ESC 2010 Reviews: Bulgaria

Who would have guessed that the hardest entry to write so far (and, therefore, my delay in putting this post out) would be Bulgaria, of all places?  It's not because I've got a massive wealth of information to choose from, like with my entries on Belgium or Bosnia & Herzegovina, that's for sure.  Bulgaria made its Eurovision debut in 2005, making this only the sixth entry for the country.  It's not that they've had a massive impact on the contest, for better or for worse.  They've only had one real positive "standout" entry, their 2007 percussion-heavy and techno-inspired song "Voda/Water", which took Bulgaria to their highest placing ever, a very impressive 5th place.  This was also the first time that the Bulgarian language was used on the ESC stage (which, as an unabashed language geek, makes me happy to see).

With the exception of "Voda", Bulgaria's entries over the past few years have left me somewhat cold, frankly.  Even this year's song, "Ангел си ти" ("Angel Si Ti"/"You're An Angel", performed by Bulgarian heartthrob Miro), which is a pleasant, yet generally standard uptempo Europop song, hangs around the middle of the pack.  It's not bad, by any stretch, but it's not earth-shattering, either.  I'll let you be the judge, of course!


Miro Angel si ti from Bulgoc on Vimeo.

It will be sung near the end of the particularly strong Second Semifinal, where it will have to fight with heavy hitters like Israel, Armenia, Turkey, Sweden, and Denmark for the right to make it to the finals.  It is slated to be performed immediately after Ireland and right before Cyprus, who will both be offering slower, more emotionally charged songs.  Will this help Miro stand out, or will he be like the little cup of sorbet served between two heavy courses in a banquet, doomed to be an afterthought compared to the rest the meal?  In this case, I really think that it will come down to the staging and presentation.  Miro's an established performer and well-known name in parts of Eastern Europe (not to mention easy on the eyes), so if he can make Oslo love him as much as Sofia does, he might be able to take Bulgaria into the finals for the first time since "Voda".  Or he might just be like audio cotton candy, with the sugary floss dissolving into nothingness.