Bulgaria is a hot favourite at this year’s competition, hoping to win with VICTORIA and her song Growing Up is Getting Old. VICTORIA is on stage on a raised platform that looks like a cliff face, and towards the front, sand is pouring down. It’s not a visual effect, as VICTORIA stands up during the performance to interact with the sand.
VICTORIA is wearing a simple blue button up shirt and pants with sneakers. It’s a subtle outfit, especially when you compare it to the other competitors this year. The camera work is stunning here, it’s slow moving and VICTORIA interacts with the camera very well. There is a shot in the second verse where the camera pans to a photo of VICTORIA and her father which is beautifully intimate.
The vocals are as delicate as ever with VICTORIA serving up a strong performance. With all these things combined, the online press centre is quick to say ‘winner vibes’ but I am certainly not there yet. I could be the minority here, but I felt a bit underwhelmed with the performance. I think they captured the growth of the song better in the music video, and to me, this performance fell a bit flat.