Austria in Eurovision

Austria’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) began in 1957, one year after the contest began. They have participated sporadically throughout the years, for a total of forty-nine times (Austria, 2016). Of those forty-nine times, they have won twice, once in 1966 and again in 2014 (“Austria wins”, 2014). They have also come in last seven times. The last five performances (2011-2015) are representative of their many years of participation in the ESC, with one outlier that will be further discussed.

            In 2011, Austria returned from a three-year hiatus, with Nadine Beiler’s performance of “The Secret is Love” (2011). In an interview with Eurovision, Beiler commented on past entries of Austria, saying that “the whole Europe is [probably] expecting another joke entry from Austria, and they will be surprised that we actually have a quality song in Eurovision format this year” (Nadine Beiler, 2011). The artist was selected through The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ORF) Düsseldorf, Wir Kommen –a show that determined who will represent the nation in ESC 2011 (“Tonight—Austria decides”, 2011). Written by Beiler herself in English and with music by Thomas Rabitsch, the song is a standard ballad about how love is the answer to all the problems in our world. Another trope often found in ESC performances was fog surrounding her little platform, from which Beiler doesn’t move. Almost completely unnoticeable are the five background singers, who don’t come in until about halfway through. These ladies stay in their formation as the blue lights flash and move in correspondence with the swell and rise of the music. Their outfits contrast Beiler’s gold, sparkly mini dress with long, plain black outfits. In addition, the lighting and camera work focus almost entirely on Beiler. This is not a song with a deeper meaning, just a classic Eurovision ballad filled with fog, bright lights, and slightly off-key high notes. Something interesting to note is the diversity of the backup singers. Diversity and racism has been a rising issue in Austria. This performance and everything leading up to it strongly suggests Austria’s desire to win the ESC again, although Beiler finished in 18^th place. This performance has the slightest hint of diversity given the background singers, which may suggest more about Austria hoping to reach a wider audience than their attitudes on diversity.

            2012 brought a performance by the Trackshittaz, performing “Woki Mit Deim Popo” (2012), with music and lyrics written by the Austrian hip hop group themselves. This rap/pop song earned first place in the Österreich rockt den Song Contest, Austria’s national selection for 2012, after coming in second in Düsseldorf, Wir Kommen, the 2011 selection contest. The song was performed in Mühlviertlerisch, the local dialect of the two native Austrians. The direct translation of the title is “Shake your ass”. The song is upbeat, with simple verses and rhymes singing/rapping that encourage girls in the club to shake their buttocks. In fact, the exotic dancers behind them are wearing tight spandex suits with glow in the dark paint highlighting their breasts, buttocks, and overall shape. As they shake and dance on their poles, the camera zooms in on their highlighted areas. The artists are two males dressed in jackets and trousers, yet one has a snapback (a baseball hat with a flat brim) on with a tshirt and tennis shoes, while the other has no tie. The lighting flashes in time with the beat, until the rap verse comes in and the whole stage is black lit, highlighting the glow in the dark paint, leaving the silhouettes of the dancers and glow-in-the-dark sunglasses for the males. The performance did not pass through to the finals. This song is a completely different approach to 2011’s entry, and is more indicative of Austria’s taste in music as it reached number two on the Austrian charts (Woki Mit Deim Popo). The artists stated in an interview with Eurovision that the song is not sexist, saying that it was more a way to “switch off, forget this economic crisis and have fun” (“High energy and pole dancers for Austria!”, 2012). The song may not have intended to be sexist, but may suggest Austria’s attitude about what is considered offensive, as many viewers found the performance to be “ludicrous” and “audacious” (The Wiwi Jury).

            Natalia Kelly brought Austria back to a more classic Eurovision performance in 2013.
“Shine” (2013) was written in part by Kelly herself, with the assistance of Andreas Grass and Nikola Paryla with music by Andreas Grass, Nikola Paryla, and Alexander Kahr. Another inspirational ballad voted for by the people during the Österreich rockt den Song Contest, this Connecticut-born Brazilian singer was unable to make it past the semi-finals. The performance is simple, for the ESC. As Kelly, wearing shiny pants and a white flowing top, sang centerstage, her five backup singers were only clearly visible after they formed a circle with Kelly. The lanterns on the stage float up mid song, and are indeed shining. Viewers seemed to appreciate the innocuous song, and even said that Kelly should not be faulted for not making it through to the final (Austria, 2013). The performance itself does not suggest much about Austria’s views on diversity, but Natalia Kelly as a performer does propose that Austria’s traditional values may be changing.

            The glory year for Austria in the ESC was 2014, since it brought Conchita Wurst, a drag queen, whose real name is Tom Neuwirth.  The jury and fans of the ESC loved her performance of “Rise like a Phoenix” (2015), written by Charly Mason, Joey Patulka, Ali Zuckowski, and Julian Maas. Wurst had previously competed in the Österreich rockt den Song Contest 2012, yet she finished second behind Trackshittaz. In 2014, ORF internally selected Wurst to perform at the ESC (“Conchita Wurst to Represent Austria”, 2013). The performance itself was planned to the second, with the lights, camera, and music all coming together to create an unforgettable three minutes. It began with the camera zoomed all the way out, and as the music starts zooms into the stage at a steady speed. She is backlit by a few spotlights. Then after her first verse, fire embers fall in the background and she is illuminated so the audience can see her beard. The camera work is very exact, corresponding with her lyrics for the full effect. Her dress is a mermaid style to accentuate her figure, and she doesn’t move from her platform, but the camera zooms in on her expressions through the song. There are wings of fire that grow each chorus, and on the very last note of the song flames erupt around the border of the stage, before all the lights go out save for all the spotlights pointed directly at her. Every little aspect of the performance added to the dynamic effect felt while watching. On top of all the elaborate lighting and camerawork adding to this performance are the song’s powerful lyrics. Wurst sings about rising above all obstacles, and in fact becoming stronger and more powerful because of the adversities. Upon winning, Conchita stated “I dream of a world where we don’t have to talk about unnecessary things like sexuality, who you love. I felt like tonight Europe showed that we are a community of respect and tolerance,” (“Austria wins Eurovision Song Contest”, 2014). This was a strong choice by Austria that was highly controversial, but it paid off and suggests a change in Austrian attitudes regarding LGBTQ, which up until recently have been leaning on the more traditional side (Conchita Wurst: "Ein Bart alleine reicht nicht", 2013). Wurst has become a major figure in the LGBTQ community, attending many pride festivals and performing internationally (“Eurovision Sensation”, 2014).

            Following Conchita Wurst were The Makemakes in 2015, a return to Austria’s usual ESC entry. Their song “I am yours” (2015) written by Jimmy Harry and the Makemakes. The artists were selected by performing in Wer singt für Österreich?, the national selection contest for Austria (“The Makemakes to represent Austria”, 2015). This three-man band had a simple performance until the middle of the song when the lead singer “lit” his piano on fire, and proceeded to stop playing and simply sing. The rock ballad automatically made it through to the finals, since Austria was the host country. Their performance was “underwhelming” to some viewers, yet “nice and easy to listen to” to others (Wiwi Jury, 2015). The main singer sings of how much he loves “you”, that “Anytime, anyplace I am yours” (The Makemakes).  The performance received zero points and tied for last place with Germany (Host nation Austria, 2015). The “safe” performance was speculated to be because Austria could not economically afford another win (The 2015 Eurovision Entries, Explained, 2015). Of the five performances explored, it does not make or suggest any statement about the attitudes of Austria towards diversity.

            The Eurovision Song Contest entries from Austria have varied greatly through the years and yet only two seem to suggest anything regarding Austria’s attitudes towards diversity. The first from 2012, with Trackshittaz performing a song about shaking your buttocks, which suggests an attitude regarding how Austrian culture allows for the objectification of women. The second from 2014, with Conchita Wurst making history as the first drag queen to win the ESC, suggesting a strong forward movement in Europe, more specifically Austria, in LGBTQ rights.

Works Cited

Austria: Natalia Kelly Finds Her Voice with "Face the Day".” Wiwibloggs, 13 Oct. 2016,

wiwibloggs.com/2013/08/25/austria-natalia-kelly-finds-her-voice-with-face-the-day/31042/. Accessed 14 February 2017.

“Austria wins Eurovision Song Contest.” BBC News, BBC, 11 May 2014,

           www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27358560.

Beiler, Nadine. “The Secret is Love,” music by Thomas Rabitsch, lyrics by Nadine Beiler,

Eurovision Song Contest, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AySl4viIzlo. Accessed 9 February 2017.

Bernardin, Dez. “Nadine Beiler - The Secret is Love (AUT).” Eurovision Family, 7 May 2011,

            www.eurovisionfamily.tv/blog/read?id=88372. Accessed 9 February 2017.

“Conchita Wurst to represent Austria in 2014.” Eurovision.tv. 10 Sept. 2013.

www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=conchita_wurst_to_represent_austria_in_2014. Accessed 10 February 2017.

“Eurovision sensation Conchita Wurst set to perform at Manchester Pride Big Weekend

festival.” MEN. 17 July 2014. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/eurovision-sensation-conchita-wurst-set-7449560. Accessed 10 February 2017.

“The 2015 Eurovision Entries, Explained.” Vice, 9 Apr. 2015,          

           www.vice.com/en_us/article/eurovision-2015-entrants-austria-europe-australia-876.

“High energy and pole dancers for Austria!” Eurovision.tv, 14 May 2012, 

          www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=high_energy_and_pole_dancers_for_austria. Accessed 12 February 2017.

Karzel, Julia. “Conchita Wurst: "Ein Bart alleine reicht nicht".” Kurier.at, 17 Sept. 2013,

          kurier.at/stars/conchita-wurst-ein-bart-alleine-reicht-nicht/27.066.462.

Kelly, Natalia. “Shine”, music by Andreas Grass, Nikola Paryla, Alexander Kahr, lyrics by

Andreas Grass, Nikola Paryla, Natalia Kelly. Eurovision Song Contest, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOJHi6JiKpY. Accessed 10 February 2017.

The Makemakes. “I Am Yours”, music and lyrics by Jimmy Harry and The Makemakes.

Eurovision Song Contest, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f993p0CAV8. Accessed 11 February 2017.

“Nadine Beiler: I can't wait to rock the stage!” Eurovision.tv, 12 Apr. 2011,

www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=nadine_beiler_i_cant_wait_to_rock_the_stage. Accessed 10 February 2017.

“Tonight: Austria Decides – Düsseldorf wir kommen.” The Eurovision Times, 25 Feb. 2011,             

eurovisiontimes.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/tonight-austria-decides-dusseldorf-wir-kommen/. Accessed 12 February 2017.

Trackshittaz. “Woki Mit Deim Popo.” music and lyrics by Lukas Piochl, Manuel Hoffelner.

Eurovision Song Contest, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6IKHZ4ovio. Accessed 11 February 2017.

“Wiwi Jury: Austria's The MakeMakes and "I Am Yours".” Wiwibloggs, 11 Mar. 2015,

wiwibloggs.com/2015/03/10/wiwi-jury-austrias-makemakes/85277/. Accessed 15 February 2017.

“The Wiwi Jury Reviews Trackshittaz's "Woki Mit Deim Popo" (Austria, ESC

2012).” Wiwibloggs, 17 Apr. 2012, wiwibloggs.com/2012/03/27/the-wiwi-jury-austrias-trackshittaz-with-woki-mit-deim-popo/15819/. Accessed 10 February 2017.

“Woki Mit Deim Popo.” By Trackshittaz - Music Charts, acharts.co/song/68750. Accessed 10

            February 2017.

Wurst, Conchita. “Rise like a Phoenix” music and lyrics by Charly Mason, Joey Patulka, Ali

Zuckowski, Julian Maas. Eurovision Song Contest, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUIava4WRM. Accessed 12 February 2017. 

On Austria, its national identity, and the "other"

Many factors affect a country’s identity, both internal and external. As time goes on, it is shaped through events and the formation of cultural aspects, the variations creating a unique identity. In the exploration of Austria’s national identity, we find that issues regarding the people of Austria, as well as how they define their “other”, all play a part in how Austria defines its place in the world.

Particularly defined by the relationships between native Austrians and who they view as “the other” ‒whether it is based on gender, sexuality, language, or religion‒ Austria’s national identity has manifested primarily from those residing there. Austria has many issues concerning gender equality. With the average working women receiving 23 percent less income than men in the country, this is just one of many issues. They also have a shortage of quality yet affordable childcare, one of the biggest factors preventing women from returning to the workplace (Austria Struggles, 2016). The Austrian government is not blind to the issues surrounding gender, and has recently acknowledged domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related topics as human rights issues, and “The Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) also supports projects in South Eastern Europe, including Moldova, combatting trafficking of women and girls for prostitution and slave labour” (Austrian Embassy Washington, 2016). The difficulty in discerning the other brings up the fact that everyone involved in the fight for gender equality in Austria is presumably an Austrian citizen. A citizen could view Austria as a country with outdated political views harming citizens who are historically disadvantaged, yet another could view it as a traditional country following what they might see as the “status quo”. Sexuality, or more specifically LGBTQ issues, is another factor in the internal formation of Austria’s national identity. The support of LGBTQ rights conflicts heavily with Roman Catholic beliefs, the main religion of Austria. The beliefs or Roman Catholicism are historically conservative and only recently, since Pope Francis, have they begun to be more accepting of all types of love. These changes have caused Austria to slowly legalize various LGBTQ rights. In 2015, Austria lifted the ban on same-sex couples adopting children; before one of them had to be the child’s biological parent (LGBTQ Nation, 2015). However, gay marriage is still not legal in Austria, although a couple can enter a “registered partnership” which gives them all the same legal rights as an opposite-sex married couple would have. These factors are slowly changing how Austrians and the world view the country, developing how the nation identifies itself.

            Racial discrimination has grown into a large issue and helps define Austria’s national identity. As many current worldwide issues move forward, some citizens of Austria have become increasingly territorial over their country. Some political representatives are supporting a ban on asylum seekers, and promote anti-Semitic slogans (Racism at its highest, 2016).  Two political parties called the Freedom Party of Austria and the Alliance for the Future of Austria are said to combine nationalism and socialism similarly to Hitler’s party, The National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Even though this is well-known information, it is a generally taboo subject that goes undiscussed by citizens, These two parties defend the rights of “real” Austrians while restricting the rights of “foreigners”, which they define as someone who “looks different”. During World War 2, the percentage of Austrians who joined the Nazis was twice that of the Germans (Weiss, 1997, p. 173). Still, Austria is not entirely full of pro-Nazi citizens. President Heinz Fischer, a social democrat, was voted back into office for a second term with almost 80% of the country’s vote. Austria and its citizens must decide how they wish to be viewed by the world, not only in comparing them to who they are not but also to who they are. In this way, they may properly shape their national identity.

            The “other” also involves many outside forces when discussing a country’s national identity. This includes both allies and enemies, both within and outside the borders of Austria. Their one significant issue regarding another country was with Italy. Southern Tirol, now known as Trentino-Alto Adige, was a huge point of controversy between the two countries. The ethnic Germans of this region fought for autonomy promised by the Italian government, resulting in acts of terrorism. Italy, in turn, blamed Austria for not working hard enough to help them capture the people at fault. In 1969, the two countries made an agreement to satisfy the demands of the South-Tiroleans for their independence of the culture. In regards to the rest of the world, in 1955, Austria’s policy was to remain neutral. However, they placed themselves very firmly as a democratic nation. Austria is active in many international outreach organizations. From about 1959 to 1983, Austria was a neutral site for various international negotiations. Then, Austria shifted its focus from global issues to European ones. Austria joined with other European nations to form the European Free Trade Association(EFTA) in 1960, as they did not wish to join the European Union(EU), or as it was known then, the European Community. Then, when Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland were freed from Soviet domination, Austria was expected to pick a side, making their neutrality irrelevant in Europe. In 1995, Austria joined the EU. Discussing this small piece of Austria’s worldly involvement allows its national identity to shine through.

            Through exploring the issues regarding the people of Austria and its world involvement, it is possible to view the reality of what Austria’s national identity really is. While it may seem that there is just one definition for Austria’s national identity, in looking deeper, there are nuances and pieces that are left up to the interpretation of the individual.

Works Cited

"Austria - FOREIGN RELATIONS." Countries.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.

“Austria struggles to improve gender equality at work”. The Local. N.p. 11 May 2016. Web. 21

Jan. 2017.

"LGBT Rights in Austria." Equaldex. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.

"Overview of gender equality issues in Austria." Overview of gender equality issues in Austria.

N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.

“Racism in Austria at its highest level in years.” The Local. N.p. 22 March 2016. Web. 21 Jan.

2017

Weiss, John. Ideology of Death: why the Holocaust happened in Germany. Roman and

Littlefield. Lanham, MD. September 1997.

Wodak, Ruth. Discursive Construction of National Identity. Edinburgh University Press. Jan 19, 2009.

"Women's Rights." Austrian Embassy Washington. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.

http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/blog/2016/03/24/zara-releases-report-on-racism-in-austria/

Welcome!

Here you will find a multitude of information regarding Austria, its national identity, and Eurovision from the perspective of an American university student. Enjoy!