BASEL — Austria are Eurovision champions again. In the early hours of Sunday in Basel, the 24-year-old countertenor JJ won the 69th contest with “Wasted Love”, a ballad that begins as a whisper and ends in techno — the country’s third title, and its first since Conchita Wurst’s victory in 2014.
The grand final at St. Jakobshalle was a two-horse race. Israel’s Yuval Raphael won the public vote comfortably; JJ’s commanding jury lead, built on a vocal performance the juries could not ignore, proved just enough when the televote was counted. The finish was so tight that the arena held its breath through the final announcements.
The contest had carried heavy weather into the weekend. Protests over Israel’s participation during the Gaza war shadowed the week in Basel, and security around the venue was tight; during the final, two people attempted to rush the stage during Israel’s performance and were stopped. Spain, meanwhile, drew attention by airing a message of solidarity with Palestinians before its broadcast.
Switzerland, hosting after Nemo’s win in Malmö last year, staged an impeccably Swiss edition — efficient, scenic and diplomatically neutral. The winner, a student of Vienna’s opera scene whose stage name nods to his initials, celebrated draped in the Austrian flag.
Vienna will host in 2026 — seventy years after Austria first competed. After years of mid-table results, the home of Mozart has remembered how to win Europe’s pop crown.
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