We haven’t heard much about Bulgaria‘s plans for Eurovision 2022, but now a Bulgarian rock group claims they are in final negotiations to represent their country in Italy next year. Dr Milen Vrabevski — founder of the international rock collaboration the Intelligent Music Project — claims the project is near signing with BNT for Eurovision 2022.
The businessman and arts patron revealed the details in a chat on Radio Plovdiv. He said:
“The top news I share with you on this radio is that we have been chosen to represent Bulgaria at the next Eurovision Song Contest in Italy. With the idea we took a few months ago with BNT — if we are looking for a vote, a team of international stars with a Bulgarian project will make a much more impression, many more votes than a purely Bulgarian team. That’s what we plan to do with a new approach.”
Host Antonia Popova then asked Vrabevski if it was BNT’s final decision that Intelligent Music would represent Bulgaria at Eurovision. He replied, “I hope it is final, I am waiting for us to sign the contract in a week with BNT.”
Following the success of Italian rock band Måneskin, Eurovision may have become more appealing for the rock-focused Intelligent Music Project.
However, it is important to note that at this stage, broadcaster BNT has not confirmed any information about their plans for Eurovision 2022 or indeed if the Intelligent Music Project will be on board. In recent years BNT has partnered with internally selected artists who are able to bring a full package to Eurovision. A partnership with the Intelligent Music Project could fit this method.
Who are the Intelligent Music Project?
The Intelligent Music Project is an “international rock collaboration” and was founded by the Bulgarian businessman, philanthropist and arts patron Dr Milen Vrabevski. While the group is a Bulgarian rock band, they frequently collaborate with ’80s rock icons from around the world.
The project has included collaborations with musicians such as Simon Phillips (Toto), John Lawton (Uriah Heep), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), John Payne (Asia), Carl Sentance (Nazareth), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Black Sabbath) and Todd Sucherman (Styx).
Since 2012, the project has released six albums: The Power of Mind, My Kind o’ Lovin’, Touching the Divine, Sorcery Inside, Life Motion, and 2021 release The Creation.
The group regularly perform live, both in Bulgaria and at rock events around Europe.
Due to the group’s ever-changing lineup, it’s not possible to say who would perform with the group if they did represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2022.
The Intelligent Music Project has echos of Bulgaria’s 2018 act, Equinox. The five-piece pop vocal group — who called themselves a “common framework” — were made up of singers from Bulgaria and the United States.
What do you think? Should the Intelligent Music Project represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2022? What rock legends should collaborate with the group? Tell us your thoughts below!
when artists claim that they’ll represent a country they’re just looking for some press lmao
And in case they were actually considered they’re usually btfo’d because of breaking an NDA
I hope that Mihaela Marinova or Dara will perform in Bulgarian colors at the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy, but I am also worried that Bulgaria has been going through a huge political crisis for six months, there is no new government and it is said that the next elections will not solve the crisis , and the BNT public television itself is accused of favoring the GBR
I’m confused! BNT delete the posts about JESC & ESC…
Not so much a common framework, more of a universal configuration
one of the most well known unofficial rules of eurovision is that NEVER two similar genres/songs win the one after the other. Not even in the 00s, where the ethnic pop was popular it happened. Learn from the history broadcasters
2003, 2004 and 2005 had winners with a VERY similar sound, however.
As a Bulgarian myself, I am a bit sad that I learned about Intelligent Music Project just now. Even though I liked them a lot, I still don’t consider their chances at ESC as good enough. In the videos I saw Slavin Slavchev – the winner of X-Factor Bulgaria 2014. I think it would be a great idea, if we sent him as a solo act. With the right song, he’d amaze the audience.
I want Bulgaria to win Eurovision so bad, but I think it will not be two rock winning songs in row. :/
Taking about being chosen before the announcement = no one’s even thinking about your lame sass.
Please say sike.
You know what, I was recently listening to “DJ, Take Me Away”, the Bulgarian entry for 2008 and I always think that Bulgaria is almost ALWAYS underrated! 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021, Jesus I seriously think Bulgaria needs more respect
I’m all for progressive rock in Eurovision (which is nothing like what Måneskin are doing, btw) but this band name has to change. It sounds both incredibly pretentious and incredibly lame.
Prog?! They won’t pull it off. 3 minutes are a way too short amount of time for a prog song. To make an interesting chord progression and use some jazzy/classical tricks you need more. Even 5-7 minutes are not enough.
Just listened to them. They’re not prog. I just thought that you mean “progressive” as genre. Sorry for misunderstanding, lol.
I did indeed mean progrock, and they’re definitely proggy. More of the Toto kind though.
Is Toto prog,tho? There’s no complicated chord progression , strong jazz/classical influences and overtly long guitar solos. It can’t be prog.
Official statement : As usual BNT will announce itself the news about #Eurovision in its own communication channels only when such information is confirmed & correct. At this stage, there is nothing we can say about possible Bulgarian participation next year.
I don’t really think this is a good idea even if it turns out to be true..
Copying the previous winners is never something countries should go for (exception Turkey 03 Ukraine 04 Greece 05 but that was way back)..
I love the direction of Bulgaria sending young and fresh artists and they should keep it that way cause it works!
Listened to them. Both Maneskin and them are pop rock bands, but they definitely have different approaches. Maneskin borrows from 70s rock, it’s more 80s mainstream rock or late 90s pop rock (the period when all controversy in alternative died and we had Nickelback).
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Please Mihaela Marinova or Lidia Ganeva for Bulgaria!
I love Mihaela Marinova’s music but considering she performed in blackface literally this year I’d say no
Was it for that Sounds Familiar show?
Does the ambient matter?
Not really. Just asking for more context.
Well, Victoria only missed out on the top 10 because the tie-breaking criteria favored Stefania, so it’s not like it was an epic fail. Less so with as competitive a field as there was in Rotterdam. Other than that, fair points.
Greece was a flop?
We shall see… wouldn’t be the first time negotiations go south after one of the parts says too much before everything’s set in stone. If those negotiations have actually existed, that is.
So what I find suspicious is that Bulgarian team is often very secretive about their selection. I don’t believe that BNT would just allow them to say this if they were to be selected. Also they really don’t fit the artists Bulgaria usually sends – young and modern – they are neither. and the last thing that doesn’t fit is the songwriters, as u may remember they were holding a eurovision songwriting camp. Basically the team, which wrote Mata Hari and Cleopatra, was there + some other song-writers and is it really possible that a random bulgarian rock group would… Read more »
Darling, they came second. Is that a flop to you?
14th place isn’t a flop either, not for us UK fans
I think you mean 2018. They stayed out in 2019 because of financial issues
Age is irrelevent as long as there is a good song.
yeah, of course, I’m just saying that this isn’t something that BNT would do normally.
Based on the videos I see here, this is pretty irrelevant dinosaur rock. Countries should not choose based on what genre won last year.
It’s different genre from Maneskin predominantly. “Rock” is an umbrella term, you know.
Ooh a rock band for Bulgaria ? That would be cool! I’d love it!
I know a lot of bulgarians don’t like the chalga music, but it would be interesting to see some prominent chalga singers like Preslava or Galena in the contest
*YAWN*, name dropping doesnt impress me. Greece is “going to slay” every year just because of that dream team, Malta will “win” just because of sacha and Romania will “win” just because of global music team. BLA. Bulgaria get a new strategy
I’m inclined to agree with Bird Lover. Those people are super, these days the song contest is usually won by someone with a completely new approach.
I’m quite concerned with this news, I like rock and there’s no shade intended for the band, but many countries getting in the rock bandwagon because of Måneskin’s win will backfire badly – like this year happened with the pop diva acts, not to mention that the contest would sound a bit monotonous and repetitive 🙁
While Eurovision could use some more rock representation, I don’t wanna be seeing a major flood of rock to the point that they all canceled each other out like we saw with the diva Bops this year. Balance it out please. It will be tempting to capitalize on what was successful the year before, but it can backfire. The winner will likely be something completely different.
well actually we did see switzerland for example copy previous successes
I wouldn’t call Switzerland a “copy” considering that Gjon’s Tears performs that style of music outside of the contest. Similar to an extent – but unfair to call a copy
Well they did hire the songwritter of the winner song in 2019 – Arcade and this year’s song of Switzerland did indeed have many similarities with Arcade.
Fair comment, but can you really blame them too much for hiring such a polished producer. Besides, Repondez-Moi didn’t have Wouter Hardy and people still accused it of being a copy of arcade even though the similarity is there was a male singer and a piano.
they copied fuego, took the same team from duncan and now theyll send a french rock song next year. stop embarrassing yourself
I wouldn’t call Switzerland’s entries “a copy of previous successes,” at least this year it was very different to Arcade, the only similarity I find between both entries is that they have one songwriter in common imo
the eighties live.
It’s hard to tell things now, but just hoping they bring an excellent song. Although they have collaborated with many great names. It’s gonna be interesting at least.
well I guess Bulgaria’s ending their qualification streak
“So it worked for others , it will work for us too” thinking has already started. Lets see how many others will send rock or thinking about it..
Oh yeah, and so it begins. I wouldn’t mind a little more rock at Eurovision, but I would be annoyed if countries are sitting rock band because I think that will guarantee them victory because of Italy’s win. If you get too much of one particular genre at the contest, they’re all going to crash and burn.
This sounds like an interesting act to represent Bulgaria if it’s true, but I’m not gonna lie. If I see multiple countries sending rock bands next year because of Maneskin’s win, I’m gonna be rolling my eyes.
See, I LIKE rock music. Even if they aren’t like Måneskin, more rock at Eurovision is fine by me.
And there are a lot of subgenres of rock as well: soft rock, metal, violent pop (like Blind channel), glam rock (like Miley Cyrus), rock’n’roll (like Måneskin), etc.
If this year we get tons of rock, at least I hope they all sound different so nobody shadows nobody. The last thing I need is another crime like Albina thanks to the flood of pop divas.
A minute of nerdism for the sake of it. Don’t be offended, please:
Glam rock isn’t a music genre. It’s a descriptor for any genre of rock music with theatric approach and applies only to staging. Maneskin has some glam rock flourishes, for example, but that says nothing about them sonically. Miley Cyrus isn’t glam rock, she isn’t rock at all. While his glam era David Bowie has tried sonically folk rock, pop rock, space rock,etc.
*A minute of my boring character ended.
With a bit of rock music, EVERYTHING is fine. You’re in the mood for a dance.
one of those countries will def be switzerland. They never create trends but just follow: they copied fuego, they copied arcade and now they’ll send a french rock song
delusion
i like to believe BNT is smarter than this
No shade to the group if they’re very good, but I agree with you. If Bulgaria wants to win next year, they’re better off NOT sending a rock band. If I see multiple countries singing rock bands, it’s going to annoy me because they’re clearly trying to capitalize on maneskin’s win. If you get multiple entries for the same or similar genres, they’re all just gonna crash and burn like we saw this year with all the diva bops. Just because a rock band one this year doesn’t mean next year. It’s going to be something opposite of this year’s… Read more »
that is not automatically true. Greece took wild dances and turkey’s win and still won. also finland didnt flop despite maneskin winning.
But Finland and Italy were the only two countries that had rock songs, and that allow them to amass so many points without cancelling each other out, as opposed to the dozen or so diva Bops that ended up flopping because the votes got split all over the place due to the genres oversaturation. Imagine if there are 10 rock band next year? That would definitely create another genre oversaturation where the rock votes get split all over the place and it will result in a massive genre flop we saw this year with the diva Bops.
They seem nifty! Wouldn’t mind them representing Bulgaria. It’d definitely be something different. Here’s hoping BNT is lax about NDA’s, ‘cuz that’d be quite the bombshell if it was true.