There are currently great expectations for Pia Maria Ausserlechner, who will perform Austria’s entry “Halo” together with LUM!X on the Eurovision Song Contest stage on Tuesday. In the Ö3 “Frühstück bei mir” on Sunday, the 18-year-old Tyrolean explained why she feels strong enough as a newcomer to appear on the world’s largest music show: “I’ve been through quite a lot and have also found myself . I now know that there is great power within me.” In an interview with Ö3 presenter Claudia Stöckl, Pia Maria tearfully confessed that she had suffered from severe depression during the two years of the pandemic.
“It was really hard to get up”
“It’s terrible what can go on in a head and how low you can sink. I didn’t want to do it anymore. It was very, very difficult. I sat on my bed and just looked at myself all day. It has none real everyday life, it was really hard to get up. There was nothing more, just the feeling of emptiness.” Therapy helped her to overcome the mental crisis during the Corona period: “You’re at home all day, only confronted with yourself and then I was powerless. It was important to me to get help. I have my parents said I would need it.” She still has professional support today: “It’s part of me and I have my phases. It feels good to talk to a rational person about it.”
View picture gallery
Now, before the song contest, the singer has noticed: “I feel very comfortable among people again, I’m feeling much better.” Pia Maria’s message to her generation is clear: “I even experienced that a friend wanted to kill herself, thank God it turned out well. That’s why: talk about it! It’s so important to say that you’re not doing well. Me make public what was wrong with me because I want to convey to others: You are not alone with this sadness.”
Can LUM!X and Pia Marie make it into the ESC final on Tuesday? Vote:
The entire interview is available to listen to on the Ö3 homepage and as a podcast.
Source: Nachrichten
