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Victoria Mindova

A week before the semi-final of Eurovision, the representative of the Bulgarian participation in Eurovision, Elitsa Todorova, has arrived in Athens to present the song "Only champions." Smiling and ready to conquer the hearts of Greek fans for the second time, Elitsa is sharing with GRReporter her sources of inspiration for her new song, which she performs with her musical partner and legendary drummer Stoyan Yankulov (Stundzhi).

You are in Athens again. How are you feeling?

I have the honour of representing Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time. In 2007 we represented, along with Stoyan Yankulov, our country with the song "Water". An extremely large number of people voted for our song then. We received strong support not only from Bulgarians but also from foreigners. We ranked fifth with it and since then, this result of the contest has not been improved on.

I feel like I am participating in the Olympics. We achieved a good result the first time. Now, not only must we defend our positions, but we must also improve them.

Does this bother you?

I cannot say it bothers me. It was my dream to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision again. A couple of years had passed since our previous participation and I told Stoyan, "I feel that we can win Eurovision and I would be very happy if we had an opportunity to represent the country again."  And the Bulgarian National Television has invited us to do so.

It is a great honour and responsibility for us. Now, everyone expects us not only to leave the semifinals behind us, but also to improve our fifth position. So, I cannot get involved with any forecasts. My inner feeling is that we have the power and the training, and the support and love from our fans, which are strong enough to enable us to represent Bulgaria and reach a decent position.

You are a very positive person, full of positive energy. What is the source of your energy?

It’s because I'm in love (she is laughing). Generally, I do not discuss my personal life in public. These are cherished feelings and I keep them for the person I care about and for myself but there is one special person who makes me very happy in many different, surprising ways. I think that any woman, who enjoys particular attention from the male sex, is pleased when she may be surprised in unusual ways. It gives me strength and the faith that I can really give this to the audience, not only to those who already like us but also to those who will see us for the first time. I hope to give them the love that I feel and infect them with my smile.

Does this means that your performance will be charged with particular emotions drawn from a lot of personal moments?

Things sometimes happen by themselves. When a person follows his or her dreams and believes in them, things happen. There are always difficulties, which is at the heart of our song. It is dedicated not only to the athletes and to the Olympians, of whom we are very proud.

I'm glad I had the opportunity of meeting in person Kubrat Pulev, Stanka Zlateva, Ivet Lalova, the golden girls of Bulgaria. I had close personal contacts with each of them and they have given me a piece of the Olympic spirit. I think that musicians and athletes are the ones who can encourage our entire nation and make us move with our heads held high.

Tell us a bit more about the song. "Only champions" is not a usual title for the Eurovision song contest. You have mixed traditional folk music with house beats. What is your message and to whom do you address it?

The first title of the song was "Bulgarians-champions." I wanted to show in the video all Bulgarians who have inspired me - from athletes, musicians, Paralympians, who are a symbol of the strong spirit, to the children who represent our country in competitions in mathematics, chess, and succeed in them. We have many examples that we can be proud of.

I want to hear and talk about these people more, about the children who make efforts and achieve a lot. Those involved in ballet, music or sports. I can feel even now that many of them are future champions. It has turned out that a three-minute song is a very short time to show all these talents we have. Last but not least, I can say that the single mother of three children is also a champion. I'm talking about those people who are experiencing serious difficulties, but continue to struggle, who want to find a way to move on and do not give up. These are the champions of spirit.

What's your message for the Greek fans?

I want to appeal to all who love sports, have a favourite player or go in for sports to be healthy, or somehow carry the spirit of sports inside themselves to support the Bulgarian participation with an SMS. I am turning to the sports guild, inviting them to support us too.

Wherever I travel, when I say that I am from Bulgaria, I always hear the names of Stoichkov and Berbatov. They are associated with the positive achievements of Bulgaria. Therefore, I think the support of fans can help us win more votes.

Particularly in Greece, I would like to appeal to all fans of soccer players George Karagounis, Kostas Dimanadidis and basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis to support the Bulgarian song. If we get 12 points at Eurovision, I'll come and warm up your matches with my drums during the next championship.

You're a fine woman. Drums are very heavy, even a barbaric instrument. How do you manage it?