LATEST: Former Dubai resident JJ wins Eurovision 2025
Former Dubai resident and Eurovision Song Contest finalist Johannes Pietsch has credited the city for inspiring him to be a musician.
Pietsch, who goes by the stage name JJ, is Austria's representative at the pan-continental music competition, now in its 69th year. The son of an Austrian father and Filipino mother, JJ, who was born in Vienna, grew up in Dubai where his father ran an IT business.
“I have a lot of good memories growing up in Dubai,” Pietsch tells The National. “It actually was in Dubai that I discovered my love for music, especially classical music.
“When I was a kid, my parents hosted Karaoke-parties almost every weekend, and me and my sisters loved to sing along – especially songs by Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey. My father would also make us listen to classical music. So I guess this is also a reason, why I sing 'popera' now. It is a privilege to be able to combine both worlds.”
JJ has been making waves with his high-pitched operatic pop number Wasted Love. He, along with Sweden's three-man band Kaj, is one of the odds-on favourites to win the contest
A total of 26 performers – out of an initial 37 – have made it this year to the finals, to be held on Saturday in Basel, Switzerland. Each performer represents a country member of the European Broadcasting Union, and contestants were voted through to the finals by television viewers who watched two rounds of semi-finals held on Tuesday and Thursday.
Best known for sparkly outfits, cheesy Europop lyrics and over-the-top flamboyance, Eurovision has produced many global stars since it began in 1956, from Abba to Cliff Richard.
On Tuesday, Canadian singer Celine Dion, who won Eurovision for Switzerland before she became a megastar, sent a video message that was played before some of last year’s competitors performed her 1988 contest-winning song, Ne partez pas sans moi.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the spectacle, says the event draws a television audience of about 200 million each year.
More about Austria's JJ?
JJ's cross-genre musical style comes from his father's love for classical music and his mum obsession with pop divas including Dion and Whitney Houston
Wasted Love, which is about unrequited love, showcases his unique falsetto voice and mixes classical music with techno beats.
“It surprises people that a man can sing so high,” JJ told AFP. “We wanted to bring in something new, something unexpected.”
Fluent in English, German and Tagalog, he also learnt Arabic and French while studying at an international school in Dubai.
Currently a performer at the Vienna State Opera, JJ has taken part in a number of reality music shows, including The Voice UK in 2020 and Austrian talent show Starmania in 2021.
Eurovision and politics
Political divisions have often clouded the contest over the years, but more so since last year's event following the war in Gaza.
Israel’s 2024 entry, October Rain by Eden Golan, was deemed too political by EBU officials, which led to the song being renamed Hurricane as well as a change in lyrics.
Similar to last year, demonstrations calling for Israel to be banned from the competition have been held outside the venue and around Basel. Protests were also held on Nakba Day, which remembers May 15, 1948, when about 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes.
This year's Israeli contestant, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas’s October 7 attack, has also made it to the finals.
The EBU has tightened the contest’s code of conduct, calling on participants to respect Eurovision’s values of “universality, diversity, equality and inclusivity”, and its political neutrality.
Despite this, and following a widely criticised ban last year, audience members will be allowed to wave Palestinian flags inside the arena. Participants, however, can only wave their own national flag onstage or in other on-camera areas.
How to watch Eurovision Song Contest
The competition is aired by national broadcasters in participating countries. In the US, Peacock has streaming rights, while the Eurovision YouTube channel streams the contest in several countries, including the UAE.
Agencies contributed to this report
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If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
