Conchita Wurst is an Austrian pop recording artist and drag queen portrayed by Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth. Wurst came to international attention for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Openly gay, Neuwirth uses masculine pronouns when referring to himself but feminine pronouns to describe Wurst. Born in Gmunden, Austria, Neuwirth moved to Graz to do his matura exam with a focus on fashion, before embarking on a singing career through the 2007 casting show Starmania. He subsequently became a founding member of the short-lived boy band Jetzt Anders!. In 2011, Neuwirth began appearing as Wurst – a female character noted for her beard – and came second in the Austrian pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Wurst was selected to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, where she proved victorious. Wurst's entry and victory courted controversy, being condemned by some of the continent's social conservatives and right-wingers who saw her performance as a promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights.