Bulgaria made history at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with Dara and "Banagaranga" giving the country its first ever victory.
First after a three-year absence
The big star of the evening, named Dara, managed to capture the attention of Europe long before she took the stage, as her songs and videos already had more than 80 million views and streams.
Dara was crowned the winner with an impressive 516 points (304 from the judges and 312 from the public vote), giving her country its first victory in the contest. It should also be noted that Bulgaria has not participated in the contest for the past three years, citing limited financial resources.
Who is Dara?
Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, known professionally as Dara, is a 27-year-old Bulgarian singer. She was born in Varna, the country's third largest city, and rose to fame in 2015 when she reached the final of the Bulgarian version of "The X Factor."
Since then, her career has only been on the rise. She is the voice behind huge hits like Thunder, Call Me and Mr Rover, songs that have topped the charts for weeks. Alongside her live performances, Dara has shared her experience with new talents, taking on the role of coach on The Voice Bulgaria in 2021 and 2022. The release of her latest album in 2025 was her “ticket” to spread her wings on the international music scene.
"I want the world to see the real Bulgaria"
Speaking to The Independent about her Eurovision experience, Dara shared her thoughts with honesty and passion:
"Bulgaria's participation in Eurovision was not a given. We were absent for three whole years. To date, our highlight was Kristian Kostov's amazing second place in 2017 – Kristian is a very good friend of mine and that result meant a lot to us.
A win, however, takes us to a whole other dimension. I want to be honest: Winning is obviously something great and of course I'm competing for the top spot. But what motivates me equally is the idea of turning the spotlight on our country. For them to really see us.
We are a small country with a huge cultural soul, ancient, complex, stubborn in a good way. We have a musical heritage that the world is only just beginning to discover the surface of.
If my song, Bangaranga, becomes the reason for someone in Manchester, Edinburgh or Brighton to pick up their phone and search for Bulgaria, for our music, our beaches, our literature and our people, then I feel like I have already achieved something truly great."
On stage with Eleni Foureira
Shortly before leaving for Vienna, the winner of the competition had been to Lohan, the nightclub where Eleni Foureira appears, and she did not hesitate to get up on stage and sing Bangaranga next to her.
The 27-year-old artist shared the microphone with Eleni Foureira and thrilled the audience by presenting “Bagaranga”, the song with which she managed to win the competition. In fact, Eleni Foureira, after accompanying her for a while by dancing with her, gave her the stage, with the young singer stealing the show with her vocals and dance layouts.
Source: bovary.gr
