The EBU and Bulgarian national broadcaster BNT have just announced that the Balkan country will return to the Eurovision Song Contest next year, for its 70th anniversary. The country comes back after three years of absence, having last taken part in 2022.
A comeback after three years
Little is known yet about the details of Bulgaria’s return, but it was teased earlier this month by the X/Twitter account of the former Bulgarian delegation. It was officially announced by the Eurovision social media accounts (as well as BNT), but with no publication on the eurovision.tv website nor any press release.
BNT’s Director General Emil Koshlukov presented his country’s return as a way to support artists and present Bulgaria to “an audience of millions”, while Martin Green, Eurovision Director, showed his satisfaction at the presence of Bulgaria, declaring that it showed proof “that we remain united by music”, despite the current debates over Israel’s participation.
Eurovision is a stage where cultures meet and stories are shared. BNT supports talented artists and we are happy that we were able to once again provide an opportunity for a Bulgarian artist to represent our country in front of an audience of millions.
Emil Koshlukov, BNT Director-General
We are very excited to welcome BNT back to the Eurovision family after a three-year hiatus. Its return is further proof that we remain united by music, as well as the immense popularity of the contest
Martin Green, Eurovision Director
A 16th participation for Bulgaria
Bulgaria returns after a hiatus of three years, and will take part for the 16th time in the Contest, having first participated in 2005, the 50th edition. It participated continuously until 2013, but only qualified once, in 2007 (when they ended up in 5th place). Despite these poor results, two of Bulgaria’s fan-favourite songs come from this era of Bulgarian participation: 2011’s “Na Inat” and 2012’s “Love Unlimited”.
After a hiatus of two years, the country returned in 2016 and reached the fourth place, with the return of Poli Genova and her entry “If Love Was a Crime”. A year later, Bulgaria rose as a favourite alongside Italy and Portugal, and finished 2nd in the Grand Final with Kristian Kostov. Many thought we would see the rise of a new Eurovision powerhouse, which caused some hype for their 2018 participation, a hype that did not translate in the results, with only a 14th place in the final.
After an absence in 2019, Bulgaria returned for three years and withdrew after a 2022 non-qualification.
How do you feel about Bulgaria’s return? What can this new era of their presence in the contest bring? Who do you think should represent them in Vienna? Tell us more in the comments below, or on socials!
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