Austria internally selected JJ’s “Wasted Love.” JJ performed this operatic pop piece 6th in the second semi-final, and will perform 9th in the Grand Final on Saturday. 

“Wasted Love” falls into one of our favorite Eurovision genres of opera but also pop song with some of our previous favorites being La Forza (and its EDM remix) and It’s My Life among others. As a countertenor who performs in the Vienna State Opera, JJ has an unreal vocal range that had us questioning reality the first time we heard the song. 

The song and the music video are both melodramatic with JJ “drowning” in despair and running through the rain. 

But that is not something we are holding against it by any means. The grand scale of the song, complete with an unexpected beat drop in the last minute, brings a lot to the table. And JJ’s classical music training leaves us feeling confident he can pull it off. There isn’t much more to say – he’s just really impressive.