Bulgaria’s representative Kristian Kostov ranked second at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest held in Kiev, Ukraine. The song presented by the 17-year-old is entitled Beautiful Mess. It was voted second by the audiences. Ahead of the great final of Eurovision Kristian received two other prizes following the vote of journalists – for best special effects and for best stage concept and presence. The full score that any participant can earn is 12 points. Bulgaria was given this maximum score by four country juries. The winner of Eurovision isSalvador Sobralfrom Portugal for his rendition of the ballad Amar Pelos Dois.

The second place of Kristian Kostov is Bulgaria’s biggest success in Eurovision so far. The first breakthrough in this contest was back in 2007 with Voda (Water) performed by Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov who qualified for the final. Last year Poly Genova won the prestigious fourth place with the song If Love was a Crime. The famous singer was among the first to congratulate Kristian for his great results. „I advised him to enjoy his success, his three minutes of fame”, she told the Bulgarian media.

There was also some criticism in Bulgarian media and on social networks regarding the way Eurovision is held, the quality of songs and the trends of the music tastes of songwriters, singers and audiences that it promotes. As to Bulgaria’s participation, questions have been raised about the origin of the song (the authors are foreigners, the lyrics are in English) and also about Kristian’s origin, who is only half Bulgarian. Nevertheless, the name of Bulgaria is among the best in this quite famous song contest – and this is positive enough, others have argued.

English Daniela Konstantinova