Bangaranga

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"Bangaranga"
Single by Dara
Released2 March 2026 (2026-03-02)[1]
Genre
Length2:58
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

"Bangaranga" was written and composed by Darina 'Dara' Yotova, Anne Judith Wik, Cristian 'Monoir' Tarcea, and Dimitris 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

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 on 18 April 2026.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Dagbladet4/5[12]
OndaRockStarStarStarStar[13]
The TelegraphStarStarStar[2]
The TimesStarStarStarStar[14]
Yle5/10[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

National selection

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

Dara performing "Bangaranga" at the Eurovision final

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, 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

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australia Digital (ARIA)[32] 7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[34] 39
Bulgaria Airplay (PROPHON)[35] 1
CIS Airplay (TopHit)[36] 120
Croatia (Billboard)[37] 3
Croatia International Airplay (Top lista)[38] 1
Czech Republic Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[39] 46
Denmark (Tracklisten)[40] 12
Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[36] 107
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[41] 2
Germany (GfK)[42] 1
Germany Dance (GfK)[43] 1
Global 200 (Billboard)[44] 90
Greece International (IFPI)[45] 1
Iceland (Billboard)[46] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[47] 53
Israel (Mako Hit List)[48] 42
Israel International Airplay (Media Forest)[49] 1
Italy (FIMI)[50] 53
Latvia Streaming (LaIPA)[51] 2
Lithuania (AGATA)[52] 1
Luxembourg (Billboard)[53] 2
Moldova Airplay (TopHit)[54] 59
Netherlands (Tipparade)[55] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[56] 52
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[57] 26
Norway (VG-lista)[58] 14
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[59] 23
Romania (Billboard)[60] 13
Slovakia Airplay (ČNS IFPI)[61] 33
Slovakia Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[62] 93
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 2
Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye)[65] 1
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[66] 35
UK Singles (OCC)[67] 21
UK Dance (OCC)[68] 3
UK Indie (OCC)[69] 3
US Dance Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[70] 13

Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[71] 36

Certifications

Certifications for "Bangaranga"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Greece (IFPI Greece)[72] Gold 1,000,000†

† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2026 Marcel Bezençon Awards Artistic Award "Bangaranga" Won [73]

References

  1. "Bangaranga - Single by DARA". Apple Music. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  2. McCormick, Neil (17 May 2026). "Dara's mad banger gave Eurovision its bounce back". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  3. Jones, Andrew (17 May 2026). "Bulgaria's bombastic 'Bangaranga' pulls off shock Eurovision win amid camp and controversy". NBC News. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  4. Savage, Mark (15 May 2026). "Eurovision final: Sex, violins and seven other things to look out for". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  5. "Ποια είναι η εντυπωσιακή Ντάρα που θα εκπροσωπήσει τη Βουλγαρία στη Eurovision με τη συμμετοχή Έλληνα συνθέτη". Proto Thema (in Greek). 2026-03-03. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  6. "Bangaranga is Bulgaria's song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026". BNRNews.bg. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  7. Oltermann, Philip; Belam, Martin (2026-05-16). "Bulgaria wins 70th Eurovision contest with Dara and Bangaranga". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  8. Savage, Mark (17 May 2026). "Bangaranga! Bulgaria wins Eurovision - but UK comes last". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  9. Neil Farren (17 March 2026). "Bulgaria: DARA Releases "Bangaranga" Music Video". Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  10. Granger, Anthony (15 March 2026). "🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA to Perform in Oslo Ahead of Eurovision". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  11. Farren, Neil (12 March 2026). "🇧🇬 DARA Announced for Eurovision Pre‑Party Bucharest 2026". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  12. Lofstad, Ralf (16 May 2026). "Vi anmeldte låt for låt". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  13. Silvestri, Antonio. "La kermesse di Vienna". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
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  64. "Dara – Bangaranga". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
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