Conchita Wurst (stage name of Thomas Neuwirth, born 6 November 1988) is a singer from Austria, known for performing in gorgeous Pimped Out Dresses, elaborate make-up and jewellery, and a full beard.
Neuwirth invented the character as a call for tolerance and for everything that seems different, and he debuted in the role of Conchita in 2011. Although statuesque and a total diva on the stage, Conchita is also absolutely The Cutie. She's very fond of her fans and hopes to convey a message of worldwide peace, regardless of nationality, sexuality or gender.
Aside from her singing career, Conchita participated in the ORF production The Hardest Jobs of Austria, where she worked in a fish factory, and in Wild Girls, in which a group of candidates had to survive in the deserts of Namibia together with native tribes.
In 2014, Conchita participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with the Power Ballad "Rise Like A Phoenix"
, where she was promptly elected the undisputed Queen of Europe.
Discography:
- Conchita (2015)
- From Vienna with Love (2018) with the Vienna Symphony
- Truth Over Magnitude (2019)
Tropes:
- Alter-Ego Acting: See Sharing a Body below. Taken up a notch with Truth Over Magnitude, where another alter-ego is introduced.
- Cover Album: From Vienna with Love features orchestral renditions of songs from the soundtracks of several films.
- Cuddle Bug: She's almost constantly clinging to someone.
- The Cutie: Look at how she charms interviewers with her sweet smile.
- Darker and Edgier: Truth Over Magnitude features harsher electronic beats and the lyrics to match.
- Decomposite Character: For Truth Over Magnitude, Tom Neuwirth plays two roles: the glamorous diva Conchita we all know and love, and the androgynous, rebellious WURST. The official bio is even titled "About Us".
- Drag Queen: Fabulously so.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Conchita's first attempt to get into Eurovision with "That's What I Am" was thwarted in the national final by Trackshittaz's infamous "Woki Mit Deim Popo".
- Expository Hairstyle Change: In contrast to Conchita's luscious wigs, the WURST persona sports a very short hairstyle if not a shaven head outright.
- Fun with Acronyms: The title of Truth Over Magnitude can be abbreviated as T.O.M. - the singer's real name.note
- Happily Married: To "boylesque" performer Jacques Patriaque. Notably, it's just Conchita; Tom isn't involved with Jacques at all.
- Insult Backfire: Her reply to whole avalanche of criticism, including the ones from politicians? "You really think I'm that powerful to ruin a whole country? I'm so honoured, thank you so much!".
- Manly Tears: After the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, she cried tears of joy backstage, saying she wanted to go right back. She kept on crying with joy as one country after the other announced L'Autriche, douze points, all the way to victory.
- New Sound Album: Truth Over Magnitude.
- Pronoun Trouble: According to the official bio on the website, Conchita uses female pronouns, while WURST (and Tom, when out of character) uses male ones.
- Punny Name: From the German "das ist mir doch alles Wurst," which translates as "it's all the same to me," (literally "it's all sausage to me"). Conchita adds "It doesn't really matter where one comes from, and what one looks like." Her first name, "Conchita", is both a regular Colombian name and can also be interpreted as slang for you-know-what.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: "Hit Me" is what amounts as a diss track towards an ex-boyfriend of Tom who threatened to reveal his HIV-positive status.
- Sharing a Body: Invoked whenever people ask her about Tom; she tends to reply that they always just miss each other in the mirror.
- Triumphant Reprise: In her reprise of "Rise Like A Phoenix", she replaced "I" and "me" with "we" and "us" in the final verse.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: She was seen in at least two Pimped-Out Dress outfits a day during Eurovision.
