Bulgaria’s ‘Bangaraga’ Wins Eurovision, Israel Finishes in Second

Bulgaria won a raucous, contentious Eurovision on Saturday, topping Israel in what turned into both a musical and geopolitical nailbiter in its final moments.

Sitting outside the top oddsmakers’ top five coming into Saturday’s final in Vienna, Bulgaria improbably won both the overall jury vote and the popular vote among the 25 finalists thanks to pop star Dara’s dance-hall thumper “Bangaranga” to collect its first-ever Eurovision title.

Nobody knows what “Bangaraga” means, but Dara said at the show Saturday it’s the “feeling that everybody gets in themselves the moment you choose to lead through love and not fear.”

But Bulgaria was only one of the big news stories of the night. In a year marked by boycotts and hecklers over Israel’s participation, the Middle Eastern country surged into the lead midway through the popular vote after finishing eighth in the jury vote, and held that lead until the last possible second, when Bulgaria’s tally was announced. The presence of Israel’s Noam Bettan in a split-screen with Bulgaria’s Dara prompted both booing and Jewish-solidarity calls of “Am Yisrael Chai” in the background as an entire world — or at least the 160 million people who watch Eurovision — held their breath on who would finish first.

A child of French immigrants to Israel, Bettan became a favorite thanks to the rousing toxic-love story antheme “Michelle,” which is regarded by some as a metaphor for Jews’ fractious relationship with Europe.

Romania finished in third with don’t-call-it-a-sex-song “Choke Me,” sung by the goth-attired physics graduate student Alexandra Căpitănescu. Pre-final favorites Finland, Australia and Greece all finished outside the top three.

Bulgaria achieved its first win after joining only in 2005 and advancing past the semis for only the fifth time. Israel joined Eurovision in 1973 and was seeking its fifth title. The country also finished in second last year as Nova Massacre survivor Yuval Raphael, also a writer on “Michelle,” captured a large section of the public vote.

The event closed a week-long competition at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, with 25 countries competing in the final (full list below). As five countries boycotted over Israel, Vienna deployed 500 private security personnel, 180 new cameras, counter-drones and sniffer dog to counter threats. At the same time, the city teamed up with an FBI task force in New York to monitor cyber threats. Next year’s final will now be held in Bulgaria.

Below were the 25 finalists:

More to come.