‘A quiet belief everything’s going to be all right’: Bulgarians celebrate Dara’s Eurovision win with Bangaranga | Eurovision
While Bulgarians rejoiced over their country’s first victory in the Eurovision song contest, fans welcomed the unexpectedly successful singer into their homes with the party anthem Bangaranga.
Darina Nikolaeva, known simply as Dara, said Yotova’s new prime minister, Rumen Radev, “Dara is another proof that Bulgaria can win.” He praised a young artist who, thanks to his talent and professionalism, managed to overcome all the complexities and prejudices surrounding the world. [Eurovision] voting process”.
The final, which took place in Vienna on Saturday night, was boycotted by Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland due to Israel’s participation. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched outside the venue chanting “boycott Eurovision”.
In the event, Michelle, sung by Israel’s Noam Bettan, came in second with 343 points, while Dara’s song Bangaranga came in second with 516 points.
The UK performed poorly once again with Look Mum No Computer AKA musician Sam Battle’s song Ein, Zwei, Drei, finishing 25th (last) with just 1 point.
Eurovision organizers emphasized that Bulgaria’s entry won both the jury and public votes, stating that this had not happened “for almost 10 years, since Kiev 2017”.
Bulgaria’s surprise success was greeted with joy in this southeastern European country; where Dara, 27, was toasted by the foreign minister as the country’s top young ambassador and proof that “talent, courage and hard work” can pay off.
Ina Dobreva, Dara’s former acting teacher in his hometown of Varna, said she was very happy for her former pupil and that he fully deserved his victory. He added that the win was a much-needed ray of hope in a turbulent time in the country.
“Bulgarians really needed to have a moment like this where we could rally around common happiness,” Dobreva told the Guardian. Bulgaria, an EU member country, has been experiencing political instability for years and recently held its eighth election in five years.
“I didn’t expect Bulgaria to win, so it was nice to see that we actually did it for the first time,” said Kristina Dureva, 25, a recruiter from Sofia.
İlayda Kayalar, a 21-year-old interior architecture student living in the capital, said winning Eurovision strengthened Bulgaria’s EU integration and helped increase the country’s popularity on the international stage.
Kayalar said, “I am really happy today.” “Winning [the Eurovision] It means Bulgaria is finally known for something.”
Dara said that in a turbulent world, “Bangaranga” represents “a quiet belief that everything will be okay.”
“Nobody believed that we could win and Bangaranga could win and tonight we are seeing the love of all the judges and all the viewers. It feels like a dream. I don’t know if I’m sleeping or if it’s real?” he told a press conference.
According to the general director of public broadcaster BNT, Bulgaria is already turning its mind to 2027. The mayors of both Sofia and the Black Sea port city of Burgas are reportedly lobbying for their cities to host next year’s fair.
Dara arrived triumphantly in Sofia on Sunday evening, with Sofia mayor Vasil Terziev saying he would be “welcomed with a red carpet”.
