Before Conchita Wurst and Eurovision, Tom Neuwirth was wowing crowds with Michael Jackson and Queen songs

A video also shows the singer giving a sterling rendition of 'Gold Finger'

Before Conchita Wurst and Eurovision glory Tom Neuwirth was performing as himself on Austrian talent shows (YouTube)

Conchita Wurst has defied transphobic criticism to be crowned the winner of this year’s Eurovision song contest.

But before Conchita Wurst, the singer behind the drag act, Tom Neuwirth, was blowing away audiences as he belted out power ballads on Austrian television.

In one video Neuwirth gives a touching rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘You Are Not Alone’ and, in another, sings Queen’s ‘The Show Must Go On’, showing his incredible vocal ability.

The videos are from Neuwirth’s days on the Austrian version of The X Factor, Starmania back in 2007. He reached the final but was luckily pipped to the top spot - otherwise the world may never have seen Conchita.

Wurst’s song of ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’ has been compared to a Shirley Bassey James Bond-theme and it’s not surprising that she was able to pull off such a haunting performance.

For the final of Starmania, Neuwirth performed ‘Gold Finger’, which was originally sung by Bassey for the 1964 Bond film. Neuworth's version of song has the same power as Bassey's and the performance is reminiscent of her appearance at the Eurovision final.

After losing out on Starmania, Neuwirth returned to screens in 2012 and introduced the world to Conchita Wurst on ‘Die große Chance’ or ‘The Big Chance’ but was beaten in the pre-selection for the Eurovision song contest.

Undeterred by falling into second place, Conchita Wurst returned again this year – and the rest, as they say, is history.