JJ’s younger sister broke through security guards to hug him after his victory was announced.
The Austrian said his whole family had arrived to support him at the contest, including his 85-year-old grandfather, and a four-month-old niece, who watched outside with his brother.
It is the third time Austria has won the contest, with previous victories going to Udo Jürgens’ Merci, Cherie in 1966; and Conchita Wurst with Rise Like a Phoenix in 2014. JJ was inspired to take part in Eurovision by Conchita.
The singer had always been one of the favourites to win, but the most hotly-tipped contestants were Sweden’s KAJ – whose tongue-in-cheek ode to sauna culture, Bara Bada Bastu, ultimately took fourth place.
Speaking after the show, JJ said he was “so pleased” that viewers had connected with his story of heartache.
“I wanted to let them have an insight on my deepest soul [and] how I felt when we wrote the song.”
“What I’m trying to commit [to] is that there’s no wasted love. There’s so much love that we can spread around. It’s the strongest force on planet earth.”
Asked how he would celebrate, he replied: “Honestly, I need to sleep now. I’m tired.”
