Who is Dara, the artist who brought Bulgaria its first victory at Eurovision. “Bangaranga”, the moment that animated the scene in Vienna
Dara, representing Bulgaria, won the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song “Bangaranga”, bringing her country the first trophy in the competition's history. Bulgaria scored a total of 516 points, ahead of second-placed Israel with 343 points and Romania, which finished the competition in third place with 296 points.
Australia ranked fourth with 287 points and Italy fifth with 281 points. The United Kingdom finished the competition in last place.
Finland, considered the bookmakers' favorite throughout the Eurovision season, finished the competition only in sixth place.
“Bangaranga fights the modern demons within us”
The moment prepared by Bulgaria, built as a veritable visual and musical carousel, started strongly and kept its pace until the end. The performance captivated the audience in the Wiener Stadthalle and was greeted with some of the loudest applause of the evening, writes NBC News.
Dara, whose full name is Darina Yotova, 27, originally specialized in folk music before turning to pop music. The artist is one of the most popular singers in Bulgaria and dominates the local charts, especially after the release of her latest album, “ADHDARA”, inspired by the diagnosis of ADHD received in adulthood, notes News.ro.
In an Instagram post last week, Dara explained that his song was inspired by kukeri, ritual figures in Bulgarian tradition said to ward off evil spirits.
“Bangaranga fights the modern demons inside us. Bangaranga is the moment when you choose love over fear,” the artist said.
A Romanian composer contributed to the song that won Eurovision 2026
“Bangaranga” combines influences of electronic pop, dance and minimalist club sounds, being built for a quick impact on the stage, notes Radio Romania.
Romanian composer Cristian Tarcea, originally from Constanța, was also part of the creative team, being also one of the jurors of the national selection from Romania.
Tarcea is active in the area of European pop and electronic production, collaborating in international projects in the music industry, according to the cited source.
