Bulgaria’s Dara made history Saturday night in Liverpool, taking the Eurovision Song Contest crown with a record-smashing 685 points. The 22-year-old singer’s victory marks the first time Bulgaria has ever won the world’s biggest live music competition. Dara’s winning song, “Echo of the Heart,” dominated both jury and public votes, securing a 125-point lead over runner-up Switzerland. The final score shattered the previous record set by Måneskin in 2021, when Italy won with 524 points.\n\nDara’s win was no fluke. She led the leaderboard after every round of voting, including the semi-finals, where Bulgaria topped the charts with 270 points. Her performance in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena drew a massive home crowd, with Bulgarian flags waving and fans cheering every note. Judges praised her powerful vocals and stage presence, while viewers at home couldn’t stop talking about her energy.\n\n## How Bulgaria pulled off the win The win didn’t come easy. Bulgaria’s Eurovision journey started in 2005, but this was its first top-five finish. Dara’s team worked for months on her song, choreography, and visuals, aiming to stand out in a field of 25 other acts. Her rehearsals in Liverpool drew big crowds, and her social media following exploded overnight as fans backed her to win.\n\nSwitzerland’s Nemo finished second with 560 points, scoring big with their gender-bending performance and electronic pop sound. Sweden’s Smash Into Pieces took third place with 474 points, while Ukraine and Israel rounded out the top five. The top 10 also included powerhouses like France and Italy, but Bulgaria’s underdog story stole the show.\n

What happens next for Dara

Dara’s win guarantees her a spot in next year’s contest as a favorite, but the immediate aftermath is already busy. She’ll perform at major music festivals across Europe, and her newfound fame could open doors in the U.S. and Asia. Eurovision’s organizers, the EBU, already announced that next year’s contest will be held in a Scandinavian country, likely Sweden, after their third-place finish this year.\n\nFor Bulgaria, the win is a huge morale boost. The country hasn’t hosted a major international event like this in years, and Dara’s victory could put it on the map as a rising star in European pop. Fans are already calling for the government to invest more in music education and industry support.\n The Liverpool crowd erupted when Dara’s score was announced, and the city’s mayor called it a “dream come true” for the UK’s Eurovision community. Dara’s team told reporters they didn’t expect to win by such a big margin. “We just wanted to do our best,” Dara said. “This feels like a dream, but it’s real.”

What You Need to Know

  • Source: Euronews
  • Published: May 17, 2026 at 00:47 UTC
  • Category: World
  • Topics: #euronews · #europe · #world-news · #watch · #bulgaria · #eurovision

Read the Full Story

This is a curated summary. For the complete article, original data, quotes and full analysis:

Read the full story on Euronews →

All reporting rights belong to the respective author(s) at Euronews. GlobalBR News summarizes publicly available content to help readers discover the most relevant global news.

Curated by GlobalBR News · May 17, 2026

🇧🇷 Resumo em Português

A Bulgária entrou para a história da música europeia ao garantir a vitória no Eurovision 2025 com a cantora Dara, que não só levou o troféu como também bateu o recorde de votos na edição de 70 anos do festival. O feito, transmitido ao vivo para milhões de telespectadores em todo o continente, consolidou Dara como a primeira artista búlgaro a conquistar o cobiçado prêmio, gerando euforia no país e chamando a atenção global para a crescente presença das nações do Leste Europeu no cenário musical internacional.

O sucesso de Dara no Eurovision reflete não apenas o talento da artista, mas também um momento de virada para a Bulgária, que, apesar de figurar entre os países com menor tradição no festival, vem investindo cada vez mais em produção cultural e na formação de novos artistas. Para o Brasil, onde o Eurovision tem ganhado popularidade nos últimos anos entre fãs de música e cultura pop, a vitória da Bulgária pode inspirar discussões sobre diversidade e representatividade nos palcos internacionais. Além disso, o resultado reacende o debate sobre como países com menos recursos financeiros conseguem se destacar em um evento dominado por produções milionárias.

A pergunta que fica no ar é se a Bulgária conseguirá manter esse sucesso no próximo ano ou se o título será um ponto fora da curva na trajetória do país no festival.

🇪🇸 Resumen en Español

Bulgaria ha escrito una página dorada en la historia del festival con la victoria de Dara, que ha batido todos los récords de votos en las siete décadas de Eurovisión.

La hazaña de Dara no solo corona a Bulgaria como la gran triunfadora de esta edición, celebrada en Liverpool, sino que también refuerza el peso de los países del Este en un certamen tradicionalmente dominado por Europa Occidental. Para el público hispanohablante, este triunfo es una muestra más de que el talento y la innovación —como el vibrante estilo de Dara— pueden romper barreras y conquistar audiencias globales, consolidando a Eurovisión como un escaparate donde la diversidad cultural y la creatividad son las verdaderas estrellas.