Opera pop: New music from JJ: Life after the ESC hype

“Leitln, we won the Schas. I Bring’s Hoam!” With a wide, Austrian accent and an even wider grin, Johannes Pietsch stretches a glass microphone on the night of May 18. The counter tenor from Vienna had recently won the world’s best -known music competition in the world with his pop aria “Wasted Love” – ​​the Eurovision Song Contest. On Friday (September 5th), JJ, as Pietsch calls himself as an artist, brings out the successor single “Back to Forgetting”.

“These three and a half months feel as if it had been two years,” JJ told the German Press Agency. “So much has happened and it feels like you haven’t taken a break at all. But I enjoy it because I like to work continuously.”

The first days and weeks after the ESC victory for Austria, the hustle and bustle was great. “My brain felt like a soup because it was just so much to be processed. The victory, then come home, the friends after a long time, give interviews, travel. It went by like a film.” He also received congratulations from German music stars like Lena Meyer-Landrut and Nico Santos.

Controversy about criticism of Israel

During this time, not everything is based on plan for the 24-year-old. After an interview with a Spanish newspaper, he is massively addressed for Israeli -critical comments. The singer later lets his record label say that he was misunderstood. Today he prefers to turn the topic and focus on music.

And then shortly after the triumph, the glass ESC trophy breaks. “But I got a replacement trophy. It is blocked in my room so that nobody can attack it,” says JJ with a laugh.

After several appearances all over Europe, the trained opera singer can recover somewhat over the summer on Rhodes and at a lake in south of Austria. “I actually just turned my cell phone and said to everyone:” I am not available and need to calm down now “. It actually helped a lot.”

This is how the “Wasted Love” successor sounds

Now it starts again with appearances and interviews for the new single, on which he and his team had worked for a long time. “Of course it was really difficult to choose which song comes as a successor single after such a huge hype. We really discussed and looked around for hours.”

The result is “Back to Forgetting” a catchy, dark and sometimes somewhat harder pop sound, in which the opera elements and JJS high voice are clearly back in the background. “The first consideration was how much classic and how much pop we would like to have,” explains the Viennese the balancing act. “The current song is a little different. You won’t expect it immediately.” Textually, it is about memory of a former friend that would be forgotten.

The first single after the ESC could be groundbreaking for the young Austrian career. While former winners such as Lena or Loreen are still well in business, it became quieter about the Swiss winner act of 2024, NEMO. The successor single “Eurostar” was hardly noticed, a tour canceled at short notice. This is to be made up for in autumn, Nemo’s album “Arthouse” will come in October.

“I am already aware that the hype may not be as big as the ESC, because this is also another platform,” reflects JJ. “But that’s not a problem for me because I bring out the music that I also like personally and I think that she likes the other people.”

In any case, an album and a tour are being planned. And at the latest in May the 24-year-old awaits the very big spotlight again: at the Eurovision Song Contest in his hometown Vienna.