Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

JJ Pietsch

Rose Eclarinal

ABS-CBN News

<p>BIRMINGHAM – In the 69th Eurovision Song Contest held last May, 24-year-old Filipino-Austrian JJ Pietsch not only brought home Austria’s third Eurovision title with his operatic ballad “Wasted Love” but also saw one of his many dreams come true.</p><p>While Pietsch proudly represented Austria, he also shared the spotlight with the Philippines.</p><p>“It was such a great honor to have this moment and use it to showcase my talent. Pinakita ko at sinabi ko rin sa mga tao that I am Filipino — a very proud Filipino. Dinala ko rin ang pagka-Filipino ko sa international stage,” said Pietsch, who is fluent in Filipino even if he has not lived in the Philippines. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756777877900Jj  at center.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photo by Paul Fernandez </em></span></span></span></div><p>At the time of his Eurovision audition, Pietsch was a countertenor at the Vienna State Opera.</p><p>“Being half Asian representing a European country was already hard at first because I don’t look like a typical Austrian person. But at the end of the day they chose me, and I’m very glad about that,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><p>&#x27;<strong>ASAP England&#x27; performance</strong></p><p>The much-anticipated return of &quot;ASAP in England&quot; for its 30th anniversary celebration last Saturday, August 30, became another dream come true for Pietsch.</p><p>He said he has always been a fan of &quot;ASAP&quot; stars since childhood, and stepping onto the &quot;ASAP&quot; stage was a full-circle moment.</p><p>Among his favorites are Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez and Asia’s Phoenix Morissette.</p><p>“Super proud at super emosyonal kasi pina-follow ko lahat ng artista since I was a child. I was always watching ABS-CBN from home. And being here, to be able to share the stage with them, is a full-circle moment for me because I was always looking up to them,” Pietsch told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>Pietsch, whose mother is Filipina, grew up singing karaoke. He credits his Filipino roots for nurturing his love of music.</p><p>“Nung bata po ako, mga two years old pa lang, nag-vi-videoke po kami sa bahay every weekend. At 15, I felt I wanted to be an opera singer,” he shared.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>New music ahead</strong></div><p>His next single, “Back to Forgetting,” is set for release on Friday. The co-writer of the track was inspired by his own journey of moving on.</p><p>“While you are in the process of forgetting a person, tapos biglang menensahe ka sa WhatsApp or IG—‘huy, musta na,’” Pietsch explained.</p><p>He also expressed gratitude for the love and support of Filipinos worldwide, as well as his LGBTQ+ community of supporters.</p><p>“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat. Thank you so much for your love and support, and I can’t wait to come back to the Philippines to give back everything that you have given me.”</p><p>Pietsch is set to visit the Philippines next month.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eTYJ7rjWvs4?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A20YRPaSwHQ?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nfhk7J7nMdY?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/of0m23gFOQg?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Filipino-Austrian JJ Pietsch made history at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, winning Austria’s third crown with “Wasted Love” while proudly embracing his Filipino roots.</p>

Filipino-Austrian JJ Pietsch made history at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, winning Austria’s third crown with “Wasted Love” while proudly embracing his Filipino roots.

Eurovision 2025 winner JJ Pietsch: ‘I am a very proud Filipino’

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Eurovision 2025 winner JJ Pietsch: ‘I am a very proud Filipino’

Rose Eclarinal,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 02, 2025 11:51 AM PHT

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Updated September 02, 2025 04:00 PM PHT

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JJ Pietsch

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