Bulgarian artist DARA, who is the Bulgarian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 through Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026, is reportedly weighing the possibility of not participating in the competition due to an intense wave of online criticism and negative commentary following her victory.
Backlash after victory
After winning the Bulgarian national selection, decided by a combination of public and jury votes, DARA faced a surge of negative reaction on social media, with some commenters questioning the legitimacy of the selection process and directing criticism at both the singer and Bulgarian National Television.
In several interviews following the result, DARA openly expressed how the hostile response had affected her emotionally. She described feeling overwhelmed by the criticism and said that the doubts cast on her talent were among the most hurtful aspects of the reaction. She said:
“My desire has been killed and crushed by the negative comments. By the end of the day I will make a decision whether to participate.”
DARA also highlighted the messages of support from many people, including her team.
“I am grateful to every single person who supports me. I thank these people because they hold me and give me the strength to continue.”
Bulgaria’s Eurovision Journey
Bulgaria are a country that really want to win the Eurovision Song Contest, especially since their return in 2016. Bulgaria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2005 with the song ‘Lorraine’ sung by Kaffe, the song came 19th in the semi final scoring 49 points. Bulgaria’s best ever result came in 2017 with ‘Beautiful Mess’ by Kristian Kostov, the song placed 2nd in the Grand Final that year scoring 615 points.
In 2022, Bulgaria was represented by the Intelligent Music Project in Turin, where they sang the song “Intention”, placing 16th in the Semi-Final with 29 points.
Will Dara withdraw for real? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
Source: dnes
Photo credit: BNT
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