Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest this past weekend with her dance-party hit “Bangaranga.” This is the first-time the Southeast European country has won the competition.
The 70th Eurovision Song Contest has officially concluded, and Bulgaria came out on top. Singer Dara won the competition with her dance-party anthem “Bangaranga,” giving the southeast European nation its first-every victory in the competition.
Israeli competitor Noam Bettan came in second after a contest in Vienna was overtaken by protest and calls for boycott due to the nation’s participation in the competition, according to reports.
Dara beat 24 other competitors during the grand finale of Eurovision this past weekend. National juries in participating countries and viewers from around the world, whose votes collectively decide the winner, fell in love with the “infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine” of “Bangaranga.”
In a post-show news conference on Sunday, Dara reacted to her win overwhelmingly: “This is unbelievable. I don’t even know what’s going on.”
“[Thank you] everyone who felt Bangaranga and felt connected to the force.”
Dara is a 27-year-old performer who’s quite established as a superstar in her homeland. Entering into Eurovision, she wasn’t considered to be a top contender to win. However, within the competition’s progression, “Bangaranga” became one of the classic Eurovision stories with its infectious beats and dance-party energy.
“Surrender to the blinding lights. No one’s gonna sleep tonight. Welcome to the riot,” the song states.
Dara’s personality and relatability is also what made audiences fall in love with her and her song. She’s been very outspoken about her struggles with anxiety and said her Eurovision song is the “inner force that allows people to drop the mask of chasing perfection.”
She revealed that the song also draws on Bulgaria’s kukeri, which elaborately costumes men who perform ritual dances to ward off evil spirits.
The competition this year was stacked with Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu coming in third in the competition for their song “Choke Me.” Australian singer Delta Goodrem came in fourth with their midtempo ballad “Eclipse,” and Italian crooner Sal Da Vinci came in fifth with “Per Sempre Si,” which translates to “Forever Yes.”
Finnish duo of pop star Pete Parkkonen and classical violinist Linda Lampenius were a strong favorite to win in the beginning of the competition, and ended up placing in sixth place.
Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic stated that Dara’s win and being viewed as an underdog who likely wouldn’t win at the start of the competition is the type of surprise that makes the contest so well-loved.
“Eurovision has never really been a contest for big stars,” Vuletic said.
“People like to see the underdog on stage. They like to [see] the artist-in-the-making on stage or an artist from a smaller, poorer country on stage.”
The initial 35 acts were reduced to 25 nations who all took the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to battle for the Eurovision crown.
The competition this year, like the past three, has also been greatly controversial over continuous calls for Israel to be excluded in Eurovision over its conflicts in Gaza and other nations. In fact, five major longtime participants – Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, and Slovenia – boycotted the competition this year in protest.
This is the second year in a row that Israel places second as well based mainly on votes from the public. Eurovision organizers also tightened the voting rules this year after allegations that Israel had mounted an intense lobbying campaign to get votes.
Hundreds of protestors against Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision have occurred near the contest arena before the finale. Pro-Palestinian groups staged an outdoor concert on Friday under the banner “No stage for genocide.”
“Inviting Israel on such a beautiful stage as the Eurovision Song Contest stage is an affront to all the people who believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness,” said Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, one of the organizers.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
