PHOTO How the Eurovision winner was received upon her return to Bulgaria. “An Exceptionally Talented Nation”
Darina Yotova, who on Saturday gave Bulgaria its first Eurovision triumph in the competition's 70 years, was greeted by officials and fans at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport on Sunday, where she described her country as “an exceptionally talented nation that will continue to receive more and more attention”.
Dara, as she goes by her stage name, was greeted at the airport by Bulgarian Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, the management of Bulgarian National Television and numerous fans, according to the BTA news agency.
“I did something great for Bulgarian music and I hope this will send a message that Bulgaria's artists deserve stronger support,” she said in her first remarks after returning to the country.
“We are an exceptionally talented nation that will continue to receive more and more attention,” she added.
With “Bangaranga”, a piece composed by a Romanian, Dara collected 516 points and brought Bulgaria victory at Eurovision, a first for the country south of the Danube. Israel ranked 2nd and 3rd, with 343 points, and Romania's representative, Alexandra Căpitănescu, with 296 points.
With this result, Dara and Bulgaria set a new record margin of victory of 173 points. Until now, the record belonged to Alexander Rybak, who won Eurovision for Norway with a lead of 169 points in 2009 in Moscow, according to the history on the official website of the competition.
Dara, whose full name is Darina Yotova, is 27 years old and originally specialized in folk music, then turned to pop music. She 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 she received as an adult, according to News.ro.
