Who is the Romanian behind “Bangaranga”, the song with which Bulgaria won Eurovision 2026 / TVR chose him in the Romanian jury
The Constantinian musician Cristian Tarcea, known as Monoir, is the composer of the hit “Bangaranga”, the song with which Bulgaria collected 516 points and won Eurovision 2026, in a final in which Israel took 2nd place and Romania 3rd place.
- The representative of Romania, Alexandra Căpitănescu, climbed to the third step of the podium at Eurovision 2026, accumulating 296 points thanks to a huge wave of votes from the viewers.
The song “Bangaranga”, performed by the artist DARA, brought Bulgaria the first Eurovision trophy in its history. The fast-paced production collected a total of 516 points in the grand final, securing first place by a considerable distance from the podium holders, Israel and Romania.
Behind this major success is an international production team that also includes a Romanian, according to Radio Romania and TVR 1. Cristian Tarcea worked in the studio on the rhythmic structure and minimalistic sound of the song together with the Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos and the Norwegian composer Anne Judith Wik.
“I've known you since you were 16 years old. I knew there was something special about you, and now you've proven it to the whole world. I'm proud of all of us! Congratulations to the whole team. Let's go bangarangaaaa #eurovision”, was the message that Cristian Tarcea published on his Facebook page immediately after the DARA artist won the grand final.
Who is Cristian Tarcea?
Cristian Tarcea (Monoir) is a 33-year-old music producer, composer and DJ, originally from Constanța. He is the founder of the independent record label Thrace Music.
The musician from Constanta became known internationally thanks to an original electronic style that combines pop music with Balkan influences.
His songs have garnered billions of views on YouTube and have dominated the charts in Turkey, Greece, Russia and India for years. Among the biggest global hits in his portfolio are 'The Violin Song', 'Lost in Istanbul' and the smash hit 'Sugar & Brownies'.
Composer for Bulgaria, sworn in Romania
Cristian Tarcea's success comes with a unique behind-the-scenes detail. Before his track for Bulgaria won the trophy, the producer from Constanta was also directly involved in the selection process in our country.
He was part of the expert jury chosen by Romanian Television for the National Selection Eurovision Romania 2026. From this position, Tarcea evaluated and scored the Romanian songs entered in the contest, while the song he produced for Bulgaria competed in the European grand final.
