Austria: JJ Will Not Host Eurovision 2026 In Vienna!

The singer JJ, Austria’s Eurovision 2025 winner with the song “Wasted Love”, who became a controversial figure at home after remarks about Israel’s participation in the contest, will not host Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Many fans had hoped the reigning champion would be given the honor of hosting the next contest, but today it was officially confirmed that this will not happen.

It should be recalled that after his victory, JJ sparked uproar when he declared in an interview:

“I hope the competition next year will take place in Vienna – without Israel”.

He also criticized the Eurovision voting system, calling for more transparency from the EBU – a move seen by many as hypocritical, since the competition is meant to be apolitical.

Despite this, many fans expressed disappointment that JJ will not be hosting Eurovision 2026. Still, he will have a significant role in the show: it was revealed today that he will perform a brand-new, yet unreleased song, as well as a new arrangement of his winning entry “Wasted Love” on the Vienna stage.

Speculation continues over who will take on hosting duties at Eurovision 2026. Among the names strongly circulating is Conchita Wurst, Eurovision 2014 winner and co-host of Eurovision 2015 in Vienna. The official announcement is expected in the coming months.

Another milestone for JJ was marked last night with the release of his new single “Back To Forgetting”. The track blends modern pop elements with emotional depth. He co-wrote it with Jude York, who competed in Australia’s Eurovision national final in 2022 with the song “I Won’t Need To Dream”, finishing in eighth place.

JJ – Austria’s Eurovision 2025 Representative

Austria’s champion at Eurovision 2025 is the young Austrian opera singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ who claimed victory with “Wasted Love”, earning 436 points – 258 from the juries, placing first, and 178 from televotes, placing fourth. The winning song, released on March 6th, 2025, was co-written by JJ himself, Teya, and Thomas Thurner.

This victory marked Austria’s third win in Eurovision history, after Udo Jürgens in 1966, with the song “Merci, Cherie” and Conchita Wurst in 2014, with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix”. JJ was selected internally by Austria’s national broadcaster, ORF. While he only ranked fifth in his semi-final, he went on to secure triumph in the grand final, held in Basel, Switzerland.

At 23, Johannes Pietsch, better known as JJ, is a young Austrian opera singer with a remarkable soprano voice. Raised in Dubai, he gained international attention at an early age. In 2020, he competed in “The Voice UK”, where judges were stunned by his high and unique vocal range. Later, he also appeared on Austria’s talent show “Starmania 21” and is now part of the Vienna State Opera cast.

Speaking about his love for music, JJ said:

“For as long as I can remember, I was always singing – or at least trying – whenever a favorite song came on MTV or VH1. At karaoke nights at home, I realized that I wanted to perform all the time. Hannah Montana made me dream of becoming a pop star”.

Now that he stands on one of the world’s biggest stages, he remains true to himself:

“I want to be remembered as a real person, someone fun with unique energy. We don’t need to take life too seriously. And of course, I hope people will also remember my voice and performance”.

Eurovision 2026: This will be Austria’s 58th participation in Eurovision. Austria joined the competition in 1957 and has won twice over the years. Austria’s last victory was in Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by singer JJ.