After confirming their long awaited return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020, BNT have announced during this mornings press conference in Sofia, that Victoria Georgieva (VICTORIA) will represent the country in Rotterdam next May
A Rising Star
After weeks of speculations, the answer is known, VICTORIA will represent her country at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest with a song to be presented, as always for Bulgaria, in early March 2020.
VICTORIA’s distinctive voice and unique musical repertoire positions her as one of the most promising new artists of her generation. She gained popularity following her participation in the 4th season of the hit show X Factor Bulgaria.
“In the beginning of 2019, I just couldn’t imagine how many opportunities will open up for me“
said VICTORIA and added:
“I am proud to be the Bulgarian artist in Rotterdam. I am privileged to be able to make music that I believe in and to have the freedom to be who I am. Being the Bulgarian ambassador on such a huge stage is a big responsibility, as the Eurovision Song Contest matters to so many people in Bulgaria.”
The young artists released “I Wanna Know”, her first English single, during summer 2019, it was aimed at the global market and obtained more than 730k views and streams on YouTube.
A Determined and Optimistic Team
Genoveva Christova, Georgieva’s manager and producer, says that Eurovision will be the next step in VICTORIA’s rising international career and will help her obtain a lot of recognition. The CEO of Ligna Studios is confident that the nation’s return to the competition will open doors to the development of the local Bulgarian creative industry, she stated :
“I would like to thank BNT for the trust and the cooperative attitude. I believe that Eurovision is a platform that should be used for the development of the whole creative sector in Bulgaria. Our effort is to unite the skills and the dreams of the creative people here and to give them international exposure.
We are also extremely proud to help the Eurovision cause in Bulgaria as we feel committed to the values the contest represents. I hope that someday Eurovision will come to Bulgaria.
We feel clearly represented by the slogan of this year’s Eurovision “Open Up” and we will do our best to bring that message to every corner of our country.”
Combined Forces
The return of Bulgaria was made public on the 30th of October following a 1 year withdrawal caused by lack of finances and very heavy debts on the broadcaster. However, in 2019 BNT managed to secure a partnership with Ligna Studios for a return to Eurovision in 2020.
The Bulgarian entry will be distributed by the UK based label Ostereo, this strategic agreement between the broadcaster and the sponsor will be led by Deyan Yordanov and Vasil Ivanov (Head of Press) who were vital actors in the previous 3 Bulgarian appearances at the competition (2016-17-18).
This project is also widely supported by renowned entities in Bulgaria such as popular radio group Bulgaria BG Radio, Forbes Bulgaria, ARC Academy studios and popular NGO Tuk-Tam.
Howard Murphy, CEO of Ostereo shared his excitement in regards to the project and upcoming opportunities :
“For us this partnership is a strategic move that allows us to position ourselves in new markets. VICTORIA is an artist with outstanding individuality and a voice that moves you. We see her potential as an artist that knows what they want to say to their audience. At the end of the day, music is just that – your way to share your beliefs with the audience and your way to influence them.”
The Recipe to Success
The core team behind the last years of Bulgarian appearances are none other than the original Bulgarian delegation, Executive Director of BNT Simeon Kasabov, leading the delegation will be Joana Levieva-Sawyer. Both will provide their knowledge to the core team of the project, thus ensuring the continuity in the renewed approach of the broadcaster since the 2016 competition.
Resetting the main Goal
The new partnership will introduce significant changes to the approach of the Bulgarian team towards the contest: “Our goal will be to guarantee that VICTORIA will have a significant boost in her career after the contest. This will be an example of what opportunities Eurovision can bring to the Bulgarian artists, who aim to reach an international audience.”, says Deyan Yordanov, the Managing Director of Entiendo. “We would also like to build commercial partnerships that will be available for other Bulgarian contestants and production companies after 2020.
Vasil Ivanov, Head of Press of Bulgaria and Entiendo’sExecutive Director believes there will be new opportunities for the positioning of the show in Bulgaria.
“Eurovision is a family show that gathers a wide audience in Bulgaria, so we will focus on bringing value to all members of the family. Our goal is to showcase what the Eurovision Song Contest is all about – music, creativity, passion, unity, diversity and strong connection with the rest of Europe and Australia. The commercial success of VICTORIA and our audience are our top priorities in 2020.”
