, before embarking on a singing career through the 2007 casting show Starmania. He subsequently became a founding member of Jetzt Anders!, a short-lived boy band. In 2011, Neuwirth began appearing as Conchita—a female character noted for her beard—and came second in the Austrian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Two years later, Neuwirth was internally selected to represent Austria as Conchita at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. His win brought him international attention and established him as a gay icon, resulting in invitations to perform at various pride parades, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Office in Vienna.
Thomas Neuwirth was born on 6 November 1988 in Gmunden and raised in the small town of Bad Mitterndorf, in the Styrian countryside in Austria. He has stated that the mountainous area was a wonderful place to grow up, but that he faced prejudice for being gay: "Being a teenager, a gay teenager, in such a small village is not that much fun. I am part of the gay community and most gays have a similar story to mine."
From an early age he recognised that he was different from other children, initially believing that this was because there was "something wrong" with him. He occasionally wore a skirt to kindergarten and then school, although subsequently felt that he could only be happy doing so in the attic of his home. Aged 14, Neuwirth moved to Graz to attend school, with a focus on fashion. His fashion icon was Victoria Beckham.
In 2006, Neuwirth took part in the third edition of the Austrian TV show Starmania, finishing in second place behind Nadine Beiler. One year later, Neuwirth founded the boyband Jetzt Anders!, but the group disbanded that same year.
It was after this that Neuwirth developed the drag persona of Conchita Wurst, a bearded woman. In the German language, "Wurst" means "sausage", although Neuwirth relates the choice of last name to the common German expression "Das ist mir doch alles Wurst", which translates as "it's all the same to me" or "I don't care", stating that the name emerged from the first meaning of that expression. The name "Conchita" had been adopted from a Cuban friend of his. In an interview, he also explained that conchita is Spanish slang for vagina and Wurst is German slang for penis.
Neuwirth asserted that the inclusion of the beard as part of the Conchita character was "a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look." The inclusion of a beard as part of the drag look was not unique, having been pioneered in the 1970s by The Cockettes in San Francisco and the Bloolips in London.
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Conchita Wurst
Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, media personality and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst. He came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Austria with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix".
Born in Gmunden, Neuwirth moved to Graz to do his Matura exam with a focus on fashion, before embarking on a singing career through the 2007 casting show Starmania. He subsequently became a founding member of Jetzt Anders!, a short-lived boy band. In 2011, Neuwirth began appearing as Conchita—a female character noted for her beard—and came second in the Austrian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Two years later, Neuwirth was internally selected to represent Austria as Conchita at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. His win brought him international attention and established him as a gay icon, resulting in invitations to perform at various pride parades, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Office in Vienna.
Thomas Neuwirth was born on 6 November 1988 in Gmunden and raised in the small town of Bad Mitterndorf, in the Styrian countryside in Austria. He has stated that the mountainous area was a wonderful place to grow up, but that he faced prejudice for being gay: "Being a teenager, a gay teenager, in such a small village is not that much fun. I am part of the gay community and most gays have a similar story to mine."
From an early age he recognised that he was different from other children, initially believing that this was because there was "something wrong" with him. He occasionally wore a skirt to kindergarten and then school, although subsequently felt that he could only be happy doing so in the attic of his home. Aged 14, Neuwirth moved to Graz to attend school, with a focus on fashion. His fashion icon was Victoria Beckham.
In 2006, Neuwirth took part in the third edition of the Austrian TV show Starmania, finishing in second place behind Nadine Beiler. One year later, Neuwirth founded the boyband Jetzt Anders!, but the group disbanded that same year.
It was after this that Neuwirth developed the drag persona of Conchita Wurst, a bearded woman. In the German language, "Wurst" means "sausage", although Neuwirth relates the choice of last name to the common German expression "Das ist mir doch alles Wurst", which translates as "it's all the same to me" or "I don't care", stating that the name emerged from the first meaning of that expression. The name "Conchita" had been adopted from a Cuban friend of his. In an interview, he also explained that conchita is Spanish slang for vagina and Wurst is German slang for penis.
Neuwirth asserted that the inclusion of the beard as part of the Conchita character was "a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look." The inclusion of a beard as part of the drag look was not unique, having been pioneered in the 1970s by The Cockettes in San Francisco and the Bloolips in London.