A running start for Bulgaria

Rehearsal - Let's face the music and run

The first act to take the stage was Bulgaria, where the lovely Poli Genova came on to rehearse her song Na Inat. 

Poli has a lot of support on stage with a pianist and, drum player and three guitarists. The initial soundcheck went very well, with each of the singers and backing singings showing off their very strong voices individually. 

Vocally Poli and her singers gave an almost flawless rendition of Na Inat. On stage they are all wearing white in different forms with Poli wearing what seems to be a stylish dress that later comes off as the song progresses to reveal something slightly more simple. 

During the performance the choreography remains simple but by no means static. The guitarists and Poli spend a lot of time moving around the stage. In fact Poli is one of the few artists this year to use the long satellite on the stage, running down it at some speed towards the end of her performance. A wind machine is also actively used to help emphasise the kinetic nature of Na Inat. 

This came as quite a surprise to the Eurovision.tv camera man who after realising what had happened also ran after her to film her!

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The stage performance for Na Inat is quite striking with quite powerful shades of blue marking the start of the rehearsal. The huge LED screen displays the image of water dripping against glass to start off with and as this rock/pop song builds in pace, this turns into what resembles heavy rain falling on water. 

Poli's walk down to the stage satellite is followed by the highly versatile "spider-cam". Here the pace of the song slows and she drops to the floor in an impressive effect before running back to the main stage where the song reaches a powerful conclusion vocally. 

Shooting flames around the stage marked the end of this powerful performance, throw heat all around the hall. 

The video of the Bulgarian rehearsal:

Focused on rehearsal - Poli backstage

PolI Genova from Bulgaria was preparing backstage together with her band. She was in full focus about the rehearsal. As for many performing early in the morning, the early hour takes its toll.

"It's very early," she commented. "We're fine".

After the rehearsal, she will go the her press conference with her reflections on the rehearsal.

"We'll speak more after the rehearsal," Poli promised.

A few backstage pictures:

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Press Conference - "We are soldiers of love"

Poli Genova entered the Press Conference room with a huge smile on her face, looking very calm. She went on to introduce her team of backing singers, the writer of the song and the Head of Delegation. 

Poli was asked about her four attempts to entered the Eurovision Song Contest and how it feels to now stand on the stage. "It's a dream come true to be on the stage but I'm not scared. I can really feel being on the stage and it's amazing", said Poli. 

She said that she tried so hard to get to Düsseldorf to "realise my dreams and be with so many professional artists". 

A journalist asked about her travels and she said, "I loved being in London. We also went to Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Netherlands and many other countries to promote our song". 

Another question was asked about the German entry, Lena, to which she answered, "It is a really good song, very unique... We really like it". 

Poli is involved in the Magnificent Six, which is between Unicef and the national broadcaster in Bulgaria fighting deinstitutionalised children in Bulgaria. 

She was asked why she decided to sing in Bulgarian, "It is the original lyrics. We tried the English lyrics and it doesn't work. We just lost the message of the song. The lyrics are really powerful and give us special energy and we all feel comfortable with the original lyrics and love. It was the best decision". 

"The song is about fighting against everything, no matter what, you can do it. The whole message is that whatever you have in your way, you can just do it and find your inner strength". 

A question was raised about the medals being worn by the backing performers to which Poli explained, "they are the soldiers and I am the general. We are the soldiers of love". 

The press conference ended with Poli and her backing singers, performing the chorus of Na Inat.

Pictures from the Bulgarian Press Conference: 

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From child star to national icon - Who is Poli Genova?

Poli Genova was born on the 10th of February, 1987 in Sofia rose to fame as member of the group BonBon, which would later represent Bulgaria at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. For the 2009 Bulgarian national final, Poli received a wildcard with the song One Lifetime Is Not Enough.

Eventually she finished second in the final after landslide-winner Krassimir Avramov, singing Illusion. Before the 2009 Bulgarian final, Beyoncé heard Poli's One Lifetime Is Not Enough by coincidence. The American singer couldn't hold back her tears when listening to the song, according to Bulgarian news portal News.bg.

Poli Genova is currently working on her debut album together with her producer and vocal pedagogue Rozi Karaslavova, who has been leading Poli on her path to success for 14 years now.