Tears Getting Sober: Bulgaria’s 2020 Eurovision Entry Victoria Speaks To EP Ahead Of Live Stream Gig On 28 March

Bulgaria’s 2020 Eurovision act VICTORIA recently released her entry for the 2020 competition. ‘Tears Getting Sober’ – out now – is a beautifully produced piece of orchestral pop, full of magical strings reminiscent of a show-stopping Disney ballad. 

Victoria announced that she will host an online concert for her fans and followers on 28th March. The 30-minute performance will take place at her home in Sofia and will be streamed live HERE at 6pm UK time. Victoria will perform ‘Tears Getting Sober’ live for the first time and will cover some of her favourite songs.

Victoria - Tears Getting Sober - Bulgaria 🇧🇬 - Official Music Video - Eurovision 2020

You can see Victoria’s Instagram post announcing the concert here.

Ahead of the event, Lisa asked Victoria some questions about Eurovision, her music, and her upcoming livestream.

Hi Victoria, lovely to meet you! We’re all super sad about the COVID-19 pandemic meaning the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest this year, but it must be affecting you more than most of us, because you were set to enter, representing Bulgaria! Could you please share with us some of your thoughts about that. Will you be able to compete next year, or is that still up in the air?

I don’t think I’m more affected than others. Now many people struggle, and I think the decision to cancel the contest is the right given the situation and the general atmosphere everywhere. Now the main priority for everyone should be to stay healthy. Everything else could be solved or done later. Of course, I feel disappointed by the outcome as much as everybody else, but we should accept it. Despite this, I’m happy that I will get the chance to represent my country again next year, so I’m ready to go ahead now.

You’re doing a livestream on 28 March. What can your fans expect, and how can they see you?

Well, it’s just a small thing. It will be 25-30 minutes long and will be live from my home in Sofia. To be honest, I’m pretty excited for this because I’m doing a concert for the first time from my home and you never know how that could turn out. There is no proper stage, lights or equipment, so a lot can mess up. Let’s hope my neighbours downstairs will enjoy it too 😊.

In general, it will be something modest and organic. I will sing live my song for Eurovision 2020 – ‘Tears Getting Sober’, and a few others. The most important thing for me is the message that while everyone has to stay home, that shouldn’t prevent people from doing the things they like. In my case singing is my life and I won’t give up doing that even though I can’t go outside or perform in proper venues.

You first came to public notice because of your time on Bulgaria’s X Factor series. So many former XF stars have represented their country at ESC – Jedward for Ireland, Ruth Lorenzo for Spain, Lucie Jones for the U.K., Dami Im for Australia – even Saara Alto (Finland) who did XF after doing Eurovision – do you think there is a reason for this close alliance between XF and ESC, or do you think it’s a coincidence?

I think X-Factor is a great starting point for every performer, while Eurovision is the next step once you already have some experience. I think both are complementing each other in a great way.

Tell us about your song, ‘Tears Getting Sober’. What is it about? How is it performing on the charts?

‘Tears Getting Sober’ is about something that is very close to me. It’s about the struggles of young people with anxiety and mental health problems. It’s a topic no one wants to talk about because people feel uncomfortable to tell their stories.

There are certain prejudices in society as well and that doesn’t help much. I used to feel uncomfortable about it but that’s wrong. Now I’m happy I managed to overcome it by expressing my inner self through music. That’s why the song has also an optimistic vibe to it. There is always a way to overcome the problems.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest? How about for anyone who wants to get into music?

Definitely go for yourself and don’t care what the others will say about you. I believe music is something personal and you should not try to be liked by everybody. It’s about telling your story and your point of view. Some people will relate, others won’t but if there is even one person in this world that likes what you do – go for it. I had to understand this the hard way.

As for Eurovision, I haven’t participated yet, so I’m not very comfortable at giving advice. In my opinion artists should present the music they like and not to follow formulas. I don’t believe there is such a thing like a song for Eurovision. There is a huge diversity of styles and even in the last years we can see how songs that are far away from the commercial sound can do very well.

Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?

Hmm…that´s a question I´m asked for the first time ever. Maybe what’s the purpose of life? I don’t remember anyone ever asking me that.

Once again, thank you so much for talking to us!

‘Tears Getting Sober’, by Victoria, is out now, via Ostereo. You can find Victoria online on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com