"I hope that next year's Eurovision will take place in Vienna and without Israel" - the winner of this year's competition JJ

24-year-old Johannes Pitch, known as JJ, brought victory to Austria at Eurovision 2025 with the dramatic composition Wasted Love. Just like last year's winner Nemo, he did not miss the opportunity to speak out on resonant topics, including the imperfections in the competition system. UNN writes about this with reference to Elpais.

Details

In an interview after winning the competition, JJ admitted that, despite the commonality with Nemo in views on the fight for the rights of the LGBTI+ community, their positions do not quite coincide regarding Israel's participation in the competition. However, JJ and Nemo are completely unanimous on the need for reforms.

In particular, it is necessary to make changes to the voting system and the selection of festival participants

According to JJ, this year's televoting raised many questions.

More transparency is needed regarding televoting. This year everything was very strange

According to the publication, the Spanish delegation even appealed with a request to conduct an audit in order to find out how Israel again gained an advantage in the audience vote. In turn, the Belgian TV company VRT threatened to withdraw from the competition if the organizers do not provide clear explanations.

JJ does not hide his attitude to Israel's participation in the competition.

It is very sad to see that Israel is still participating in the competition. I would like Eurovision next year to take place in Vienna without Israel. But the ball is on the side of the European Broadcasting Union. We, the artists, can only speak out on this issue

Let's add

The young artist was born in a family of an Austrian and a Filipina, grew up in Dubai. It was during a trip to Vienna that he got acquainted with opera, seeing Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

"But I really fell in love with opera with Puccini when I was 16, and I saw Tosca for the first time. I was excited and intrigued throughout the performance. And I love good dramas... in a good way," shares Jay Jay.

This passion for drama was embodied in the emotional composition Wasted Love. The scenography was created by the Spaniard Sergio Jaen.

"We sent him the song, and he immediately said that he wanted to work with us. Within a week, he received a 15-page proposal that clearly explained how he wanted to express the feeling that the song conveys - a feeling of loneliness due to a broken heart," the artist said.

For Jay Jay, participation in the competition is not only music, but also a mission. During the final, he tried to bring an LGBT+ flag to the stage, but he was forbidden to do so.

"I will take the opportunity and use such a huge platform as Eurovision to defend the rights of the entire queer community and ensure greater equality. There is still a huge stigma around us, and, unfortunately, Europe is becoming more and more conservative, taking steps backwards. It's very, very frustrating, and something needs to be done about it," he is convinced.

Let's remind

On May 11, the long-awaited final of Eurovision 2024, which took place in Malmö, Sweden, took place. Switzerland won with the song "The Codе", performed by the singer Nemo, scoring 591 points.

Israel should be excluded from Eurovision - Spanish Prime Minister 19.05.25, 16:33 • 2714 views