JJ’s life has been completely turned upside down since his Eurovision win. While the rest of Europe is still fiercely debating the striking result and Israel’s participation, the Austrian opera singer is focusing on the future of his career.
JJ has been living a whirlwind since he managed to gather the most points on May 17 with his opera and pop song Wasted Love during the Eurovision final. A press tour in Germany, interviews in Spain, performances in talk shows. “Fortunately, I was home for a while last weekend,” he tells NU.nl. “Finally catching up with my family and friends.”
Upon his return to Austria last week, the 24-year-old JJ received a grand welcome. “I didn’t expect that,” he says smiling. “It’s great to see that I made the country proud and so many people wanted to celebrate that with me at the airport.”
With every performance he did leading up to the grand final, the artist noticed that hype grew in his home country. On stage in Basel, he held on to the enthusiastic reactions in the hall. “I became more and more confident. When I walked on stage, the audience was already so loud. That was a real relief.” JJ tried not to think about the 170 million people who were watching from home. “It helps that you don’t see them all,” he says laughing.
Where Claude made some mistakes in his own lyrics due to nerves, JJ stuck to the ritual he always does to stay on top of the tension. “Ten push-ups and a minute of planking. That’s how I let go of the stress. As soon as I was on stage, I took a deep breath and thought about all the times I had already sung this song. I said to myself: you’ve done this a million times so you can do it now too.”
JJ no longer speaks out about Israel and scoring
The Spanish newspaper El País noted last week that JJ does not want Israel to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest anymore. The Austrian Eurovision broadcaster hastened to say that JJ’s statements are his own and not on behalf of the broadcaster. JJ himself quickly stated that his words were misunderstood. He does not want to comment further on the matter.
He also does not respond substantively to the statements of, among others, the Spanish and Belgian broadcasters, who questioned Israel’s high televoting score. “I have not been concerned with the voting system at all. I am confident that the Austrian broadcaster will put on a great show next year, just like the Swiss broadcaster did this year.”
He doesn’t think it’s a problem that he scored slightly lower with viewers at home (fourth place) than with the jury (first). “Wasted Love is not an easy mix of genres. It is full of drama and changes. I am especially happy that so many people at home could also appreciate it.”
The artist takes us back to the studio session in Berlin in which the winning song came about. It was clear that there had to be a certain twist. Producer Thomas Thurner suggested a techno beat. JJ and Theodora Spiric, with whom Wasted Love was written, were not convinced. After a short break, Thurner had already put together a beat. “We were immediately sold. Then the song felt finished.”
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Eurovision winner JJ brings trophy to Vienna
Friendship with Claude and support from Conchita
JJ is not alone during his entire Eurovision adventure. He has the support of Conchita Wurst from beginning to end, who won the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Austria in 2014. “During the first rehearsal she watched and had to cry because the performance touched her so much. That was a beautiful moment.”
“She was the one who urged me to enjoy it as much as possible. It’s such a busy schedule for two weeks and it flies by. She advised me to stop and think about everything I was experiencing when I had an hour to myself. That really helped me.”
He also found support from his fellow candidates. “It was a goal in itself for me to make friends in this industry. They understand best how you feel. I talked a lot with Claude about the stressful weeks before and during the Eurovision Song Contest. We are still in contact. I have made friends for life. It would be nice to work with them or share the stage.”
JJ plans to continue mixing his opera vocals with modern music styles. “My classical voice is what sets me apart. Studio sessions are planned for the coming weeks to write new songs and experiment with them.”
At the Vienna State Opera, where JJ regularly performs, they are very proud of the brand new Eurovision winner. “The children at the opera in Vienna see me as a big brother they look up to. It’s so sweet that it makes me want to cry.”