A comment by Jogy Wolfmeyer
First of all, I congratulate Johannes Pietsch, alias JJ, on his victory, although I already knew that this entry could only win. Here, the quality particularly convinced the jury, but the audience also ranked it on average between 5th and 2nd place, so expectedly high.
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As mentioned, it’s about personal preferences in judging, and with other entries, I was disappointed by both the jury and the audience regarding how the evaluation turned out. Scant clothing, lots of skin, and a generous bosom seem to have distracted some jurors from their actual task of evaluating the musical quality of the entries in the second semi-final.
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I had seen Italy in a head-to-head with Austria because their entry truly deserved a higher rating, and it was also a great disappointment that the Icelandic entry received no votes from the jury at all. The old white men on the jury were not enthusiastic about modern music this year, as shown by Norway, Germany, and Iceland. Perhaps the ESC should modernize the jury in the future.
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Iceland did the same as Austria, namely blending traditional Icelandic music with modern elements. However, it seems the Icelanders are only good enough for the charts, think of Emilíana Torrini – Jungle Drum, Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks, Björk – Jóga, Sigur Rós, Múm – Whistle, Ólafur Arnalds, SOHN – unfold, etc. In any case, my disappointment is great that the judging has now been reduced to bare skin.
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The Austrian entry naturally impressed with its authenticity, which ties to the opera state of Austria, but that doesn’t mean JJ should simply continue down this path. A large portion of Austrian artists were so-called one-hit wonders, even if they don’t like to hear it. If I were to walk through Vienna with a microphone and ask: Which three songs by Conchita Wurst can you name, only that one song would come up. Even Luca Hänni, the winner of DSDS, shares this fate.
There’s really only one artist who broke this curse, and that’s Christina Stürmer, who remained relevant even after Starmania.
To avoid joining this group, Johannes should now meet with about ten composers and explore the options and possibilities from different perspectives.
We have, for example, composers like Boris Bukowski, who could provide calmer rock tones, or a very talented jazz-rock composer Harri Stojka, Ronnie Herbolzheimer comes to mind as well, or Bernd Tagwerker, who can compose everything from classical, pop, rock to folk music. Of course, there are even more great composers in Austria that I’ve forgotten in the rush. If he wants, I could quickly throw an idea for a song at Johannes, so he has a theme to work on.
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Johannes would be well-advised not to rest on his laurels now. He’s a solo artist and not bound to a band he has to keep together.
As mentioned, I also think a collaboration between Johannes and Kristian Kostov would be a good idea, producing one or two songs for a single and perhaps even performing a song together at ESC 2026 with two ESC participants.
There are no boundaries in music, and you have to take risks and think beyond your comfort zone to produce hits from initial “rubbish” that become global successes, like the great artists. David Bowie started with Ziggy Stardust, which was called a rock opera back then.
Queen’s singer Freddie Mercury also made music history with his work Bohemian Rhapsody. Or a child of opera was Klaus Nomi, who made the countertenor big in the charts.
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Don’t stand still in one place and become Modern Talking or other less serious bands. Every artist wants to realize themselves and will, at some point, have their own branding, and in doing so, they can play at different weddings as a musician. Just as TV actors appear on the theater stage, Johannes can continue to dedicate himself to opera or operetta, as Michael Heim has also brought in here.
Just a few days ago, I saw Ed Sheeran pull out his guitar in a bar and sing with the guests. In my time in Graz, we sang for a goulash and a beer, and it was fantastic to perform in a small setting.
I hope JJ Johannes Pietsch will find his way and not fade into obscurity. He has an excellent voice that he shouldn’t waste trying to please certain people but should use to let his creativity run free.
I wish him all the best for his future and keep my fingers crossed that he finds the strength to fight against some windmills that sometimes hold you back and slow you down.
Good luck and break a leg!