Conchita to host Amadeus Awards 2018
As Conchita Wurst, Austria’s most famous export, continues to build on her already superb hosting skills, news out of Vienna this week is that she will be the new host for the Amadeus Awards 2018.
The event is Austria’s annual music awards show held to reward excellence in the Austrian music industry, and brings together some of the most well-known artists in the country both performing and accepting awards.
In 2015, Conchita herself won three Amadeus Awards — Best Song (‘Rise Like a Pheonix‘), Best Video (‘Heroes‘) and ‘Female Singer of the Year’ (Künstlerin Des Jahres). In 2016, she was back on stage to accept the award for ‘Female Singer of the Year’ for the second year in a row.
The Amadeus Awards 2018 will be presented by ORF and, as Conchita so brilliantly hosted Wiener Festwochen last year, it was obviously felt she would be perfect for the awards show. I honestly cannot say I disagree.
Because here is the thing about Conchita.
Not only does she have one of the best singing voices in Austria (you should hear some of my Austrian friends, who are professional singers themselves, raving about how stunning Conchita’s voice is), but she has also proven over the last couple of years with hosting gigs at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, for the charity show Wider die Gewalt, and at the aforementioned Wiener Festwochen just how versatile her talents are.
Related: How Conchita Wurst ruled the world at the Eurovision 2015 grand final
So good, in fact, she is just as skilled as any well-known British or American host that has been doing it for decades, and surpasses quite a few Austrian hosts I’ve seen simply because her personable manner on stage is just so charming and lovely she puts everyone at ease. Yet also with that slightly evil sense of humor she does so well.
And, if you are not completely convinced Conchita is the best host for the Amadeus Awards, buy tickets to one of her concerts, as they are a lovely mix of music and story-telling by the singer herself. Stories that have the entire crowd howling laughing as she tells a brilliant story, and her comedic timing is impeccable.
As for the Amadeus Awards, Conchita herself said about them:
“The ‘Amadeus Austrian Music Awards’ are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the Austrian music scene. There are so many incredibly talented, inspired musicians in this country, some already well known, others – wrongly – even less known. In any case, I think it’s great and important to pause for an evening and be proud of what’s musical in this country. ”
The Amadeus Awards 2018 will be held at Vienna’s iconic Volkstheater on April 26th. The show will air on ORF beginning at 9:55pm.
You can currently vote for your favorites at the Amadeus Awards website. You are allowed to vote every 7 days, so vote early and often.
As for who to vote for, don’t forget the superb Austrian newcomer Ina Regen, who is nominated in two categories this year — Song of the Year for ‘Wie a Kind‘ and Best Pop/Rock artist).
Related: Watch Conchita and Ina Regen’s gorgeous cover of Hubert von Goisern’s ‘Heast as Net‘