The cancellation of this year’s competition may have disappointed Eurofans across the world, but things move forward; lately, pleasant surprises are coming one after the other! One of them came today from the German private TV station ProSieben, which is gearing up to bring a beloved person to our screens: the 2014 winner Conchita Wurst!

As announced a few weeks ago, ProSieben was going to host the Free European Song Contest show on the evening of 16 May, when the competition was to take place in Rotterdam. The show will take place live from the city of Cologne, hosted by the popular TV personality Steven Gätjen and Conchita, who snatched a second Eurovision victory for Austria in 2014.

The event has been proposed by producer Stefan Raab, who represented his country in 2000 and has also been involved as part of the German delegation in 4 other former Eurovision entries, including mentoring Lena Meyer-Landrut in her 2010 victorious participation.

Regarding Conchita’s choice, the CEO of ProSieben Daniel Rosemann stated:

Conchita and Steven are the perfect choice for a big, musical evening. Conchita thrilled millions of people with her Eurovision appearance and won the contest. Nobody is better for this European, musical idea. Steven is at home at the world’s great galas and the perfect host with an outstanding live experience.

The #FreeESC has promised to bring people from all over Europe together, through the power of music. Let’s wait and see… ProSieben will air the show live on 16 May at 20:15 CEST.

Conchita Wurst at Eurovision

Following an unsuccessful attempt to represent her nation in Eurovision 2012, drag queen and singer Conchita Wurst (birth name Thomas Neuwirth) was internally selected to fly Austria’s flag in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Conchita performed solo on stage her entry Rise like a phoenix, enchanting the millions of viewers who brought her to the top of the 2014 scoreboard with 290 points. In Europe, Conchita was one of the most talked-about personalities in the last decade.