VIENNA - Austrian singer JJ returned to Vienna to a hero's welcome, greeted by hundreds of cheering fans after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
The 24-year-old countertenor, who performed under his stage name but whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, stepped off the plane clutching a bouquet of red roses and his trophy, smiling as supporters pressed against security barriers to get a glimpse.
Inside the arrivals hall, the crowd erupted as JJ raised his trophy and thanked fans for believing in him.
"Thank you all for coming. Thank you for believing in me and for being so kind," he told the crowd, his voice thick with emotion.
Supporters waved heart-shaped balloons and rainbow flags as his winning song, "Wasted Love", played over the loudspeakers.
Pietsch will be honoured at the chancellery on Monday, where Chancellor Christian Stocker will receive him in the morning, having praised his "magnificent achievement" the previous day.
Vienna's mayor, Michael Ludwig, said the city was ready to host Eurovision, although other cities, including Innsbruck in Tyrol, are also contenders -- particularly after Basel showed the contest need not always take place in a capital.