Eurovision 2022 Reviews – Bulgaria

Bulgaria have mixed results at Eurovision, from the heights of their second place finish to the lows of their 6 year non-qualification streak. With a refreshed perspective on Eurovision, Bulgaria are seemingly on the right path, shown by their recent results. Will they continue that trend this year with Intelligent Music Project and their song, Intention?

Anita

Song and Vocals 

Bulgaria were quick out the gates this year, announcing their act and song early on in the Eurovision 2022 season. With the quality of their song this year, it makes you wonder why they didn’t spend the extra time crafting a stronger entry. ‘Intention’ is incredibly dated. Coming off Italy’s win with a much more contemporary styling of rock, it’s surprising that Bulgaria are offering up such a bland rock song. 

Lyrically, musically and vocally, this track offers nothing new. The lead singer can deliver the song well, but there’s just no edge. I appreciate the choice of rock, but it’s just such a bland, non-competitive form of the genre that I really don’t see this gaining many points during the semi-final. 

Performance and Act

Intelligent Music Project performed their entry on a few occasions however it did seem to be playback. From a visual aspect, it’s what you would expect from a rock performance. Band on stage, switching shots between singer and musicians. This will likely be the format for Eurovision, but hopefully they can figure out a way to utilise the stage to create something visually appealing. 

Conclusions

I don’t believe we will see Bulgaria in the final this year. Coming after the powerhouses of Poli Genova, Kristian Kostov, Equinox and Victoria, this is a monumental step backwards for Bulgaria. The nation only recently found their place in Eurovision, and sadly it seems that chapter is ending. 

Rating

2/10

Dennis

Song and Vocals

A retro song can work at Eurovision, but only if it’s still very good in its genre. When you don’t get it totally right, I fear you have a problem. I think this is the case for Bulgaria in 2022. The song is very dated and although the vocals seem to be fine, with a good lead singer, it remains to be seen whether that’s enough to make it stand out live since I have only found playback versions of the song thus far.

Performance and Act 

We have seen a live televised performance of the Bulgarian entry at the Romanian final. I must say, it lacked some of the required energy for me. I expected more guitar shots, possible fireworks and distorted camera shots. Maybe that will come in Turin. Many close-ups of the lead singer, interacting with other band members. This worked out well for Maneskin, but well, this is no Maneskin of course. 

Conclusions

The song is very dated and I don’t believe the market for this type of rock song is large enough to gather enough points. And whether this group has the charisma to sell such a rock song in the way it should to be able to score, I am very doubtful. It’s one of the weakers entries of the year and I feel pretty safe to rule out a qualification even ahead of the rehearsals. 

Rating 

3/10

Team Scores 

Steef: 4/10

Erik: 4.5/10

Josh: 2/10

Heath: 4.5/10

Kaitlin: 4.5/10

Selim: 2/10

Morena: 6/10

Average Score: 3.6/10

What do you think of Intention? Follow our Eurovision 2022 reviews here. You can support your favourite acts in our Eurovision 2021 poll, which you can find here.