Being Conchita

by Conchita Wurst

  On Sunday my parents liked to go on little day-trips with me and my brother Andreas.

  My guinea pig Bob and I in our garden in Bad Mitterndorf. Our favourite game was ‘catch’, Bob haring off and me chasing behind.

  A group picture with a rocking horse: My cousin Alexander, my cousins Birgit and Christa, my brother Andreas and I are beaming with joy.

  At my First Communion I was far more fascinated by the dress my best friend Kristin was wearing than anything to do with the ceremony. I probably thought I should have a beautiful one just like it.

  At fashion school in Graz, I learnt how to design clothes and do dressmaking. I’m still passionate about designing my own things, including the dress I wore at the Eurovision Song Contest, but nowadays I rarely get an opportunity to pick up the needle and thread myself. So when my friend Nicole was getting married, I seized on the chance to get my sewing machine running flat-out again. This three-layered circle skirt à la Swinging Fifties needed a lot of material. It was great fun!

  Our Trio Infernale. I performed alongside Jacques Patriaque and Urinella on stage at Kitty Willenbruch’s burlesque revue. Jacques played my husband, while Urinella was the grande dame who wore her heart on her sleeve. We displayed razor-sharp wit, and we knew how to party – we still do!

  At the Halloween party at the U4 club in Vienna: it wasn’t Prada the devil wore, but Versace. Donatella had turned up, and she was most definitely not amused. Anyone who spoke to her was sent packing in no uncertain terms. And anyone looking to dance with her only got to see her claws. So there was much laughter when it was later revealed that Donatella was me. No-one had recognised me, they’d all thought I was the real thing.

  It’s mid-May and it’s time for the Vienna Life Ball. Despite the thermometer showing just 8°C, I’m still skimpily dressed. But that didn’t dampen the mood, either on or off stage.

  One of the most exciting taxi rides of my life. I was on my way to the talent show Die große Chance, where I sang ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ and ‘My Heart Will Go On’. I made it to the final, after which things were never quite the same again.

  The immediate effect, however, was that I felt pretty shattered after my long day at Die große Chance. So here I am enjoying an after-work drink in Café Blaustern.

  Do you really need to get dressed up like that to go to Africa? Yes, you do, when it’s the TV broadcaster RTL asking you to take part in Wild Girls: An Adventure in Namibia, Home to the Himba Tribe. Not only did I walk through the desert sand in high heels, I also had a fantastic time.

  MuTh in Vienna is a special place. It’s the concert hall of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, and it’s got a superbly equipped stage, which is said to have the best acoustics in the city. It’s a place where you can experience not just the Vienna Boys’ Choir, but also rock and jazz concerts. Even Conchita has appeared there. But not this time round, because it was New Year’s Eve. At the time this photo was taken, we were just hours away from the magic year that was to be 2014. Me surrounded by my friends: what could be nicer? From right to left: Nicole, Karin, Hannah, Matthias and Anja.

  Patricia Kaas, the great French singer, received me backstage in her dressing gown. Having told me how she herself had competed in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, she was keen to hear my take on things.

  Trying on my dress for the Eurovision Song Contest finals. I designed it, but it was made by ART for ART in Vienna. I was so lucky to find people with the expert skills needed for my design: white glitter-speckled tulle, overlaid with golden spangles and Swarovski crystals, all sewn on by hand. The overall effect was to give an impression of stardust. On top of that, there was the three-metre-long train: no wonder I was dubbed ‘Queen of Europe’ after my victory.

  It was raining red roses – a dream come true for my first ever solo video. Being showered with petals was a wonderful feeling. We needed to work at speed, though, as rose petals don’t stay fresh for long in the heat of the spotlights.

  Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, I went on a European tour, travelling through a dozen countries, giving over 400 interviews and being constantly filmed – such as here in Amsterdam, one of my favourite European cities.

  One of the many nice things about the Eurovision Song Contest is that each competing artist gets to create a special version of their national flag. Iceland cut theirs from blocks of ice, while the Dutch used tulips. With the help of my friend Tamara, I made a flag from ball gowns. We shot the clip at Schönbrunn Palace Theatre, which was built on the instructions of Empress Maria Theresa in 1745. It was baroque as far as the eye could see – perhaps that’s why Tamara couldn’t stop laughing?

  I once read that one clown is worth more than forty doctors. I know the value of laughter from my own experience. This was especially true in the hours before the Eurovision Song Contest finals. We’d worked hard, rehearsed a lot and done everything we could to deliver the perfect performance on the night. Then someone came up with the idea of taking this photo. René, Matthias, Nicole, Tamara and me, laughing our heads off as we’re on a ride at the Prater fun fair in Vienna. We couldn’t control ourselves, and it definitely made everything feel easier afterwards.

  It was such an emotional experience looking at the points board during the Eurovision Song Contest. A total of thirteen times, I was awarded the maximum ‘… and twelve points go to Austria’. In the end, I won with 290 points, the fourth-highest score of all time.

  Home at last! I’ve got no idea how long I was on my feet or when I’d last grabbed a few hours’ sleep. But then the door of my apartment closed behind me, I took the trophy in my hand again, and posted this photo. After that I went to bed. I slept and slept and slept. And when I finally woke up, the trophy was still there. So it can’t all have been a dream!

  The Austrian delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest. When I said it was not just a victory for me, but a victory for everyone who believes in a future that’s free from discrimination and is based on tolerance and respect, I could be sure I was speaking for all these wonderful people.

  At the Life Ball in Vienna, soon after the Contest. It was my first major outing after the ESC finals. Together with Jean Paul Gaultier, I took to the magenta (not red!) carpet. There was time for a quick kiss, and then came the moment when my friend Julian Laidig shot one of my favourite photos. With chaos breaking out all around me, I still seem quite unconcerned. Julian managed to capture this wonderful moment for eternity. Even better, he managed to capture eternity itself.

  Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood is a visionary. We chatted like best friends at the Vienna Life Ball. I was captivated by her British sense of humour – and by her perfume, a marvellous mixture of menthol and eau de Cologne, which took me back to my childhood.

  Here I am working with Julian Laidig again. As my dress is too short, the stylist has to lengthen it a little. No doubt about it, a photo shoot requires everything you’ve got!

  It was something both of us had looked forward to: here’s Austrian President Heinz Fischer and me during the TV recording for Light into Darkness. The year after, I went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest, while the President celebrated his tenth year in office.

  Here they are, the winning team from Copenhagen! Tom Reinberger, Monika Ballwein, René Berto, Nicole Fernández-Fernández, Matthias Steurer. And there’s me in the middle. Tamara Mascara isn’t there. Where were you, Tamara?

  My parents and grandmother were with me when I went to the Federal Chancellery. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed, and we shared a lot of laughs. When it comes to politics it seems like people think you must always be very serious. In my opinion, we can always do with a bit more humour.

  Gery Keszler is the brilliant organiser of the Life Ball in Vienna, Europe’s biggest charity event in support of those suffering with HIV and Aids. Every year, it attracts stars such as Bill Clinton, Sharon Stone, Elton John and Catherine Deneuve. Staged in the area around Vienna Town Hall, the event is a marvellous mix
of show, ball and revue. And a place where you’re sure to come across Conchita – so book now!

  Carine Roitfeld spent ten years as chief editor at the French Vogue, the world’s leading fashion magazine. For her CR Fashion Book, she had me photographed by Karl Lagerfeld – photos that Carine called ‘The New Normal’, though they were anything but.

  With Gery Keszler, Rosario Dawson and co. at the amfAR Gala in Cannes. At this point we’re still standing in the park of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Just a few moments later, we were sprinting across the lawn. Then across fields. Then climbing over rocks. We finally reached the cliffs above the sea, where there was a fantastic view. Unfortunately, no-one took a shot of it.

  Anna Vissi is a superstar in her native Greece. She invited me to the fortieth anniversary of her stage debut on Mykonos and after giving a fantastic three-hour show during the day, she still danced from dusk till dawn.

  When it comes to hair, getting it right can take time. Fortunately, Jean Paul Gaultier is a man who knows what he wants, and he’s got the best makeup artists, such as Odile Gilbert, working for him. And even more fortunately, I’ve got the patience of an angel. Well… not quite. To be honest, I’m the most impatient person in the world – which really doesn’t help in these types of situation.

  Jean Paul Gaultier calls me his ‘young empress’, and that’s exactly what I felt like on this evening. At the gala dinner hosted by the French magazine Vogue, I got to know Konstantinos Katalakinos, who quipped that being Jean Paul’s boyfriend was work enough.

  I took to the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture Show at the Fashion Days in Paris. It was exciting to be given my own comp card.

  I had just jumped out of the taxi and entered into House Gaultier and I was ready to discuss my appearance on the catwalk that afternoon with Jean Paul.

  On The One Show in London. They’ve got such beautiful green sofas at the BBC, which reminded me of the Green Cave. Alex Jones was amazed at how good my English was. As for me, I was amazed to meet one of my favourite singers: Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

  ‘Congratulations, we love you, Elton & David.’ I was so thrilled to receive this recognition from Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish. And they even sent me orchids, which are one of my favourite flowers.

  Backstage at the Bjorn Borg fashion show in Stockholm. That day I was fortunate enough to be able to sit on the front row as the guest of honour.

  For the ARTE programme Durch die Nacht mit I spent a night on the town with Jean Paul Gaultier. The evening ended like every evening in Vienna should end: at a sausage stand, with beer, cheese kransky, brown bread, hot mustard and sour gherkins (or Saure Gurkerl, as we say). Just in case you’re planning something similar yourself.

  That the life of a drag queen is a life of pain is demonstrated by this photo, taken after my appearance at La Fête de la Musique in Montpellier. The wig, the makeup, the eyelashes, the bodice, the high heels… they all start to hurt after a while. Even this marvellous Jean Paul Gaultier dress. On taking it off, I found streaks of blood where the fastener had been.

  Jean Paul Gaultier and I got to know each other at the Vienna Life Ball, where my friend Julian Laidig shot that terrific photo. Here’s me presenting a copy of it to Jean Paul. In XXXXXL format – when you’re giving something to a friend, it’s the only way.

  Back to Amsterdam! The Boat Pride got the entire city on its feet, dressed in rainbow colours and in the best of spirits. While other parades make their way through cities in cars and trucks, in Amsterdam the floats make their way through the canals on boats. It’s such fun! Especially for Nicole and for Benny, who runs my office at home in Vienna. At the closing event, after performing alongside Anastacia, Boy George and Ian McKellen, I asked: ‘Will the day dawn when we no longer need parades? Will the day dawn when homosexuality is simply normal?’

  Even though the photo suggests otherwise, when I returned for the reception in my hometown of Bad Mitterndorf it was one of the most challenging days in my life. Everyone was out in the streets and the organisers did a fantastic job. I went on stage with my cousins, sang with the choir and was awarded an honorary citizenship. Still, it wasn’t easy even during these hours of happiness to forget the difficult days of my youth.

  ‘I want you all to shout so loud I can still hear you when I’m putting the photo on my wall!’ At every concert I ask the audience to turn up the volume. The Danube Island Festival in Vienna was no exception. And they really did give it all they had – I can still hear them now!

  Pride Season is over! Manchester was the last stop on my pride tour through Europe. At the press conference, I once again made it clear that Conchita Wurst is a resolute opponent of violence and discrimination. She stands for love and acceptance.

  Backstage during a couple of photo shoots. I’m obviously a smartphone addict, something I hadn’t realised until then (insert smiley). Every photo shoot involves a lot of time spent just hanging around, so I use the opportunity to keep in touch with my fans.

  The mayor of Vienna Michael Haupl invited me into the Red Salon in the city hall to give me an award for my commitment to ‘respect and coexistence’. As well as thanking me for this, he also asked me to continue to stand up to any negative reactions I received: ‘Thank you for showing the courage to endure,’ he said in his speech.

  Ulrike Lunacek is Vice-President of the European Parliament. Together with MEPs from four of the represented parties, she invited me to Parliament. There was a huge crowd of people there and I sang and then gave a speech. My message to the parliamentarians was this: I am calling for greater commitment to the rights of homosexuals. ‘It’s your job,’ I said, ‘to fight for a functioning democracy and equal rights.’

  For my social media fans I have set up the series ‘Conchita Wurst answers’. There are answers here to all sorts of questions. One of my favourites is: ‘Have you ever fallen asleep with make-up on?’ And the answer is… well, best if you go online and check it out for yourself!

  The photographer Pierre Commoy and the painter Gilles Blanchard build the sets at the Crazy Horse revue theatre in Paris. I could never have dreamt I’d one day have the privilege of working with these legends of the international art scene. Yet that’s just what happened during my week at the Crazy Horse.

  Here’s something I wasn’t expecting: like in factories many years ago, the Crazy Horse has got a time clock as well as matching time cards with the stage names of the girls on them. I wanted one too, and Andrée Deissenberg, the boss at the Crazy Horse, was only too happy to oblige. Yet, unlike the girls, I didn’t get a new stage name. Conchita Wurst stayed Conchita Wurst, and that was fine by me.

  This is a photo that by rights shouldn’t exist. It shows me in a place that’s off limits to men. It’s the dressing room reserved for the ‘Crazy Girls’, although the term ‘common room’ might be a bit more like it. Before and after the shows, or if there’s enough time between the two performances, this is where the ‘Crazy Girls’ hang out. They’ve made it as cosy as could be. There are only two men who are allowed in: Cyrill, the choreographer’s assistant, and a barkeeper, whose job it is to make sure that no-one goes thirsty. As they were all agreed that I’d now qualified as a ‘Crazy Girl’, I was granted access to the room for the whole week. These women are among the best dancers in the world, but this is a room where they can be whatever they are outside of Crazy Horse: mothers, students, wives, party girls, divas. None of them pretended to be someone they weren’t; they were all there for one another. I saw the way they cooked meals for each other, or baked cakes – and also how they looked out for each other like lionesses. It’s like a family, an experience which welded us together. I’m sure that a large part of the Crazy Horse’s success is down to the strong bonds between these women.

  This was something which made me very happy: I got to go on a private guided tour of the Parisian National Opera, which has been home to some of the greatest theatre performances in the world over the last hundred year
s. I was allowed onto the roof as well, which has the most fantastic view over the rooftops of Paris.

  Surprise! There were all keeping a secret from me at the Attitude Awards 2014 gala in the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. Ana Matronic, the front-woman for the Scissor Sisters, was the hostess for the evening and she reminded me that the year before Daniel Radcliffe and Cher were included among the winners. Despite having no plans to emulate them, I was in for a surprise! The wonderful chef Nigella Lawson presented the ‘Moment of the Year Prize’ to me – and then it was time to party! I celebrated alongside Boy George and Ana, and felt happy knowing that all donations would be going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.