In last year’s countdown, I had Romania and Bulgaria right next to each other in my placings, with Bulgaria just pipping Romania to the post and finishing one place higher, and it’s happened again this year. It’s not the only similarity, both Roxen and VICTORIA (full name Victoria Georgieva) are young up and coming singers in their respective countries, and both share a certain melancholic and self reflective style in their song lyrics and styles (and inevitably compared to Billie Eilish). One difference is how the Eurovision betting odds has seen them – last year, at the point of cancellation, Bulgaria was top of the betting odds, and at the time of writing, VICTORIA is in the top 5 of 2021’s betting odds.

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VICTORIA’s song last year, “Tears Getting Sober” was a really lovely (and high quality) song, beautifully written and built to a rousing and moving crescendo. This year, VICTORIA teased what the entry might be by releasing 6 potential songs before ultimately announcing “Growing Up is Getting Old” as the selected entry from the six. I’m not 100% sure that was the right thing to do given than the fans got attached to songs other than the actual entry, and there was no public vote. However it did showcase her talent, and I think that it has been a grower for people.

VICTORIA doesn’t really do happy in her songs, but this is another sweet, heartfelt, melancholic and reflective song and while she is only 23, she does seem wise beyond her years. The music video features images and videos from her childhood and a nice touch in the music is the tick-tocking of clocks used towards the start of the song.

In terms of chances at the contest itself, the song is already high up in the betting, and while not all the fandom embraced it when released, it’s worth remembering that the public won’t know that there were other choices. It’s a song of real quality (and co-written by VICTORIA herself), moving and has some potential “Eurovision moments” that could really come together on stage. It’s got the potential to score well with both juries and televote. Bulgaria have been a key contender to win Eurovision since their 2016 return, trying hard to win (and doing very well in the process) While I am not sure it will grab the win, it’s certainly likely to achieve another good (or great) result for Bulgaria.

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Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest