Who is Dara: the winner of Eurovision 2026

Against all predictions on the eve, Eurovision Song Contest 2026 crowned Dara as the new winner of the edition staged in Vienna. The Bulgarian singer won over audiences and juries with “Bangaranga”, thus giving Bulgaria the first triumph in its history in the European competition. Born in Varna on 9 September 1998 with the name Darina Nikolaeva Jotova, Dara is today one of the most popular pop artists on the Bulgarian music scene. His career gained momentum in 2015 thanks to the participation in X Factor Bulgariawhere he managed to reach the final, finishing in third place.

In the following years the artist stood out for a personal style capable of mixing pop, electronic and urban influences. The most important success came in 2021 with “Thunder”a song that remained at the top of the Bulgarian charts for eleven consecutive weeks. Among the singles that consolidated his popularity there are also “Call Me” and “Mr. Rover”. In 2022 Dara released her first album, “Rodena takava”, which quickly became one of the best-selling female albums of the year in the country. The singer can also boast important numbers on digital platforms, with over 80 million in total between streaming and views on YouTube. Since 2021 he has also been one of the coaches of The Voice of Bulgaria.

The second recording project, “Adhdara” (the cover is the photo of the article), it arrived in 2025 and confirmed the singer’s artistic growth. A few months later, thanks to the success achieved in the Bulgarian national selection “Natsionalnata selektsiya”, Dara has secured the pass to represent her country at Eurovisionthen transforming that occasion into a historic victory. Great attention also for the performance of “Bangaranga”, curated by the director and choreographer Fredrik Rydman, already known in the Eurovisual universe for having signed the staging of winners such as Måns Zelmerlöw in 2015 with “Heroes” and Nemo in 2024 with “The Code”. In 2023 he also collaborated with Käärijä for the performance of “Cha Cha Cha”, which came second at Eurovision.