Serbia’s Eurovision entry is pretty much this year’s Conchita Wurst

Eurovision usually passes without notice in the US, since those of us stateside generally seem to be unable to appreciate the wonderfully tacky spectacle that comes with the song contest. However, last year was a little different — thanks to the gorgeous, bearded winner of the competition, Austria’s Conchita Wurst, who managed to dazzle people around the world.

The question that Eurovision observers are asking in the lead-up to this year’s competition is obviously who will be this year’s Conchita — and some are suggesting that honor might go to Serbia’s Bojana Stamenov, a 28-year-old competing with a cheesy dance anthem about celebrating difference.

It’s easy to see what’s so exciting about Stamenov. She's larger — a refreshing change from the usual crowd of contestants — and in her performance at the semi-finals this week, she delivered everything that a Eurovision amateur like me would expect from the competition. There were colorful costumes, glitter, incredible dance moves, masks, flags, and a costume change.

Just listen to the crowd in Vienna go wild as she belts out “Finally I can say, yes, I’m different and it’s okay! Here I am!”

It’s a little like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” with a Eurovision makeover (and much better dance moves).

The songstress told Eurovision that her song is a celebration of all difference — including gender and sexual identity.

Serbia’s LGBT community has faced some huge hurdles, and its first gay pride parade in four years took place in Belgrade last year, despite threats. The parade was banned by authorities after clashes between right-wing protesters and security forces, according to Human Rights Watch, which condemned Serbia’s prior bans on the Belgrade Pride Parade enforced in the name of “security.”

“Instead of caving into threats by homophobic groups, the authorities in Serbia should ensure that the LGBT community and its supporters can freely exercise their rights,” wrote HRW’s Lydia Gall in 2013.

It’s not unusual for Eurovision contestants to add a little dusting of politics to their entries — I’m looking at you Georgia (their 2009 entry, “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” was pulled from the competition)  — and it only makes things more interesting.

We’ll see how Stamenov does at the finals tomorrow night. At the very least, let’s hope for a Conchita and Bojana collaboration in the future.