"Wasted Love": This is Austria's ESC Song 2025

Drama, baby! With "Wasted Love", JJ, Austria's hopeful for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, will compete in Basel in May. Hopefully, the performance in the 2nd semi-final on May 15 won't be a wasted effort, as the young countertenor's number certainly has potential, which was appropriately presented to the press on Wednesday at the Vienna State Opera - JJ aka Johannes Pietsch's actual home. The motto is bombast and beats.

JJ Sees Austria's ESC Song as "Pop Opera"

"There are parallels between the Song Contest and opera - it's very often a drama. And for most, it ends badly. For Austria, it definitely won't end badly this year," ESC veteran Andi Knoll expressed confidence at the presentation.

The song, conceived as a love drama with a beat-heavy culmination, is meant to ensure this, written by JJ himself in collaboration with Thomas Turner and former ESC candidate Teya - within a day. "The song encapsulates personal experiences with unrequited love," JJ said about the song, which he succinctly summarized in an APA interview: "Totally wild - and lots of drama!"

For the pop passages, the 23-year-old was inspired by his idols Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, while Maria Callas and Anna Netrebko served as models for the opera sequences. "And for the techno part, I came up with something. There was no inspiration," JJ laughed. The likable artist does not expect any problems on stage switching between pop voice and counter-falsetto: "The transition is very quick - and by now I've sung it so often that it's possible even in my sleep." After all, he has his secret tip for this: "Always inhale a lot of steam - and drink lemon tea with honey."

Premiere for "Wasted Love" Before Song Contest

"The crossover between opera and Song Contest is a special project for Austria," said Stefan Zechner, head of the ORF-ESC delegation, convinced of the concept. And TV director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz pointed to the delicate physique and powerful voice of this year's candidate: "We didn't go by body size, but by talent."

"Wasted Love" was played for the first time on Thursday on the Ö3 "Wecker". The video, which shows JJ in the forest, at the Stadttheater Baden, and a diving school, then saw the light of day for the first time on "Guten Morgen Österreich".

On March 18, there will be a concert by the opera school at the State Opera, then JJ will be fully on the ESC course - from the pre-parties in Europe to the actual performance in Basel in mid-May. And ideally, the highlight on May 17 - in the grand finale.

(APA/Red)

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