Live: Bulgaria Decides for Malmö
Welcome to our live report of the song selection show in Bulgaria. Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov were confirmed to be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest last month when they were officially announced as this year’s representatives by broadcaster BNT. After submitting three songs and showcasing them to the public, the song that they will perform in Malmö will be decided this evening.
The three songs are:
- 01. Dzupai Libe Boso (feat Skiller & Jahmmi)
- 02. Kismet
- 03. Samo Shampioni
And the televoters have voted for Kismet
And we see an envelope! I guess its now time for the televoting result
We’re now back in the studio and Poli Genova is welcomed on stage to perform the 2011 entry from Bulgaria Na Inat
A message from Koza Mostra ft. Agathonas Iakovidis, the Greek representatives followed by a clip of their song ‘Alcohol Is Free’ is being shown.
The representatives of Switzerland, Heilsarmee are now on stage performing their entry “You & Me”
And now after a short interval, the jury have made their choice and voted for Song 3 – Samo Shampioni
Bulgaria is not the only country selecting their entry this evening, Israel are underway right now. You can also follow our live report for the final of “Kdam” here!
We’re now being shown a recap of the three songs.
The third and final song to be performed is Samo Shampioni. This has a lively kick to it from the very start with both Elitsa & Stoyan on the drums. Once again the flute is added to the mix but this time seems to fit much more naturally. They both seem to connect a lot more with each other for this particular song, swapping drum sticks mid-track before performing on two individual sets of drums. This is definitely the strongest of the three songs and a favourite by fans. But whether the Bulgarian public and Jury think the same is a different story.
Song No.2 is Kismet and begins with a long note from Elitsa and her backing vocalist. This one sounds like a mess from the off as the vocals do not seem to flow very well with the music. The flute is added to the percussion mid-way and is a nice touch, adding a traditional feel to the song. Elitsa plays the drums during the last chorus. This one seemed to be a bit of a mess and I personally felt too much was put into this particular track. With only three songs, I can easily see this one placing last.
And to the first song, Dzupai Libe Boso (feat Skiller & Jahmmi). This has an interesting start and features the ethnic drums that we are familiar with with a twist of dubstep. Elitsa & Stoyan are joined on stage by rappers Skiller & Jahmni which is an indication of how this will sound. Elitsa sings well and surprisingly the addition of a rap actually works well and gives the song a unique sound.
The lines for the three songs have opened and we are now being introduced to tonight’s jury.
Before the songs are performed, we are being shown a video of Elitsa & Stoyan at the 2007 contest in which they performed “Water” finishing 5th place overall
Ivan Ivanov is the first guest on stage, performing last year’s winning song Euphoria.
The special guests making an appearance include the representatives of Switzerland,Heilsarmee , the 2011 Bulgarian Eurovision representative Poli Genova and Junior Eurovision representative Ivan Ivanov
And we’re off! The show begins with a performance full of eastern flavour and ethnic rhythm with a combination of drums and traditional dance.
Before we begin, it’s worth noting that tonight’s winner will be decided by a 50/50 combination of televoting and a jury.
Good Evening everyone and welcome to our live report of the song selection in Bulgaria. The show is due to start shortly.
Kismet is the winner!