We Speak With VICTORIA About Eurovision, Her Future Plans, And Latest Single, ‘Growing Up Is Getting Old’

If by now you’ve not heard of Bulgarian singer songwriter VICTORIA, then you must have been living under a rock. The 23 year old artist, whose full name is Victoria Georgieva, represented her homeland Bulgaria at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, making it through to the finals, and finishing a commendable 11th, with 170 points. VICTORIA was originally meant to sing at Eurovision in 2020, with her song ‘Tears Getting Sober’, but sadly the contest was cancelled for the first time ever, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Her 2021 entry, ‘Growing Up is Getting Old’, appears on her debut EP, ‘A Little Dramatic’, and has been doing well internationally, including a peak position of #4 on the Single Tip 30, in the Netherlands.

Lisa, a lifelong Eurovision fan, was excited at the prospect being able to speak to VICTORIA.

EP: First of all, congratulations on getting into the Eurovision final, I have Bulgarian friends who were hoping you’d win! It was a very tough contest this year! What was the Eurovision journey like for you, and do you think you might have done better last year?

VICTORIA: Thank you. Indeed the 2021 contest had a really strong final and I am really happy for everyone and especially for Måneskin from Italy who deserved to win. They were great! Our team is really proud of our position in the final and especially for the success of ‘Growing Up is Getting Old’ on the streaming platforms after the contest. I managed to find my international audience and people from all over the world who support my music and I can’t be happier.

EP: Your song, ‘Growing Up is Getting Old’ is quite interesting! The title can be interpreted two ways, and then the lyrics can be interpreted differently as well! For instance, the title could read like growing up means to get old, whereas it’s really about how annoying, or even boring, it is that you’re expected to grow up. Lyrically it could also be seen as meaning that, but also it could be a song reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic. How do you see it? How was it meant to be?

VICTORIA: ‘Growing Up is Getting Old’ is a really special song for me. I relate it to a really dark time of my life and I the message in the end is a message for everyone who experiences hard times in their life.

“If your world is breaking
And growing up is getting old
Know that you’re worth saving
And getting up is all you’ve got”

Of course, everyone can have their own interpretation because growing up is experienced differently by everyone. For me, it’s learning to enjoy the little things in life and to let go of the pain and the negativity.

EP: How have you been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic? Obviously there was the cancellation of ESC last year…but has it affected you any other way?

VICTORIA: Well, I am more of an introvert. So it didn’t change things that dramatically for me. However, when it comes to work – I needed to work more and more online with other songwriters which sometimes is not really easy. However, I adapted and I am happy we’ve managed to finalize my first EP ‘a little dramatic’ and to release it just before Eurovision. I love all 5 songs in it – ‘imaginary friend’, ‘growing up is getting old’, ‘dive into unknown’, ‘phantom pain’ and ‘the funeral song’.

EP: Who are your musical inspirations and why? Likewise, who inspires you in life, and why are they your inspiration?

VICTORIA: I am getting inspired recently by soundtracks of movies. I love the use of real instruments.

EP: If you could talk to your younger self just starting out in music, what would you say and what, if anything, would you do differently?

VICTORIA: I don’t think I will do something differently. We all have our own path in life and I am really happy with where I am at the moment.

EP: My friend Pavel is Bulgarian, and his question for you is – are you interested in hiring a nice Bulgarian videographer (based in London) for your next song?

VICTORIA: We work with some of the best people – both in Bulgaria and around Europe and we are always happy to onboard new professionals. So yeah, he can drop a line to my team.

EP: What’s next on the horizon for you?

VICTORIA: I am working hard on my new single. I can’t tell you much about it but I am really looking forward to share it with the world.

EP: And finally….what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview – but nobody ever does?

VICTORIA: That’s a good question 🙂 For the past two years I’ve done over 300 interviews and I don’t think there is a question I haven’t answered. I always enjoy the questions about music.

You can find out more about VICTORIA and her music online on her official website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Watch the video for ‘growing up is getting old’ below: