Beating entrants from 26 other countries for Austria’s first win in 11 years, singer JJ and his song “Wasted Love” won the 69th celebration of the annual Eurovision music festival. Coming in first place ahead of Israel’s ballad “New Day Will Rise” by Yuval Raphal and Estonia’s ode to coffee “Espresso Macchiato” by Tommy Cash, this win gives Austria the chance to host next year’s festival.
Eurovision, a contest started in 1956, has had numerous winners shoot to stardom, such as ABBA and Celine Dion. In the competition, countries across Europe nominate one musician, or group, to represent them. If a country wins, the singer receives a glass trophy, career advancement opportunities and their home country being honored with hosting Eurovision the next year. The structure of the competition is similar to regular singing competitions; all of the countries perform their songs, while the audience has voting opportunities during the competition. There are two main ways countries gain points: first, is from professional juries from each country, who can give either eight, 10 or 12 points to their top ten favorite songs. The second, is by audience participation, where viewers can vote for their favorite countries through technology.
This year, some crowd favorites were Austria’s “Wasted Love”, Finland’s “ICH KOMME”, Greece’s “Asteromata” and Estonia’s “Espresso Macchiato”. Even with these songs being praised for their uniqueness and flair, there are always a few that get criticized. Some examples of these less-than-stellar songs are Iceland’s “RÓA”, which received critical reviews of the performance, San Marino’s “Tutta l’Italia”, which came in last place in the competition and the United Kingdom’s “What The Hell Just Happened”, which received no audience votes during voting.
In the end, Austria narrowly clinched the vote, coming seven points ahead of Israel during the final portion of audience voting. The combination of JJ’s operatic voice and powerful story in his song found its way to the audience’s hearts, earning him a whopping 107 points in the final. Given that Austria is now host of the 70th Eurovision contest, JJ has plans for the future of the competition’s execution. “I would like the competition to be held in Vienna, it’s where I was born,” JJ said on the contest’s location for next year. No matter where it’s held, Eurovision will remain a major cultural event in the minds and hearts of many, and will be anticipated for 2026.
JJ performing “Wasted Love” at the Eurovision 2025 final to a crowd of his supporters. Blending together Austria’s rich history of opera and a techno-musical song made his performance stand out among the rest. (Screenshot/Uma Hedge)
