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Controversy In The Song 'Rise Like A Phoenix'

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Sexual politics is another topic that has provoked controversy in the song contest. The ESC, ‘came out of the closet’, when Dana International became the first transexual to win, bringing gender politics to light (Cashman 2015). Since then, recent acts have incorporated LGBT elements into their performances, as Carniel (2015, p. 141) reports heightened global attention to LGBT rights and the ESC’s queer fanbase. Regardless of the backlash by conservative nations, Austria sent an openly homosexual man, professionally known as drag queen, Conchita Wurst, as their representative in 2014 with the song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ (Bromwich 2014). In an interview, that Wurst stated she was honoured to be the Austria’s testament towards tolerance and acceptance …show more content…

The preview video has Wurst walking through cloths of red, then laying in a bathtub filled with rose petals as she throws them up, making them rain upon her. The red may be a reference to both the colours of the Austrian flag and to fire, the associated element of the phoenix, while the act of throwing the petals up to fall upon herself could be seen as her determination to make her situation a beautiful one. The video paints a delicate, feminine picture of Wurst, yet the “ … jarringly masculine presence of her beard against the delicacy of her build and exquisitely applied makeup[,]” as Carniel (2015) comments, made her stand out amongst previous drag entries. The live performance is simplistic, with only Wurst and fire themed projections on stage, beginning with fire droplets falling around her, until the chorus where flames spread out like wings behind her, wind blowing her hair like a mane, conversing her success in overcoming her …show more content…

139) states, and the large LGBT community that watches the song contest; presenting herself as a highly visual statement for their rights. In this sense, people were able to relate to her as the underdog who had been criticised for her choice of lifestyle, wanting her to “rise like a phoenix” to continue what she stood for, as proclaimed in her acceptance speech: "This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. You know who you are - we are unity and we are unstoppable" (BBC 2014). With such a conspicuous reminder of Wurst’s queerness, her entry became a deeply politicised and disputed issue, with conservative East European states vying to axe or at least edit her out from the competition, on the grounds that she was “unnatural” (Greenwood 2014, Royston 2014). In response to her win, Luhn (2014) reported that Russia announced the resurrected Soviet counterpart to Eurovision as Wurst’s performance was “ ... propaganda of homosexuality and spiritual decay." Despite the fact that Russia was one of the 32 nations that voted for Austria, out of the 36 eligible to vote. Hence, the sexual politics that Wurst’s entry dredged up displays these different sexual ideological beliefs through the ESC. The way of votes and aims of performances can see the division Europe and nations, where the debate on gender politics

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