All posts tagged: Bangaranga

Tension, tears and Bangaranga: Bulgaria wins a historic, fraught Eurovision Song Contest

Tension, tears and Bangaranga: Bulgaria wins a historic, fraught Eurovision Song Contest

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Bulgaria achieved its first ever Eurovision win at the 70th annual song contest after a nail-biting final in Vienna, Austria, while the UK finished in last place, marking yet another disappointing result. A host of colourful and controversial acts representing 25 countries battled it out at the grand final on Saturday (16 May), but it was singer DARA who triumphed with her dance-pop song “Bangaranga”. She won with a total of 516 points, beating Israel’s second-place score of 343. It was something of a shock result, given that Finland’s duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, and Australia’s pop star Delta Goodrem, were widely viewed as the two favourites vying to win the contest. From Greece’s zany entry Akylas and his rapid-fire track “Ferto”, to Serbia’s chilling metal song “Kraj Mene” performed by LAVINA and Moldova’s intense rapper Satoshi with “Viva, Moldova!”, …

Bulgaria’s ‘Bangaranga’ Wins Eurovision, Israel Finishes in Second

Bulgaria’s ‘Bangaranga’ Wins Eurovision, Israel Finishes in Second

Published by Daniella Wilson

Bulgaria won a raucous, contentious Eurovision on Saturday, topping Israel in what turned into both a musical and geopolitical nailbiter in its final moments. Sitting outside the top oddsmakers’ top five coming into Saturday’s final in Vienna, Bulgaria improbably won both the overall jury vote and the popular vote among the 25 finalists thanks to pop star Dara’s dance-hall thumper “Bangaranga” to collect its first-ever Eurovision title. Nobody knows what “Bangaranga” means, but Dara said at the show Saturday it’s the “feeling that everybody gets in themselves the moment you choose to lead through love and not fear.” But Bulgaria was only one of the big news stories of the night. In a year marked by boycotts and hecklers over Israel’s participation, the Middle Eastern country surged into the lead midway through the popular vote after finishing eighth in the jury vote, and held that lead until the last possible second, when Bulgaria’s tally was announced. The presence of Israel’s Noam Bettan in a split-screen with Bulgaria’s Dara prompted both booing and Jewish-solidarity calls of …