Sometimes you can tell a country is gunning to win Eurovision – in the late 2000s, it was Azerbaijan doing all they could to get the win (and which they achieved in 2011); in the last couple of years, it’s been Bulgaria who have been putting their all into winning, coming fourth in 2016 and runners up last year. All three times they have qualified for the final, they have finished in the top 5 – can they go one better last year and bring Eurovision to Bulgaria for the first time?
Bulgaria’s social media team are one of the best in the world of Eurovision and have been very good at generating hype around their entries in the past couple of years. Maybe the expectations that come with Bulgaria are so high now, I was initially a bit underwhelmed with the song they released – good quality for sure, and intriguingly dark, but I didn’t quite get it. Then I saw them live at the London Eurovision Party (their first live public performance) and realised that Bulgaria had done it again – a very strong entry with a clear chance to finish very high once more.
Equinox are a five piece band, with three Bulgarian and two American singers and for me, it’s the two Americans who really stand out in terms of solo voices. All the members are good though and the overall performance the band give is really very impressive live. What could have turned out to be a hot mess on stage, will I think be visually and vocally impressive (though it’s not long now at time of writing to first rehearsals) and this is one of the entries I’m most excited and interested to see how it turns out.
They are in the “semi-final of death” but it would be a massive surprise if this didn’t make the final. Once again, I am sure Bulgaria will be competing for the very top positions. They are currently second favourites in the betting (again, at time of writing) and I have no doubt they are one of about three or four songs that have a chance of taking the top prize.
Official music video:
Live performance at London Eurovision Party:
Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest:
First entered: 2005
Appearances (excluding this year): 11
Best result: 2nd in 2017
Last year’s result: 2nd