Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst was the guest of honour at the Swiss Eurovision National Final — ESC 2015 – Entscheidungsshow — in Kreuzligen, Switzerland last night. She sang her winning song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix‘ and, as always, she sang it beautifully and she looked stunning.
But there are three things in particular that struck me about Conchita’s Entscheidungsshow performance last night. Three things, I think, that help put her so far into the ‘superstar’ camp, she’s never coming out. And three things that mean she’s holding my attention for a good long while.
How many times has she sung ‘Rise’?
The first is her ability to sing ‘Rise‘ just like it’s the first time she’s sung it every time she sings it. Even though, by now, it’s probably the two thousandth time. Yet, it always sounds fresh, is varied slightly with every performance and, as she allows her voice to naturally break at times throughout the song, it has an astoundingly emotional impact no matter how many times you hear it.
The Conchita Wurst ‘man-woman’ dichotomy
Next, it’s the way she sings I love, as she alternates between appearing amazingly powerful and heart-breakingly vulnerable. One minute she looks like she could smack you hard with that microphone, and not even think twice about it. The next? Her face is so heart-grabbingly open and sweet, and showing she so desperately wants you to love her, you just want to rush up and hug her, and then………….. protect her from the world.
It’s the ‘man-woman’ dichotomy Conchita Wurst always has, and it pulls me in like nothing else. The best of both sexes. The male part of her strengthening the female part. The woman softening the man. Beautiful.
Conchita Wurst – enigma
The last thing, and this I am fascinated with more than anything, is this.
Watch how, when she’s finished singing, she is helped down from the pedestal she’s standing on — and I use the word ‘pedestal‘ deliberately, as she says she doesn’t want to be put up on a pedestal. Yet, there she is. Always standing on one. (Sorry, love. Couldn’t resist 🙂 )
That takes us back to the dichotomy, or the enigma, that is always Conchita. She’s one thing. Then she’s the exact opposite. And sometimes she’s one thing, and then its direct opposite in the space of five minutes. And what, and who she is, is constantly changing, growing and maturing. Never static. Never stationary. It’s evident in every new performance and every new interview. It’s Conchita Wurst figuring herself out, and it is breathtaking to watch.
It’s also why I know this woman will hold my attention for years. Because I watch performances like this and, as a writer, I realize I have never found anyone this interesting or this difficult to figure out. Besides, I like people who are a challenge. And Conchita Wurst? She’s only 26, and she’s kicking my ass. Imagine what she’ll be like when she’s 40.
Meanwhile, while we wait for that glorious day, watch Conchita at the Swiss Entscheidungsshow below. Oh and do take notice of that stunning dress (from Abu Dhabi designer Charbel Karam) and how incredibly beautiful she looks in it.
After all, there’s one thing that doesn’t require much intellectual stimulation, even with my lovely Ms. Wurst – admiring a gorgeous woman in a phenomenal dress.