BASEL, Switzerland — Austria claimed victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 on Saturday, with JJ’s (real name Johannes Pietsch) powerful ballad “Wasted Love” captivating audiences in Basel. The win marks Austria’s third Eurovision triumph, following Udo Jürgens in 1965 and Conchita Wurst in 2014.
JJ, born in Vienna to an Austrian IT specialist and a Filipino chef, is a classical music student with a vocal range from countertenor to soprano, delivered a performance that transitioned from operatic ballad to pulsating club anthem. Co-written with Teodora Špiri? and Thomas Turner, the song earned JJ a reprise performance and an emotional appeal for “more love.” Switzerland’s Nemo, last year’s winner, presented the trophy. Austria is expected to host the 2026 contest in Vienna, which has twice previously staged the event.
Israel’s Yuval Raphael finished second, bolstered by a strong public vote, though the performance was marred by an incident where two individuals attempted to rush the stage, hitting a crew member with paint. Protests against Israel’s participation continued outside, with police using tear gas and a water cannon to disperse about 200 demonstrators, many waving Palestinian flags, in central Basel on Saturday night.
Estonia secured third place, while pre-contest favorite Sweden placed fourth. The United Kingdom struggled, with girl band Remember Monday finishing 19th with their song “What The Hell Just Happened?” The UK, an automatic finalist due to its contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), scored zero public votes for the second consecutive year.
The contest, hosted by Switzerland after Nemo’s 2024 victory in Malmö, featured 37 countries, with 26 advancing to the final through two semi-finals. Notable moments included a wrestling-style performance mashup of past entries by Baby Lasagna and Käärijä, and a video message from 1988 winner Céline Dion. Australia’s Go-Jo failed to qualify with “Milkshake Man,” while Malta’s Miriana Conte altered lyrics to her song “Serving” to avoid an offensive phrase.
Controversy persisted over Israel’s participation, with Ireland’s RTÉ requesting EBU talks after 72 former contestants called for a ban. Raphael, a survivor of the 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova music festival, faced disruptions during her dress rehearsal.
