Eurovision 2021 Review: Bulgaria – VICTORIA – growing up is getting old


VICTORIA chooses ‘growing up is getting old’ for Eurovision 2021
If it wasn’t for the coronavirus, VICTORIA would have represented her home country Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest last year. Her song ‘Tears Getting Sober’ was one of the favorites for the win (and this blogs number 1) and although she sadly isn’t allowed to use this song again this year, the Bulgarian broadcaster decided to ask her back for 2021. She continued to put out excellent pop music and used her debut EP a little dramatic to select her entry for this year’s Eurovision. She asked experts and fans alike for feedback on the tracks on the EP and ended up choosing the song ‘growing up is getting old’ to represent Bulgaria.

To be fair, basically any of the songs on a little dramatic would have done at least a decent job of representing Bulgaria at Eurovision. VICTORIA delivered a beautiful EP with personal stories and beautifully orchestrated tunes. Now if we honestly look at streaming numbers and feedback on the songs, she should have probably gone with ‘imaginary friend’, but as she explained herself, out of the top 2 songs she wanted to choose the one she can perform with all her heart. That is always the right choice, isn’t it?

‘growing up is getting old’, was co-written by VICTORIA with Maya Nalani, Helena Larsson and Oliver Björkvall (he also produced). We already heard last year that VICTORIA masters the art of creating a beautifully orchestrated ballad with lush strings and a magical feeling and she does so once more. She again opens up about her struggles with mental health and anxiety that will be relatable to millennials as well as other generations. The track serves a beautiful full circle moment in the outro where she encourages the listener to try and get back up, because they are worth it. The big swaying chorus is memorable on first listen and would definitely have been a cute singalong moment if she could have performed it to a big crowd in Rotterdam in May.

‘growing up is getting old’ seems to be a composition that could definitely lure in the judges, but also has potential to be a hit with televoters. VICTORIA sounds both nostalgic and on trend in 2021 and the lyrical content must hit home for quite some viewers. She has already shown in the past year that she is an endearing performer with excellent vocals. She is currently within the top 5 of the bookmakers (just like she was last year) and I think she has a real chance to give Bulgaria its fourth top 5 result ever!