Eurovision 2025 Austria profile: Wasted Love by JJ

We profile the 2025 entry from Austria including details on the artist, song, how it was chosen, odds, fan reaction and how the nation has fared at Eurovision.

Austria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest on 56 occasions since it debuted in 1957.

They have won the contest twice, in 1966 when Udo Jürgens performed Merci, Chérie and in 2014 with Conchita Wurst's iconic hit Rise Like a Phoenix.

JJ will be representing Austria at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, and according to many Eurofans, is one of their best chances since 2014 to take home the iconic glass microphone trophy with his song Wasted Love. 

You can find out more about JJ and his song below.

2025 entry: JJ – Wasted Love

• JJ will compete in semi-final 2 performing in position 6

• My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 1st

• Odds to win ranking: 2nd

• Aussievision team ranking: 10th

(Rankings as of 3 April 2025)

About the artist

JJ (whose given name when not performing professionally is Johannes Pietsch), is a 23-year-old male soprano opera singer.

He grew up in Dubai before returning to Vienna in 2016.

JJ is best known for appearing on The Voice UK in 2020, where he impressed the judges with his operatic vocals and whistle register.

He also appeared on the Austrian TV show Starmania 21 the following year.

He studied classical music at the Music and Art Private University of Vienna and is a member of the Vienna State Opera company where he has appeared in roles in productions such as Die Zauberflöte and Von der Liebe Tod.

He is also a student at the Music and Art Private University of Vienna (MUK), where he studies under the renowned soprano - Professor Linda Watson.

In addition to his native language of German, Pietsch also speaks English, French and Tagalog.

About the song

Wasted Love was co-written by JJ and Austrian 2023 Eurovision representative Teodora Špirić best known as being part of the duo Teya & Salena that performed their song Who the Hell is Edgar.

The music video was directed by Marek Vesely and it was filmed in various locations, including a pine forest near Wiener Neustadt, the Stadttheater Baden, and the I Dive Diving School in Vienna, where JJ was submerged for the underwater shots.

A forest with water and snow was recreated in a studio in Lower Austria.

According to Marek, the music video “is intended to be a visual journey into the deep abyss of unrequited love, underscored by dramatic elements. It is structured in five acts and plays with the opera vibe as its underlying mood.”

In the official press release by Austrian broadcaster ORF, JJ says

“This song perfectly captures my experience with unreciprocated love. There’s a unique kind of heartbreak in having so much love to give but nowhere for it to land.

It feels like being adrift at sea on a fragile paper boat—grasping at any sliver of hope, only to watch it dissolve beneath you.

And yet, there’s something undeniably beautiful in that naïve devotion. Because, in the end, simply being able to love—no matter how wasted, is a beautiful thing in itself.”

How was JJ chosen for Eurovision?

The search for Austria's artist for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest began in the early summer of 2024.

Eurovision-experienced talent scouts scoured the domestic Austrian scene.

For the first time, a songwriting camp was held with authors, composers and performers, with the goal of writing THE song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

In the next step, the most promising songs were evaluated by a national and international jury of 30 experts, including music producers, performers, journalists, music professionals and music editors.

Additionally, representatives from nearly 30 OGAEs - the official fan clubs of the Eurovision Song Contest - from 5 countries, as well as the ORF Austrian broadcasters Eurovision editorial team, cast their votes. 

Based on all of the evaluations, JJ was selected as Austria's act for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. 

Performance at Eurovision in Concert pre-party in Amsterdam

JJ on Saturday 5 April, along with 29 other Eurovision 2025 artists performed at the Eurovision in Concert pre-party in Amsterdam.

Austria will perform sixth in the second semi-final at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday, May 15.

For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet