Bulgaria won Eurovision 2026 on Saturday night, for the first time in the history of the competition, thanks to the artist Dara who performed the song “Bangaranga”.
The Bulgarian singer Dara managed to outrank the representative of Israel, whose presence led to an unprecedented boycott of the contest.
Romania ranked third at the 70th edition of the most watched music contest in the world, ahead of the favorites from Finland and Australia.
Who is Dara, the winner of Eurovision 2026
The 27-year-old Bulgarian, whose real name is Darina Yotova, won over both the national juries and the voting public in 148 countries with her song “Bangaranga”, an anthem of partying and emancipation, accumulating 516 points.
The title of his song, in Jamaican dialect, means “rebellion”, and the whole hall danced to the rhythm of his choreography, according to AFP.
“We wanted to offer the audience something new and fresh, something unexpected, capable of offering a new image of Eurovision,” she said at the press conference.
“Once we can drop this mask of seeking perfection, then we can be true to who we really are,” she added.
A Romanian, behind the piece
After the final, in front of the journalists, Dara presented the team behind his historic success – two of the composers of the song “Bangaranga”: the Romanian Cristian Tarcea, known as Monoir, and the Greek Dimitris Kontopoulos, the Bulgarian press writes.
The two, the Norwegian lyricist and composer Ann Judith Vik and Dara herself are the creators of the song, according to Mediapool. The singer described this international team as “a union of the Balkans”.
Bulgaria, a country of 6.5 million inhabitants, which has not participated in Eurovision for the past three years due to financial reasons, will host the whole of Europe thanks to it next year.
Dara wanted to retire as soon as he won
But Dara's road to victory was not easy, comments the Bulgarian publication Mediapool.
She even considered quitting the contest due to the negative reactions to her after winning the national selection to choose the performer to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026. In the end, Dara decided to continue in the contest.
In February 2026, Dara's song was chosen based on the points obtained from the judges and viewers. After her victory, however, criticism of her performance appeared on social media, as well as accusations that the contest was rigged.
“The emotions haven't subsided. I'm quite crushed by all the negative reaction from the public. I thank those who have supported me and are supporting me at this moment. I wonder if it's worth all the effort, considering that this is the reaction of the public. For me, nothing has ever been at any price,” she declared after the wave of criticism.
Later, Dara announced that she would go further in the contest.
