Bulgaria will not be taking part in Eurovision 2023 but it has some representation in Blanka, who has been on a long and international journey to Liverpool.
She is half Bulgarian by ancestry and spent her late teens in the US with her mother as she chased her dream of becoming a popstar. But at Eurovision she will be flying the flag for Poland, the country where she grew up.
Blanka Stajkow, to give her her full name, has packed a lot into her 23 years. She became a model after returning to Poland – featuring in her country’s Top Model series.
On the back of this, she returned to singing and released her first single, Better, and signed a contract with Warner to release her second, Solo – which she will sing for Poland in Liverpool.
Blanka will appear solo in Thursday’s second semi-final although her almost namesake Blanca Paloma will be appearing on behalf of Spain.
She has taken to Instagram to share that the opportunity is a “dream” but she might already have survived a nightmare. Her performance of Solo on a Polish pre-Eurovision competition sparked plagiarism accusations that it was similar to Up, a 2022 song by Romanian pop star Inna, as well as rigged voting. But no case has been brought forward and Blanka is free to compete.
A Eurovision write-up of a rehearsal said: “Blanka said she was going to show us, and she did. When her turn came for her first rehearsal, she hit the stage wearing not one, but two outfits.
“That’s right – we’ve got ourselves a good old costume reveal. The half-Polish, half-Bulgarian star turned out a poptastic performance with her dancers and a slick, multi-scene set up.”
And while she brings the style, Blanka will also not go down without a fight and is a fan of the video game Street Fighter II, especially the character … Blanka.
