Dara: I wanted Bulgaria to be seen, now it has conquered Europe

(Patria) – Bulgaria returned to Eurovision after a three-year hiatus and immediately achieved great success. The country was represented by singer Dara, who won first place with the song Bangaranga.

Dara's real name is Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, and she is a 27-year-old singer from Varna who gained popularity after her performance in the Bulgarian version of The X Factor show in 2015. She is known for her hits "Thunder", "Call Me", and "Mr Rover", and was also a mentor on The Voice of Bulgaria show.

In an interview with "The Independent", Dara emphasized that, besides winning, her goal was for Bulgaria to be "seen" through its music and culture.

She described the song "Bangaranga" as a fusion of pop music and folk elements, stating that the name comes from Jamaican slang and means "chaos" or "creative mess".

This year's Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was also marked by controversies due to Israel's participation, which led some countries, including Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland, to boycott the competition.