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I think that anyone who is in any way creative or is creating something, whether an architect or fashion designer, I think if you have the opportunity to create something that is fully you, it frees your mind and your spirit and gives you the opportunity to really find yourself.
Conchita Wurst
If people really want to know whether I am a woman or transsexual, I take it as a compliment. It means I'm doing my job well.
It is an honour and it's flattering that people refer to me as someone they trust or get inspired from.
I want to show the world that if you want to be a bearded lady you are allowed to do it without being discriminated against.
I would prefer a society where we don't have to explain ourselves. But I get that many people just need those labels to understand it. And if I make my situation or beliefs more understandable by putting labels on it, I'm happy to do it.
It's strange that a little facial hair causes that much excitement.
As I always say, you don't have to love me, but you have to respect that I'm here.
I am happy being a man in a dress. Some people get confused and think I'm a trans woman, but I'm strict about the difference. What I do is performance, it's staged, it's glamour - it's not real life. But for trans people, being born in the wrong body - there's nothing glamorous or easy about that.
People only look at my beard for a moment. Then it melts away and it's just another part of me. It's like the most natural thing, that this is what a bearded lady looks like. It's beautiful to see.
I have so many incredible fans in Russia, I really badly want to go there.
I can always spot an Australian queen by her high, high end wig. Australian drag queens have the best hair in the world - the best.
When not dressed as Conchita I am a man, and a lazy one at that.
I was actually a very confident little kid. I would go to kindergarten in a skirt.
I like to party at Christmas. We always have a duck, which my brother prepares.
I have a very busy life, and I love meeting people, but I also like to be alone.
Being a teenager in a small Austrian village was not fabulous. I tried to fit in and changed myself to be part of the game. I now realise I can create the game.
Being LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) in Russia is anything but fun.
I would love to have the whole world involved and still call it Eurovision.
It's easy to say, 'This is just a joke.' You know, the bearded lady? And I feel the need to smash it with every performance just because I want to be clear this is not a joke.
I am sorry to disappoint you, I'll never compete ever again at the Eurovision.
We Europeans really have the picture of this very open-minded Australia.
It's obvious for example that when I am Conchita, I use the female toilet, and when I am Tom, the male toilet. I can assure you it's never a problem for women, they love it.
You can't reduce a country to its tolerance or intolerance.
Expectations are dangerous. I recommend not having any, if only to avoid disappointment.
From Vienna with Love' will build a bridge across the globe from Vienna to Sydney, full of music, love and fun. I am really looking forward to performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and fabulous guest artists who all have ties to Vienna and telling a story with music that inspired me and songs from my debut album.
I've figured out over the years, you can only hurt me if I love you; if I don't know you, I really don't care.
I don't see myself as a political figure.
I have many fans in Russia.
I took to the Eurovision stage as an opportunity to talk to Europe about tolerance and acceptance.
I don't think I have the power to change anybody.
I'm not the biggest fan of my first album.
As Conchita, I've got everything that I need to be glamourous and in the spotlight, giving interviews, doing photo shoots. And on the other side, there's Tom, this shy, boring boy. And I love to be shy and boring when I'm in private.
I love myself and the bearded lady is fun and expresses everything I feel.
The beard is a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look.
If you've got the chance to really speak your mind and do what you feel and express yourself how you want, then this is freedom. Drag is freedom.
Be the best version of yourself rather than a bad copy of someone else!
Once I decided to be a different person on stage, I got the chance to be larger than life and over the top, which I love.
I decided to be this bearded lady in 2011.
I dream of a world where we don't have to talk about unnecessary things like sexuality, who you love.
The main topic I'm always talking about is equality, and I get that it's politics, but it shouldn't be. It should be the most normal thing ever. There's bullying and discrimination about the colour of your skin, your religion. And it must end.
I don't see myself as someone you should look up to.
I'm not a politician, only a singer.
Because of the discrimination during my time as a teenager I decided to live my life as I want it.
I'm just a singer in a fabulous dress, with great hair and a beard.
I love huge dramatic songs with ridiculously big orchestral parts.
I mean, I would love to see the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, dressing up in a more cosy way, if she feels like doing it.
I grew up in a small Austrian village, a quite conservative one, and I was the weird little boy always dressing as a girl.
It was a huge honour to play at the Palladium with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Conchita is a symbol of the fact that you just can live a wonderful life when you do what makes you happy.
I'm not perfect, I just do what I think is right. So if I can't fulfil people's expectations, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault.
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