Darina Nikolaeva Yotova (; born 9 September 1998), professionally known as Dara (; stylised in all caps), is a Bulgarian singer and songwriter. She first rose to prominence in 2015 after reaching the final in the Bulgarian edition of The X Factor. In 2016, she released her debut single "K'vo ne chu", and in 2022, she released her first studio album, Rodena takava under . In 2026, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for with the song "Bangaranga", giving her country its first ever win in the competition since the country's debut in 2005. The song won both the jury vote and televote in the contest.
Early life and education She graduated from the in Varna, where she studied folk singing using traditional Bulgarian vocal techniques.
Career 2015–2019: The X Factor and early career In 2015, Yotova took part in the Bulgarian edition of the reality series The X Factor, in which she finished third, with the Bulgarian rapper Krisko as her mentor.
Following her departure from The X Factor, Yotova signed a record deal with the Bulgarian music label Virginia Records and adopted the stage name Dara. In the summer of 2016, she released her debut single, "K'vo ne chu", accompanied by a music video. A few weeks later, the single reached the top of the Bulgarian charts, and an English-language version of the song, titled "Onto You", was released on 29 September for an international audience.
On 12 March 2017, Dara released her second single "Rodena takava", also accompanied by a music video. A few months later, on 21 July, she made her first guest appearance on a single named "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug" by labelmates Plamen & Ivo alongside Bulgarian hip-hop duo Pavell and Venci Venc'. On 29 September, Dara's third single "Nedei" was released on YouTube with an official music video.
On 20 June 2018, Dara released her fourth single "Vse na men", along with a music video.
2020–2024: The Voice of Bulgaria and debut album Rodena takava
In early 2020, Dara starred in the TV show Kato dve kapki voda, the Bulgarian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar, finishing in third place in the final. Since 2021, Dara has been a coach on The Voice of Bulgaria. In 2022, on the ninth season, Jacklyn Tarrakci, a member of Team Dara, won the competition. This made Dara the winning coach. In 2024, during the eleventh season, Dara's artist, Slaveya Ivanova, won the competition, marking Dara's second win in four seasons as a coach.
In March 2022, Dara won the Fashion Teen Idol award at the Code Fashion Awards, as voted by the event's teen audience. In April of the same year, she released her debut album, Rodena takava, accompanied by a live performance at Joy Station Sofia.
In March 2023, Kai released "Rover", a remake of Dara's original "Mr. Rover", on his solo album Rover.
In the spring of 2024, she participated in the fifth season of Dancing Stars, where she finished as the runner-up.
2025–present: ADHDara and Eurovision win On 19 September 2025, Dara released her second studio album ADHDara.
In early 2026 Dara participated in the Bulgarian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. After winning the second show on 31 January 2026, she was selected to represent Bulgaria at the contest in Vienna. The song with which she competed in Vienna, "Bangaranga", was selected on 28 February 2026. Dara won the second semi-final and then went on to win the contest, scoring 516 pointsBulgaria have won the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Sky News. Retrieved 17 May 2026 Her victory marked Bulgaria's first win in the contest. She also won the Marcel Bezençon Award for the Best Artistic Performance category, voted by the participating commentators. Her 173 point margin of victory over 2nd place is the highest margin ever recorded in the history of the contest. She was also the 1st artist since 2017 to win both the jury and the audience vote. As of October 2026, the song has surpassed 60 million streams on Spotify.
Personal life In 2025, Dara was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Since 2022, Dara has been in a relationship with doctor Ervin Ivanov. The couple made their first public appearance together that same year, and in February 2024 they announced their engagement during a trip to Thailand. They were married in June 2025 in a private ceremony in Bulgaria.
In her interviews, Dara has stated that she is a fan of the Greek multi-sports club, Olympiacos.
Discography
Studio albums Title Details Released: 25 March 2022 Label: Formats: Digital download, streaming ADHDara Released: 19 September 2025 Label: Virginia Formats: Digital download, streaming
Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions AlbumPeak chart positions for singles in Bulgarian Airplay: "Nedei": "Vse na men": "Darbie": "Ella Ella": "Ai Ai": "Cold as Ice": "Thunder": "Veche nyama kak": "In My Head": 'Nyama da mi lipsvash": "Kradets na mechti": "Nishto poveche": "Nito zvuk": "Bangaranga": "My Time": Peak chart positions for singles in Bulgarian Domestic Airplay: "K'vo ne chu": "Rodena takava": "Nedei": "Vse na men": "BTW (Bye Bye)": "Darbie": "Ella Ella": "Ai Ai": "Cold as Ice": "Thunder": "Call Me": "Mr. Rover": "Veche nyama kak": "Boginya": "In My Head": "Zaminavam": "Nyama da mi lipsvash": "Samo moi": "Zmiya": "Kradets na mechti": "Nishto poveche": "Nito zvuk": "Da ne mojem": "Onche bonche": "Bangaranga": "USK": "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug": "My Time": AUTFINGERLTUSWESWIUKWW"" 2016 — 6 — — — rowspan="4" — — — — "" 2017 — 1 — — — — — — — "" 7 1 — — — — — — — ""2018 9 2 — — — — — — — "BTW (Bye Bye)" 2019 — 3 — — — — — — — — "" — — — — — — — — — — "Darbie" 7 1 — — — — — — — — "" — — — — — — — — — — Upgrade"Ella Ella" 6 2 — — — — — — — — "Ai Ai"/"Fire" 2020 3 1 — — — — — — — — "" — — — — — — — — — — "Cold as Ice" 2021 5 2 — — — — — — — — "Thunder" 1 1 — — — — — — — — "Call Me" 2022 — 1 — — — — — — — — "Mr. Rover" — 4 — — — — — — — — ""2023 10 1 — — — — — — — — "" — 3 — — — — — — — — rowspan="7" "In My Head" 6 1 — — — — — — — — "" — 1 — — — — — — — — "" 10 2 — — — — — — — — ""2024 — 2 — — — — — — — — "" — 3 — — — — — — — — "" 8 1 — — — — — — — — ""2025 9 1 — — — — — — — — ADHDara"Barbie & Ken" — — — — — — — — — — Sauce Kid 4"" 10 1 — — — — — — — —ADHDara"" — 2 — — — — — — — — ""2026 — 2 — — — — — — — — "This Is Me" — — — — — — — — — — rowspan="3" "Curse" — — — — — — — — — — "Bangaranga" 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 21 90 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory."*" denotes that the chart did not exist at that time.
As featured artist TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum""2017 — 3 rowspan="3" "Sreshtu men" 2018 — —"My Time" 4 1 "USK"2026 — 8 Paraklis"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Music videos
Year Title Director Artist(s) As main performer2016 "K'vo ne chu" Lyusi Ilarionov, Andrey Andreev2017 "Rodena takava" Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov2026“Bangaranga”K2ID Productions As featured performer2017 "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug" Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov Plamen & Ivo featuring Dara, Pavell & Venci Venc'
Awards and nominations
+ Year Nominee(s) Category Result2017"Kvo ne chu"Song of the Year"Kvo ne chu"(written by Pavel Nikolov and Nikolay "X" Nikolov)Lyrics of the YearHerselfFemale Artist of the YearHerselfDebut of the Year"Kvo ne chu"(directed by Lyusi Ilarionov)Music Video of the Year2018"Nedei"Song of the Year Herself Female Artist of the Year "Nedei"(written by herself and Pavel Nikolov)Lyrics of the Year"Nedei"(directed by Lyusi Ilarionov)Music Video of the Year2019HerselfFemale Artist of the Year"Vse na men"(directed by Lyusi Ilarionov)Music Video of the Year2020"Ella Ella"Song of the YearHerselfFemale Artist of the Year"Darbie"(directed by Viktor Antonov – Rik)Music Video of the Year2021HerselfFemale Artist of the Year"Ai Ai"(directed by Emanuil Albert)Music Video of the Year2022"Thunder"Song of the YearHerselfFemale Artist of the Year"Thunder"(directed by Stefan Marinov)Music Video of the Year2023HerselfFemale Artist of the Year"Rodena Takava"Album of the Year2024HerselfFemale Artist of the YearHerself and Lubo KirovCombination of the Year 2025 Herself Female Artist of the Year
Other awards + Award Year Nominee(s) Category Result Code Fashion Awards2022HerselfFashion Teen Idol Marcel Bezençon Awards 2026 "Bangaranga" Artistic Award Woman of the Year by Grazia Bulgaria Herself Music Category
References
External links