In the Salzkammergut

Conchita loves the Archduke and is planning new songs

Song contest winner Tom Neuwirth alias Conchita Wurst(Bild: Peter Krivograd)

A very special highlight will soon be taking place at the Toscana Congress in Gmunden: Tom Neuwirth alias Conchita Wurst sings her own songs and big hits unplugged. In the "Krone" talk, the diva talks about her acting debut, working in the studio and why she is taking singing lessons again.

Tom Neuwirth continues to take off: As a bearded diva, Conchita won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in Copenhagen in 2014 and became a global figurehead of the queer community overnight with the winning words "We Are Unstoppable".

Since then, studio albums and concerts have followed worldwide. This year, Neuwirth released "Luziwuzi. Ich bin die Kaiserin", a glamorous evening about (the homosexual) brother of the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, at Vienna's Rabenhof Theater. "Performances were planned until the end of April, but it's been so well received. Now we're playing it until the end of September - it's madness," says Conchita in the "Krone" talk show

Tom Neuwirth as "Luziwuzi" at the Rabenhof Theater(Bild: Rita Newman)

Singing lessons because of operetta hit
Whether "Luziwuzi" will also come to Upper Austria is still up in the air. But there is also a lot going on musically in the increasingly well-rounded career of the multi-talented singer, who is rooted in Styria and Upper Austria. "I'm currently working in the studio and recording new songs," Neuwirth lets on.

Back to the roots and the big hit "Rise Like a Phoenix"? "Yes, and something completely different at the same time. With Luziwuzi, I also sing a part from the operetta 'Die Fledermaus'. I worked a lot on my voice for this, including taking singing lessons. Now I'm reaping the rewards - that gives me lots of new inspiration in the studio!"

At the "Krone" talk(Bild: Rudi Gigler)

Completely pure: "I only belong to me!"
"I will release a new song bit by bit, you also have to look at the algorithm on the internet. It likes it when you do something regularly. I want to celebrate my 10th anniversary with a great ballad."

Speaking of ballads: On May 23 (7.30 pm), the multi-faceted artist will present himself in a very personal unplugged set (with Edo Mjusik and Anja Om) at the Salzkammergut Festwochen at the Toscana Congress in Gmunden.

A really good mix
"I love playing acoustically. I can hear myself better and it seems to me that many of the songs come across more directly. I play songs of mine that people don't know that well, but also a few rags. When you break down the Cher song 'Believe' from a disco stomper, it has such beautiful lyrics. I also sing 'Ich gehör nur mir' from the musical Elisabeth - it's going to be a potpourri of good humor."

Tom Neuwirth in Toscana Park, the Traunstein in the background(Bild: Rudi Gigler)

Have I been here before?
Neuwirth has many associations with the town on Lake Traun: "I was there recently, walking in Toscana Park. I suddenly thought: I've been here before! And indeed. I remembered that I used to walk through the park with my grandmother as a toddler. I was born in Gmunden, grew up in Ebensee and then lived in Upper Styria. This memory is so ingrained in me, such a familiarity - I'm looking forward to singing here right now."