Hundreds of cheering fans carrying homemade signs and waving Bulgarian flags welcomed Eurovision Song Contest winner Dara upon her return home on Sunday.
Visibly tired but smiling, the 27-year-old singer arrived at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport waving the Eurovision trophy.
“This award marks the beginning of my future international career,” Dara said as she arrived.
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The singer was the surprise winner of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday, with her catchy party anthem “Bangaranga” giving Bulgaria its first-ever victory in the competition.
“We have done something great for Bulgarian music, and I hope this sends a message that Bulgaria’s performers and artists deserve stronger support,” Dara said.
The performer described Bulgaria as “an exceptionally talented nation that will continue to receive more and more attention”.
Dara was the surprise winner of Saturday’s contest Credit: AP
Dara, whose real name is Darina Yotova, beat 24 other competitors during Saturday’s grand final of the European pop music competition, against a backdrop of boycotts and protest.
Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia all quit the competition over Israel’s inclusion, and demonstrators marched outside the arena ahead of the live final.
In the end, Israel came in second, with Noam Bettan scoring 343 points for his song Michelle.
Dara won 516 points for her tightly choreographed performance, which proved a hit with both national juries in participating countries and viewers around the world, whose votes together decide the winner.
Eurovision fans welcomed Dara with homemade signs Credit: AP
“I want to thank my husband, because he was the one to push me to come to Eurovision,” Dara said immediately after her win.
“Because in the beginning I was not sure if I want to come or not, because I had anxiety and doubt with myself, and he was the one that he just pushed me, and he was like, ‘you need to go right now to Eurovision, right now, pick up your phone tell them you’re going’.”
Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev was among the officials to welcome Dara at the airport and said the capital city is ready to host the 2027 contest – the same year Bulgaria will mark its 20th anniversary of joining the European Union.
The Balkan country’s political leaders also joined the show of national pride, with President Iliana Yotova calling the win a “triumph for Bulgaria” and Prime Minister Rumen Radev proclaiming it “a victory with global resonance”.
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