3 months ago
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MANILA, Philippines — Four years after former 'ASAP' mainstay Vincent Bueno became the first Filipino to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, another Filipino-Austrian singer will wave their colors in Switzerland in May.
Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ÖRF), through radio station Hitradio Ö3, on Thursday announced that Austrian-Filipino countertenor Johannes "JJ" Pietsch will represent their country in the annual contest.
Johannes ‘JJ’ Pietsch PHOTO FROM THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST WEBSITE
"JJ is an exceptional talent. With him, we are sending a unique artist to Basel who brings his own magic to the Eurovision Song Contest stage, with captivating pop and classical singing," ÖRF program director Stefanie Groiss Horowitz was quoted by the contest's official website.
Pietsch was born in Vienna in 2001, but also grew up in the United Arab Emirates before he returned to Austria in 2016. Just like Bueno, he also had experience in talent competitions, having been a finalist on the Austrian talent show "Starmania" in 2021.
Currently, he is a performer at the Vienna State Opera, starring in such productions as "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute), "Von der Liebe Tod" (Of the Love-Death), and "Tschick" (Why We Took the Car), among other classical musicals.
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"I can't wait to bring opera to the big stage in Basel," he said in a video message to the Eurovision social media pages.
Pietsch's song for Eurovision, reportedly named "Wasted Love", and composed by Austrian 2023 representative Teya, will be presented in early March.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Basel, Switzerland with the semifinals on May 13 and 15 and the grand final on May 17.
