Conchita Wurst Helped This Romanian Woman ‘Rise From the Ashes’

Conchita Wurst made me a Cinderella

This is the third in a short series of articles called “How Conchita Wurst Changed My Life”. You’ll find the introductory article here, and the first and second articles in the series here and here. This latest article was written by Lara from Romania (and the photo collage was made by her). And can I just say, this one made me cry!

 

A Modern Cinderella Tale

or

How Conchita Wurst helped me rise from the ashes

Once upon a time there was an anxious-depressive woman. But she hadn’t always been like that. Many years before (so many that she could barely remember it) she used to be nice and funny, beautiful and stylish, elegant and fancy. But time went by and life knocked her down. And she became a lonely, grumpy and untrusting person. She surely didn’t expect anything good to happen in her life!

She had already resigned herself to the thought of a bleak future and an implacable death. Until she watched the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. That was the turning point for her, the incentive she needed to rediscover herself – and that’s where I enter the stage. Because this is the real me, as I am today and as I had been a very long time ago!

So, let’s start with the beginning: May 8th, the second ESC semi-final: that’s when I saw HER for the first time. ConchitaWurst, what an interesting persona – I thought when I saw the introductory snippet – and I was instantly intrigued by her.

After that, I saw her on stage wearing that amazing gold dress, matching perfectly with the event – and she was shining so bright! But the moment when I was totally captivated by her was when she started to sing. I was fascinated by her voice – so powerful and yet so sensitive, so touching and yet so strong! Surely that was a voice to remember!

Soon after her performance, I started to search the Internet to find out more about her. One thing was clear: she had caught my eye from the very first moment!

And then the final came: May 10th, my birthday… I have to say that I hate my birthdays. Maybe because I hate getting old… I mean I already know that, is it really necessary to be reminded every single year?

So when I woke up that morning, I wasn’t expecting anything good to happen. But anyway, I was impatient to see Conchita again. And it was such a magical moment! She was sensational and I was falling in love with her slowly but surely!

And later that night, she made me the best gift of my life so far: SHE WON!!! It was not only the victory of a truly talented artist, but also the victory of a free, open-minded Europe!

And her speech was so consistent with my beliefs, that I was completely and irrevocably captivated! And that moment I knew I was going to be unstoppable. For my entire life.

After ESC, my life changed completely. Sleepless nights, hours after hours spent in front of my laptop browsing for news, listening and watching all I could find about her.

My smartphone became like an extension to my hand, my daily routine wasn’t so daily anymore and my activity on Facebook skyrocketed. I even got a Twitter account and a YouTube one so I can follow her! And my Facebook friends’ number increased a lot – they are so lovely and supporting that I’m very happy to have them as friends and I really feel like we are a big and unstoppable family!

As I said, I started looking for any information I could find about her: videos, articles, pictures. Soon I became addicted: the more I watched and listened, the more I wanted to! Conchita got me under her spell and I just couldn’t get enough of her!

Day after day, I was discovering new things about her and my love was constantly growing. I already knew that she was a very talented singer, with an amazing voice and a great ability to convey many feelings to the audience and to get people having chills and goose bumps when listening to her.

But I discovered that she was also a very skilled designer (what better example than the gold dress she wore at ESC?) and a lovely, charming, funny, intelligent, spontaneous, charismatic person.

Reading about her life story, I could only admire her strength, her determination and her courage – because I think it takes a lot of courage to stand in front of the whole world as a bearded woman and to make a statement out of this, standing for her beliefs, speaking her mind and fighting for a very clear set of values!

And last, but not least, I was completely blown away by her breathtaking beauty! Mesmerized by her stunning eyes and captivated by her smile (don’t you just agree with me that she has the most beautiful smile in the world?). Enchanted by her flawless makeup, her style and her grace… I just couldn’t help loving her more and more!

Now that I found her, I won’t ever give up on her. She is here to stay, because I really can’t imagine my life without her!

I realize now that all those years I felt like a Cinderella who had only one shoe but just couldn’t use it, because the other one was missing.

And all of a sudden, Conchita came into my life and gave me a shoe to try on. And it fitted me perfectly! I really was like a Phoenix rising from the ashes!

I’m so grateful to her for being such an inspiration, for giving me the drive I needed to rediscover myself and the power to carry on!

Now I am stronger, I am more self-confident, more sociable, more beautiful (well, at least that’s how I feel…). And when I am down, I listen to Unbreakable and I know things will be all right – after all I am the master of my own life and it only depends on me to make it fabulous!

This is my story, but it might as well be yours too. Because once you see her, you will never forget her. She can change your life, as she changed mine.

But in the end, you are the only one who can decide if you accept the challenge of changing yourself, because nobody can force you into doing it. I only can give you this advice: open your mind and your heart and let Conchita in.

Believe in yourself, be proud of what you are, stand your ground and don’t ever be afraid to speak your mind. And then you will know how good it feels to be unstoppable. And you will have your own fabulous life!

As for me, I made my decision. Having Conchita in my life, I know I will live happily. Ever after.

 

lara from romania bio

About Michelle Topham

Brit-American journalist based in Austria, former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I've covered K-drama, K-pop, J-pop, anime, manga and music news for over a decade.