Bangaranga
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| "Bangaranga" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Dara | |
| Released | 2 March 2026 (2026年03月02日)[1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Lyricists | |
| Producers |
|
| Dara singles chronology | |
|
"This Is Me" (2026) "Bangaranga" (2026) "USK" (2026) | |
| Music video | |
| "Bangaranga" on YouTube | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry | |
| Country | |
| Finals performance | |
| Semi-final result | 1st |
| Semi-final points | 278 |
| Final result | 1st |
| Final points | 516 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Intention" (2022) | |
| Official performance video | |
| "Bangaranga" (second semi-final) on YouTube "Bangaranga" (grand final) on YouTube | |
"Bangaranga" (Bulgarian: Бангаранга) is a song by Bulgarian singer Dara, released on 2 March 2026 and produced by Monoir and Dimitris Kontopoulos. It represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, winning the contest with 516 points. It was the first entry since 2017 to top both the public and jury votes, and it gave Bulgaria its first victory in the competition.[5] [6] The song reached number one in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Sweden and Turkey, as well as the top ten in Finland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. It also reached number 90 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
Background
[edit ]"Bangaranga" was written and composed by Darina "Dara" Yotova, Anne Judith Wik, Cristian "Monoir" Tarcea and Dimitris "Starchyld X" Kontopoulos; the latter two were responsible for the production.[5] The song is partly inspired by the Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri.[7] Its title is in Jamaican Patois and has been translated as "a joyful kind of disorder",[4] "uproar",[8] or "mischief".[2] Dara stated that she wrote the lyrics to help her overcome anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, following her diagnosis with the condition in 2025.[8]
Music video and promotion
[edit ]The music video for "Bangaranga", directed by K2ID Productions, was released on 18 March 2026 through the Eurovision Song Contest's YouTube channel.[9]
To promote "Bangaranga" ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, Dara performed at several Eurovision pre-parties. She appeared at the Nordic Eurovision Party 2026 at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway, on 21 March 2026,[10] and at the Eurovision Pre-Party Bucharest 2026 at Arenele Romane [ro] on 18 April 2026.[11]
Reception
[edit ]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Dagbladet | 4/5[12] |
| OndaRock | StarStarStarStar[13] |
| The Telegraph | StarStarStar[2] |
| The Times | StarStarStarStar[14] |
| Yle | 5/10[15] |
Neil McCormick of The Telegraph praised the song's catchiness.[2] Jon O'Brien of Vulture ranked "Bangaranga" seventh among all Eurovision 2026 entries, calling it a "solid return" for Bulgaria.[16] NPR's Glen Weldon placed the song fifth on his top-ten list,[17] while Ed Potton of The Times placed it first in his ranking of the 25 finalists.[14] The song was also included in unranked top-ten lists by Robert van Gijssel and Els de Grefte of de Volkskrant , and by Maria Sherman of the Associated Press.[18] [19]
The song's refrain drew comparisons to "A Little Bit Alexis" from Schitt's Creek ,[16] [17] while its verses were likened to "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette.[16] Mark Savage of the BBC described the song as "brilliantly unhinged and full of sass" while also noting it was "totally lacking in substance".[20]
Following its Eurovision victory, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz played the song to welcome Bulgaria's Rumen Radev during a meeting in Berlin.[21]
Eurovision Song Contest 2026
[edit ]National selection
[edit ]After qualifying for the second show,[22] Dara was selected as the winning artist by a combination of votes from the public and the judges of the show.[23] On 28 February, for the song selection, she performed three candidate songs; among the three, "Bangaranga" finished first in both the jury vote and the public vote.[24] Dara also stated that she had considered withdrawing from competing at Eurovision owing to the negative comments following her win and speculation that the artist final was rigged.[25]
At Eurovision
[edit ]The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi‐finals (held on 12 and 14 May respectively) and a final on 16 May 2026. During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Bulgaria was drawn to compete in the second semi‐final and was allocated to the first half of the show.[26] Dara was later drawn to open the semi‐final.[27] Dara's performance was choreographed by Fredrik Rydman and Keisha von Arnold [sv], and she was backed by dancers Iker Cederblom Herrera, Ellinea Siambalis, Lisa Högström, and Mateo Cordova Pomo.[28] She qualified for the grand final, having won the second semi‐final with 278 points.[29]
In the final, Dara won with 516 points, securing victory in both the jury vote and the public vote, which gave Bulgaria its first win in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.[30] [31]
Charts
[edit ]| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[32] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[33] | 39 |
| Bulgaria Airplay (PROPHON)[34] | 1 |
| CIS Airplay (TopHit)[35] | 125 |
| Croatia (Billboard )[36] | 3 |
| Croatia International Airplay (Top lista)[37] | 1 |
| Czech Republic Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[38] | 46 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[39] | 12 |
| Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[35] | 107 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] | 2 |
| Germany (GfK)[41] | 1 |
| Germany Dance (GfK)[42] | 1 |
| Global 200 (Billboard )[43] | 90 |
| Greece International (IFPI)[44] | 1 |
| Iceland (Billboard )[45] | 13 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[46] | 53 |
| Israel (Mako Hit List)[47] | 42 |
| Israel International Airplay (Media Forest)[48] | 1 |
| Italy (FIMI)[49] | 53 |
| Latvia Streaming (LaIPA)[50] | 2 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[51] | 1 |
| Luxembourg (Billboard )[52] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Tipparade)[53] | 13 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[54] | 52 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[55] | 26 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[56] | 14 |
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[57] | 23 |
| Romania (Billboard )[58] | 13 |
| Slovakia Airplay (ČNS IFPI)[59] | 33 |
| Slovakia Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[60] | 93 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[61] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] | 2 |
| Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye)[63] | 1 |
| Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[64] | 66 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[65] | 21 |
| UK Dance (OCC)[66] | 3 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[67] | 3 |
| US Dance Digital Song Sales (Billboard )[68] | 13 |
Certifications
[edit ]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Greece (IFPI Greece)[69] | Gold | 1,000,000† |
|
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards and nominations
[edit ]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Artistic Award | "Bangaranga" | Won | [70] |
References
[edit ]- ^ "Bangaranga - Single by DARA". Apple Music . 2 March 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b c d McCormick, Neil (17 May 2026). "Dara's mad banger gave Eurovision its bounce back". The Telegraph . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (17 May 2026). "Bulgaria's bombastic 'Bangaranga' pulls off shock Eurovision win amid camp and controversy". NBC News . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b Savage, Mark (15 May 2026). "Eurovision final: Sex, violins and seven other things to look out for". BBC . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Ποια είναι η εντυπωσιακή Ντάρα που θα εκπροσωπήσει τη Βουλγαρία στη Eurovision με τη συμμετοχή Έλληνα συνθέτη". Proto Thema (in Greek). 2026年03月03日. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ "Bangaranga is Bulgaria's song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026". BNRNews.bg . Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ Oltermann, Philip; Belam, Martin (2026年05月16日). "Bulgaria wins 70th Eurovision contest with Dara and Bangaranga". The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2026年05月16日.
- ^ a b Savage, Mark (17 May 2026). "Bangaranga! Bulgaria wins Eurovision - but UK comes last". BBC . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Neil Farren (17 March 2026). "Bulgaria: DARA Releases "Bangaranga" Music Video". Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (15 March 2026). "🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA to Perform in Oslo Ahead of Eurovision". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Farren, Neil (12 March 2026). "🇧🇬 DARA Announced for Eurovision Pre-Party Bucharest 2026". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lofstad, Ralf (16 May 2026). "Vi anmeldte låt for låt". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Silvestri, Antonio. "La kermesse di Vienna". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b Potton, Ed (15 May 2026). "Who should win Eurovision 2026? The finalists ranked" . The Times . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Frantz, Eva (16 May 2026). "Dags för final i Eurovison Song Contest – så här bra är bidragen som Finland tävlar emot" (in Swedish). Yle . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b c O'Brien, Jon (11 May 2026). "Every 2026 Eurovision Entry, Ranked". Vulture . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ a b Weldon, Glen (14 May 2026). "The 10 best songs competing at (a very contentious) Eurovision". NPR . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ van Gijssel, Robert; de Grefte, Els (11 May 2026). "Dit zijn de tien beste liedjes van het Songfestival, volgens de Volkskrant-experts". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Sherman, Maria (17 May 2026). "The 10 best performances at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest". Associated Press . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Savage, Mark (9 May 2026). "Anti-work anthems, Boy George and controversial lyrics: A guide to all 35 Eurovision songs". BBC . Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ "PM Radev Tells Eurovision Winner Dara She Is "Already Part of European Politics"". Bulgarian News Agency . Retrieved 2026年05月22日.
- ^ Conte, Davide (2026年01月24日). "🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026 Show One Results". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ "Dara will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026". Eurovisionworld. 2026年01月31日. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ Farren, Neil (2026年02月28日). "🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA to Perform "Bangaranga" at Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ Farren, Neil (2026年02月02日). "🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA Considering Withdrawing from Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2026年05月21日.
- ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest . 2026年01月12日. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed". Eurovision Song Contest . 2026年04月02日. Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ^ "Svenska koreografernas ord efter Bulgariens vinst i Eurovision". Expressen (in Swedish). 2026年05月17日. Retrieved 2026年05月17日.
- ^ "Semi-final 2 of Vienna 2026 – Results". Eurovision.tv . 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Spivey, Matt; Burgess, Jack; Bushby, with Helen; London, Emma Saunders in; Contest, Mark Savage at the Eurovision Song (16 May 2026). "Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026 as UK comes last". BBC News .
- ^ "Bulgarije wint songfestival • Israël tweede". Nos.nl (in Dutch). 2026年05月16日. Retrieved 2026年05月16日.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ^ "Класации – Световният Top 10 – 15.05.2026 – 21.05.2026" [Rankings – World Top 10 – 15.05.2026 – 21.05.2026] (in Bulgarian). PROPHON. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Charts – TopHit – Highway to Airplay". TopHit. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ^ "Croatia Songs: Week of May 30, 2026". Billboard . Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "Airplay Radio Chart Top100 – 25. svibnja 2026" [Airplay Radio Chart Top100 – 25 May 2026] (in Croatian). Top lista. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI – CZ Singles Digital – Top 100 – 21. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ^ "Track Top-40 – Hitlisten.NU – Danmarks officielle hitlister" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara: Bangaranga" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Dance-Charts – 22 Mai 2026" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of May 30, 2026". Billboard . Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 20/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "Iceland Songs: Week of May 30, 2026". Billboard . Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 21, 2026)". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ המצעד השבועי: היטליסט – שבוע 23, 2026 – 26.05 – 01.06.2026 [Mako Hit List: Weekly Chart – Week 23, 2026 | 26.05 – 01.06.2026]. Mako Hit List (in Hebrew). 2 June 2026. Archived from the original on 4 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ "The Weekly Israeli Chart – Week 21, 2026". Media Forest. Note: Click on "שירים מובילים - רדיו - בינלאומי" (Top Songs – Radio – International) to see the international chart. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ^ "Kādas ir Eirovīzijas atskaņas Latvijas mūzikas topā?" [How is Eurovision doing on the Latvian music charts?] (in Latvian). TV Net [lv]. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "2026 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" [Most-Streamed Songs of Week 21 (Top 100)] (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "Luxembourg Songs: Week of May 30, 2026". Billboard . Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "Singel 2026 uke 21". IFPI Norge. Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 15.05.2026–21.05.2026.) (in Polish). OLiS . Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ^ "Romania Songs: Week of May 30, 2026". Billboard . Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI – SK Radio – Top 100 – 23. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI – SK Singles Digital – Top 100 – 21. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ "Dara – Bangaranga". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ^ @RadiomonitorTR (29 May 2026). "Radiomonitor Türkiye − Resmi Uluslararası Listesi − 22. Hafta − Top 10" [Radiomonitor Turkey − Official International Chart − Week 22 − Top 10] (Tweet). Retrieved 30 May 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "Top Radio Hits Ukraine Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart on 22/5/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart on 22/5/2026 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart on 22/5/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Dance Digital Song Sales: Week of May 30, 2026" . Billboard . Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 21/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece . Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ^ "The 2026 Marcel Bezençon Award Winners". Eurovision.com . EBU. 2026年05月16日. Retrieved 2026年05月16日.
- 2026 songs
- 2026 singles
- Songs written by Dimitris Kontopoulos
- English-language Bulgarian songs
- Eurovision Song Contest–winning songs
- Eurovision songs of 2026
- Eurovision songs of Bulgaria
- Number-one singles in Austria
- Number-one singles in Bulgaria
- Number-one singles in Germany
- Number-one singles in Israel
- Number-one singles in Sweden
- Number-one singles in Turkey