Austria claimed victory at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, with singer JJ winning the title with his operatic ballad Wasted Love, securing the country’s first win since 2014.
JJ, a countertenor from Vienna, earned a total of 436 points—258 from national juries and 176 from the public televote—outscoring competitors from Israel and Estonia. The contest took place at St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland.
Israel’s Yuval Raphael finished second with New Day Will Rise (357 points), followed closely by Estonia’s Tommy Cash, who earned 356 points with Espresso Macchiato.
Of the Balkan countries participating in Eurovision 2025, Greece ended up in six place and Albania eight, while Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia failed to qualify for the Grand Final.
Several countries did not participate, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Turkey. Kosovo was not permitted to take part.
The win means Austria will host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in 2026.
JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, was born in Vienna in 2001 and spent part of his childhood in Dubai before returning to Austria in 2016. The Austrian-Filipino singer is currently active at the Vienna State Opera and is studying classical music at the Music and Art Private University of Vienna.
He previously reached the finals of the Austrian TV talent show Starmania in 2021.
Austria debuted at Eurovision in 1957 and secured its first win in 1966 with Udo Jürgens’ Merci, Chérie. The country’s second win came in 2014 when Conchita Wurst triumphed with Rise Like A Phoenix.