DARA confirms her Eurovision 2026 participation.
DARA has confirmed that she will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. After winning Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026 on Saturday, the Bulgarian singer faced lots of negative comments, which led her to question her Eurovision 2026 participation.
Earlier today, DARA confirmed that she was uncertain if she would represent Bulgaria at Eurovision this year or not, and that she would make a decision by the end of the day. Since then, she has released a statement, in which she explains what has been going on since Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026, and that she will definetley be going to Eurovision this year.
“What has been happening in recent days has almost broken me. Instead of rejoicing and experiencing the moment of this victory, which would give me strength to continue towards the real competition, I had several sleepless nights. The hatred on social media didn’t just affect me – it shook me and worried me. Today, in a television interview, I shared quite honestly that I don’t know if it’s all worth it if the price is my psyche.
I’ll put it simply – mental health matters. Mine. Yours. All of us. There is no stage, no title, no expectation that is worth more than your inner peace. For over 10 years I have been working on myself. On my resilience. I have fallen. I have doubted myself. My inner critic has sometimes been the loudest voice in the room. There have been moments when I have stood at a crossroads and wondered which way to turn. But I have never given up on my dreams. And yet – no one deserves such a public lynching for doing their job and following their path. No one.
That’s why I made a decision – I will participate. Because of the thousands of messages I received today. Your love and support reminded me of who I am and why I started. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! We will not leave ourselves to the dream thieves! I say we – because my going to Eurovision is not just for me. If I manage to perform worthily – then we all, Bulgaria, will shine on the map. Our music, our artists, all of us will have an even stronger voice.
So from now on, I’m going to stop following all the hate, focus on my work and the love you give me. I’m going to work with my heart, with discipline, and with gratitude to everyone who stands by me. I love you. Thank you. I hug you.”
DARA was chosen to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026 at their national final, Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026 that took place on the weekend. Now that she has won, an international team will work with DARA to create her potential Eurovision 2026 songs.
On February 28th, DARA will perform three potential Eurovision 2026 songs. The public and a ten member jury will vote on all three songs. Each jury member will award between 1 and 3 points to each song. The song with the most points will be awarded 3 points, and the song with the least number of votes will be awarded 1 point. The votes from the public will also be converted in this way. The song with the highest number of points will become Bulgaria’s Eurovision 2026 entry.
Bulgaria returns to Eurovision in 2026 after a three year absence. Their last participation was with Intelligent Music Project in 2022. Bulgaria joins Moldova and Romania in returning to the contest this year.
Are you happy to see DARA confirming her Eurovision 2026 participation? What kind of song are you hoping for from DARA? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo credit: BNT
