Bulgaria Wins Eurovision Song Contest

Bulgarian pop star Dara has won the Eurovision Song Contest with her pneumatic dance anthem Bangaranga.

The 27-year-old topped both the public and the jury vote in a nail-biting conclusion, soaring ahead of Israel in second and Romania in third to score a massive 516 points.

Dara was far from a front-runner going into the contest, but her intricate choreography and naggingly catchy chorus helped her eclipse the competition – giving Bulgaria its first ever Eurovison title.

The UK, however, continued its run of disastrous results. Look Mum No Computer’s song Eins, Zwei, Drei took last place, with one solitary point from the Ukrainian jury.

Getty Images Look Mum No ComputerGetty Images
Look Mum No Computer gave a quirky, if awkward, performance – failing to win the hearts of viewers
The musician predicted his downfall earlier in the week, admitting that his synth-driven track was “Marmite – you either love it or hate it”.

But he put a positive spin on the situation. “I always say to expect nothing,” he said, “because if you expect nothing, you lose nothing”.

“He gave it his all,” said Graham Norton as the results became clear. “It just clearly didn’t shine with the audiences across Europe.”

It is the third time since 2020 that the UK has placed last.

The top five of the leaderboard looked like this:

Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga (516 points)
Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle (343 points)
Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me (296 points)
Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse (287 points)
Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre (281 points)
‘Look Mum, one point’: Why does the UK keep getting Eurovision wrong?
The Eurovision Song Contest final: As it happened
EPA Dara performs at EurovisionEPA
Dara’s performance: A cross between an AA meeting and an exorcism
Unlike Look Mum No Computer, who is best known for a YouTube channel where he builds eccentric contraptions, Dara is a major pop star in her home country.

Her songs and videos have amassed over 80 million listens and views, including the number one single Thunder, and she is a coach on the country’s version of the TV talent show The Voice.

To the uninitiated, Bangaranga seems cast in the mould of nonsensical Eurovision songs like Diggi-Lou, Digg-Lay – but the title actually means “uproar” in Jamaican patois.

The lyrics address Dara’s commitment to overcoming anxiety and ADHD, which she was diagnosed with last year.

“Bangaranga is something that everyone’s got in themselves,” she explained.

“It’s the moment you choose to lead with love, not fear.”

Her performance came with whiplash-inducing choreography, based on the ancient Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri, in which masked performers chase away evil spirits.

Before the grand final, it also earned the singer an award for the year’s best staging, voted for by commentators, including the UK’s Graham Norton.

The UK was among the many countries who gave Bangaranga 12 points in the public vote.