ESCXTRA’s 2018 Hopefuls: Bulgaria

Welcome to our brand new weekly series, ‘ESCXTRA’s 2018 Hopefuls’, in which we will tell you who we would like to see in Eurovision next year! This series will keep you entertained with new music from across Europe every Monday until the national final season begins next year, and may give you somebody new to root for to represent your country!  Today, we look at who we want to see represent Bulgaria in Eurovision 2018. Let’s get started!

Preslava

Preslava (Petya Koleva Ivanova) is a Bulgarian pop-folk singer. She has a degree in folk singing! Preslava has won several awards for her music, including Female Singer of 2007 and 2008, as well as Song of 2007 (for Lazha e) and Album of 2008 (for Ne sam angel).
Since then, Preslava has released many songs, to great Bulgarian acclaim!

We think that Preslava could give Bulgaria a hit for Eurovision. Her music is modern, but has a unique folk twist. This type of music tends to do well in Eurovision, and Preslava’s music is particularly good!

Mihaela Marinova

Mihaela Marinova began her music career by coming third in the 2014 season of Bulgarian X Factor. The next year, she released her debut single, ‘Stapka Napred’ (Step Forward). The song went to number 1 in the Bulgarian charts and is still a very popular song in Bulgaria!

We are also a big fan of Stapka napred! Mihaela combines catchy pop music with dubstep beats. This could stand out in Eurovision and get a lot of votes, and deservedly! More recently, she released her new single, ‘Edin Sreshtu Drug’ (Against Each Other) just over a week ago. It is also doing very well in Bulgaria, as well as with our team!

Anelia

Anelia gained popularity in Bulgaria with her second single, ‘Pogledni me v ochite’ (Look Me In The Eyes), in 2002. She has since released 23 singles, making her one of the most successful female recording artists in Bulgaria. She has also won 22 awards for her music!

Anelia’s music is quite similar to Preslava’s, although Anelia appears to be even more popular in Bulgaria. This popularity means that Bulgaria could easily get behind a song from Anelia! Her music is fantastic, and she is probably our favourite to represent Bulgaria next year!

Nevena Tsoneva

Nevena Tsoneva won the first season of the Bulgarian TV series Music Idol in 2007. Since then, she has released many singles, including two which were used in the Pixar animated film Brave. Nevena has also won an impressive 16 awards for her music!

Nevena has a much more dramatic style compared to the previous artists. She tends to sing emotional ballads, the type that could give Bulgaria a win in Portugal! The songs tend to have a slight rock or metal feel to them too, with strong use of electric guitar, making the songs almost like something Evanescence might’ve been involved in!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk3o5nPqlt0

Andrea

Andrea (Teodora Rumenova Andreeva) has previously been described as a “pop-folk superstar” by the BBC! She has won over 30 awards, such as Balkan Star, and European Performer of the Year.

Andrea’s music has more of an RnB feel to it that Preslava and Anelia’s music. But, she still manages to bring it, and give us great music. We can see her doing very well for Bulgaria in Eurovision!

Gery-Nikol

Gery-Nikol rose to fame after participating in the third season of the Bulgarian X Factor as part of the girl band Sweet 16. Since then, she has released four singles, three of which reached number 1 in the Bulgarian charts! Her style is very different to the previous artists that we have shown you. Take a listen for yourself!

Gery-Nikol is evidently extremely popular in Bulgaria, and it’s easy to see why; her music is simply amazing. It’s modern and exactly what Europe could fall in love with! Gery-Nikol has also previously stated that, if asked, she would agree to go to Eurovision. Could we see her for Bulgaria in Eurovision soon?

Next week, we will look at who we want to see represent Finland!
What do you think of our hopefuls? Is their anybody else you’d like to see for Bulgaria in Eurovision? Do the idea of any of these artists excite you? Tell us in the comments below!