In our century it is difficult to surprise the audience. It seems that they have already seen everything, well, almost everything. Conchita Wurst was able to not only surprise, but also shock the audience.
The Austrian singer is one of the most extraordinary faces of the stage - with his masculine nature, he wears dresses, puts makeup on his face, and generally behaves like a woman.
The journalists who interviewed Conchita constantly asked him the question: “Why does he need this “feminine” outrageousness?”.
The singer replied that it is very difficult to judge a person only by his outer shell, so his goal is to save people from the opinions of others.
The childhood and youth of Thomas Neuwirth
Conchita Wurst is the stage name of the singer, under which the name Thomas Neuwirth hides. The future star was born on November 6, 1988 in the southeastern part of Austria.
The singer spent his childhood in respectable Styria, where he graduated from high school.
From adolescence, Thomas gravitated towards women's things. Moreover, he never hid the fact that he was not interested and attracted to girls. As a teenager, the boy intensively groomed himself, in addition, he bought tight clothes.
Thomas did not hide from his classmates that he was attracted to boys, for which, in fact, he paid the price. Puritan society has always been prejudiced against people like Thomas, the young man had a hard time. The young man constantly heard ridicule addressed to him and endured bullying.
In his teenage years, he realized two things at once: people are very cruel; Not everyone is ready to accept other people for who they are. Then Neuwirth realized that he wanted to devote his life to the struggle for the right of every person on earth for self-determination.
Despite the fact that in fact Austria is one of the first countries to accept members of a non-traditional sexual orientation, and was a strong opponent of the fact that LGBT people should not be infringed.
In some areas, they were, to put it mildly, infringed upon. At the moment, Austrian law has not passed a law on allowing the registration of same-sex marriages.
In addition to the fact that Thomas worked hard on his appearance in his youth, he dreamed of realizing himself as a singer. Firstly, this would allow him to convey his thoughts to the general public, and secondly, he would be able to try on various stage images.
The beginning of the musical career of Conchita Wurst
Many believe that the star of Conchita Wurst lit up only because the guy all over the world was able to admit that he is a representative of non-traditional sexual orientation. However, in reality this is not the case at all.
In 2006, Thomas became a member of the Starmania show. This musical project was not only a start for talented performers, but also for unknown ones. Thomas not only got into the show, but also reached the final, losing 1st place to Nadine Beyler.
Having taken 2nd place in a musical project, the singer realized that he was going in the right direction. This motivated the young man to continue to try himself on the big stage.
The following year, the young man founded his own pop-rock band Jetzt anders!. However, almost immediately the musical group broke up.
A small setback did not discourage Thomas from moving on. The young man became a student of one of the most prestigious fashion schools. In 2011, the future star received a diploma from the Graz Fashion School.
Interestingly, on the Internet you can find completely opposite information about Thomas. The fact is that when he "reincarnated" as a transvestite Conchita Wurst, he decided to write a separate biography for his second "I".
If you "believe" the fictional story of Thomas, then Conchita Wurst was born in the Colombian mountains, not far from Bogota, and only later moved to Germany, where she spent her childhood.
The transvestite girl was named after her grandmother, who never lived to see her birthday. Interestingly, in translation from German, the word "wurst" means sausage. “No lyrics, but very appetizing,” Conchita jokes.
Thomas in the form of Conchita Wurst first appeared in public in 2011. Then he acted as a woman at the Die grosse Chance project.
After this stunning performance, Thomas became a significant person in his country. His story was imbued with a thousand caring spectators.
But Thomas understood that it was so easy to lose popularity, so after participating in the project, he took on any show that would make him popular and the audience would remember.
In 2011, he became a member of the show "The Hardest Job in Austria". Thomas had to work in a fish factory.
In order for Thomas's opinion to spread around the world, he decided to submit his application for participation in the Eurovision international music contest.
Thomas, during the selection, said that it doesn’t matter at all what a person looks like, it’s much more important what kind of person he is and what he has inside.
The young performer took part in the national selection of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. But, to his great regret, he does not pass the qualifying round.
In 2013, ORF, taking advantage of authoritarian rights, bypassing the audience's vote, announced that it was Wurst who would perform at the Eurovision 2014 contest.
To my great surprise, the Australians in their social networks spoke negatively about the decision of the organizers of the company. Thousands of Australians did not want Conchita Wurst to represent their country, but the organizers were unwavering.
Thus, in 2014, the happy Conchita Wurst performed on the big stage with the musical composition Rise Like a Phoenix. And what a surprise for the audience when Conchita Wurst appeared on stage - a beautiful dress, chic makeup ... and a ridiculous black beard.
But one way or another, it was she who won the Eurovision 2014 music contest.
Thomas turned out to be an extremely emotional performer. When he was waiting for the audience's decision, he cried every time and was very worried. The struggle in the last minutes began between Austria and the country duo from the Netherlands.
Countries sometimes broke away from each other, sometimes they were on a par. But the audience decided to vote for an extraordinary personality - for the personality of Conchita Wurst.
In the wake of popularity, Conchita recorded her debut album Conchita in 2015. The artist included the musical composition "Heroes" in his debut disc.
Thomas dedicated it to his fans, who voted for Conchita Wurst. Later, Conchita released a touching video clip for the musical composition. A week passed and the debut album received platinum status.
The victory of the outrageous Conchita Wurst caused considerable resentment. In particular, the image of Conchita was very criticized by politicians in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Political figures said that such creativity and the image itself can provoke people to blur the boundaries between a man and a woman. On the territory of the CIS countries, politicians spoke even more harshly.
Wurst admitted to reporters that she was ready for a negative attitude. Conchita has repeatedly faced the resentment of people who see the stage persona. But that's exactly what she wants to overcome. Everyone is entitled to their share of happiness and madness.
The image of a bearded woman is so ingrained in the heads of the audience that it is impossible to imagine Conchita Wurst without bristles. But do not forget that, in addition to the outrageous appearance and dress, behind which a male body is hidden, Conchita has quite strong vocal abilities.
In 2014, Thomas took part in gay pride parades in London, Zurich, Stockholm and Madrid. In addition, Conchita Wurst is a regular guest of prestigious fashion shows.
Conchita was at the show of the collection of fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. There, the singer performed in front of the audience in the image of a bride in a wedding dress.
In 2017, Conchita Wurst was scheduled to visit the Russian Federation. The purpose of the world-class star's visit is to attend the Side by Side LGBT Cinema Party. At the party, Conchita performed several musical compositions.
Personal life of Conchita Wurst
Conchita Wurst does not hide her personal life behind seven locks. Thomas, at the age of 17, admitted that he was gay, so thousands of interested journalists watched his life.
In early 2011, Conchita made an official statement in which she announced that professional dancer Jacques Patriac had become her boyfriend. Later this statement was confirmed by several famous people.
Neither Wurst nor her official common-law husband were afraid of questions from journalists and the media in general. The network was literally filled with photos of this extraordinary couple.
But in 2015, Conchita made a statement that their couple is no more. She and Jacques are now good friends, and still maintain warm relations. According to Thomas, it became clear that today he is free and completely open to communication.
Around the personality of Conchita Wurst, rumors constantly circulate about regular plastic surgeries. Thomas himself says that he resorted to breast augmentation, lips and cheekbones, but there was no sex change operation, and for this period of time there cannot be.
The main secret of the image is stylish clothes, high-quality cosmetics and constant personal care.
It is known that Conchita has her own talisman - this is a tattoo that is placed on her back, where her mother is depicted. According to Thomas, his mother played a huge role in his life and his development as a singer.
10 Hot Facts About Conchita Wurst
Many say that Conchita Wurst is a real challenge to modern society. Yes, it is almost impossible to surprise modern viewers with a beard and dress. And although most people accept people from sexual minorities, there is still some distance. It's time to learn a little more about Conchi.
- Thomas' father is Armenian, and his mother is an Austrian by nationality.
- Conchita Wurst is Thomas' ego, which came about as a result of discrimination and bullying from classmates.
- The beard with which the singer performs on stage is real. Stylists only emphasized her beauty with a pencil and care products.
- The bearded diva's fans around the world have liked the song Rise Like a Phoenix so much that they demand that it be the theme of the next James Bond movie.
- Conchita Wurst constantly appears on gay parades.
- Conchita has his fans, and they, by the way, do not mind supporting the artist morally. Moreover, they provide their support in a very original way - they grow or dye beards, and post their photos on social networks.
- Going to Denmark, Neuwirth first wanted to see Andersen's Little Mermaid.
- The artist's favorite singer is Cher.
- One of the journalists asked Conchita a question about whether she could pose nude for Playboy magazine. The journalist received the following answer: “I definitely wouldn’t be able to shoot for Playboy magazine. The only place where my body will show off is Vogue.
- Every morning Conchita starts with a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
Conchita Wurst is an ambiguous person. The artist has his own Instagram page, where Thomas posts the latest news from his life. He is in contact with various stars, which he shares on his social networks.
Conchita Wurst now
In the spring of 2018, Wurst literally shocked society. She reported that she is a carrier of a positive HIV status.
The singer suffered from this terrible disease for many years, but was not going to make the information public, because she believed that this information was not for prying ears.
However, the former lover of Conchita began to threaten in every possible way. He said that very soon he would open the curtain on Wurst fans.
This disgusting act of the former young man literally forced Conchita to reveal this terrible secret. Wurst has released information that she is a carrier of positive HIV. She also added information that the family is aware of what is happening with her health, and she receives medical care.
However, most fans are not sure about the reality of what Conchita Wurst reported. And does the problem of HIV concern Thomas Neuwirth. After all, everyone remembers that Thomas and his alter ego initially had a different biography.
Back in the winter of 2017, Thomas talked about how he was thinking about breaking up with Conchita, since he had already achieved a lot thanks to this image. But most importantly, he raised the question of the humanity of modern society.
It is likely that by reporting that he was HIV-positive, Thomas wanted to draw attention to this problem as well. However, this is his official appeal to his fans. Today, he attends all sorts of charity events that support HIV-infected or AIDS-infected people.
In the spring of 2018, photos of Thomas appeared on the singer's Instagram. A brutal man was recorded on them, without curls, with beautiful dark bristles. Thomas reported that Conchita Wurst had faded into the background.
When journalists wanted to find out the reason for this decision, Thomas simply said: “I'm tired of Conchita. Now I don't want to wear dresses, high heels, tons of makeup. Thomas has awakened in me, and I want to support him.”
At the moment, Thomas maintains his individual style. Some fans are saying that Conchita Wurst is dead forever and will never come back.
However, spicy photos in a bikini, beautiful lingerie and lace dresses appear on the singer's Instagram from time to time.
The artist told his fans that he plans to release a new album in 2018 under the name of Conchita. But then Wurst will be finished forever.
He has found himself, and for this period of his life he does not need Conchita. This was a little shocking, but did not upset his fans. After all, they still waited for the promised record.
But Conchita still returned to the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. There, Thomas shocked the audience by performing on stage in transparent clothes. Not everyone understood the trick of the Australian performer. A “mountain” of negative reviews literally fell on him.
In 2019, Thomas was engaged in creativity and music. Not so long ago, he presented a video clip and several fresh tracks. There is no Conchita in the video clips now, but there is a brutal and incredibly handsome man Thomas.
Judging by the reviews, the public likes Thomas much more than Conchita. Perhaps the singer made the right conclusions.
Thomas annually tours his native country. But he does not forget about fans in other cities. He admits that now people react to him much calmer than at the peak of his musical career. Thomas understands it this way: "Still, I was able to convey to people all over the planet my idea of humanism and tolerance."
