After a series of unsuccessful attempts at Eurovision – apart from Nadine Beiler (who at least reached the final) – Austria is now trying their luck again with an internally selected artist.
Austria have sent arguably the most controversial artist in this year’s Eurovision in drag queen Conchita Wurst. She has hit headlines all across Europe, some of them good, some of them bad, but everyone seems to have an opinion on her. Including some of the contestants!
Myself, as a huge fan of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” I am right on Conchita’s side here and I think she is making a brave statement stepping onto the Eurovision stage. Some people cannot understand her reasoning behind wearing a dress but still sporting a full beard – but drag comes in many kinds of shapes and sizes, and who are we to judge what is wrong and what is right? (Wasn’t that the title of a Eurovision song?)
Most people seem to be talking about Conchita, but what about the song itself? Well, Rise Like A Phoenix is a classy ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on a James Bond soundtrack sung by Dame Shirley Bassey, and it is certainly different from the cheap uptempo-pop that everyone seemed to be expecting from her. The song also suits Conchita’s voice and I think it will stand out from the crowd.
My verdict:
This is quite a hard one to predict – it could go either way. On the strength of the song, I think it deserves top 10, however I think the conservative Eastern European countries may vote against it. I do think it’s a qualifier though, but I fear it might undeservedly end up near the foot of the scoreboard on Saturday night like the similarly controversial Finnish entry with the lesbian kiss last year. I think this song NEEDS to qualify for the final, if only for the statement it will make and the potential huge audience that will see it.
Top 10 |
Victory |
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