JJ, Wasted Love | Beaming with Pride

In the 42^nd edition of Beaming with Pride ️‍ (2025), we highlight the song, “Wasted Love” performed by Austrian singer/songwriter JJ.

Prepare to beam with P-R-I-D-E ️‍! Beaming with Pride celebrates, embraces, and spotlights songs by LGBTQ musicians or allies.  Here, we provide background and insight into musician(s) and analyze + go gaga over the decadent bops served up.  When the music dictates deeper, more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is fully articulated.  All styles of music are welcome while the songs can be classics or brand-spanking new. So, without further ado, in the 42^nd edition of Beaming with Pride (2025), we highlight “Wasted Love” performed by JJ.

“I’m an ocean of love / And you’re scared of water / You don’t want to go under / So you let me go under.” Poetic matters of the heart – you’ve got to love it! Well, only one side loves… it’s unrequited central, sigh. Something to love, however, is the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 winner, JJ (Johannes Pietsch). The queer Austrian singer/songwriter gags us with his debut single, “Wasted Love”. JJ co-wrote “Wasted Love” with Teodora Špirić and Thomas Thurner. With his distinct, refined ‘high tenor’ vocals, JJ is a countertenor with an operatic background. He shows off his opera skills throughout “Wasted Love,” which is notably sung exclusively in English.

Beyond his soaring countertenor, JJ brilliantly gives life to the melodies of  “Wasted Love.” “When you let me go / I barely stayed afloat,” he sings emotionally in the second verse, adding, “I’m floatin’ all alone / Still, I’m holdin’ on to hope.” The melodies are consistently tuneful, particularly the impressive chorus.  “Now that you’re gone / All I have / Is wasted love / This wasted love,” he sings, continuing, “Now that you’re gone / Can’t fill my heart / With wasted love / This wasted love.” Word. Beyond the vocal performance and lyrics, the orchestration and production are sickening.  “Wasted Love” features classical and orchestral music cues alongside modern pop and electronic cues.  This fusion seems to capture Pietsch’s love of various musical genres, as well as the plight of love.  After the first verse sets the tone instrumentally, the second picks up steam with more instrumentation.  The ending is adventurous with a tempo increase and digging into dance/electronica. JJ put in serious work on “Wasted Love”.  We wish no pain on anyone, but Pietsch captured unrequited, ‘wasted love’ like a champ. Oh, wait a minute –  he is a champ! Eurovision Song Contest 2025 winner, baby!

JJ // “Wasted Love” // Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH / Manifester Music // 2025

JJ, Wasted Love: Beaming with Pride No. 42 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH / Manifester Music; Elias Souza, Mario Spencer, Mizuno K from Pexels;  All_CC0_Public_domain, CatsWithGlasses, David, ernestflowerss, Kelly, M. Harris, Marek Studzinski, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]