Bulgaria BULGARIA 2021 - VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old

[escYOUnited]

Playing tetris with my feelings
Trynna keep them all inside
Hollow shadows and my soul is spilling over, I'm out of time

Closing every door
Wanna be alone
Lonely is a way that I survive
Sick of wanting more
Sitting on the floor
Wondering where all my feelings go

Nervous system's aching
Growing up is getting old
Anxiety is draining
Getting up is growing old

Don't get it, there's an ocean of emotion that I'm carrying inside
I am cautious,
Cause I've never understood how so much can fit in little me

Star crossed soul
And I'm used to letting go
Sink deeper in the flow of it
My demons know exactly where my fears
Are hiding all my tears

I'm torn by nervous system's aching
Growing up is getting old
Anxiety is draining
Getting up is growing old

And if I ever take that second to leave my worries behind
Maybe I could tread the waters of time
Get out of my mind

Growing up is getting old
Getting up is growing old

If your world is breaking
And growing up is getting old
Know that you're worth saving
And getting up is all you've got​

 

[I bims]

Aw, thank you for reading!

You know, I did not follow this thread, so once I posted the message I checked the previous page and found out several people - including you - said Growing Up Is Getting Old was the standout And I oop. Sorry about that, I was just speaking on my behalf of course!

The AUDACITY !!!

Ah, I see. I don't know much about Eilish, so I haven't heard or seen what Phantom Pain is the knock-off of. Then so be it! I don't think it had high chances of getting picked to begin with. You are right, comparisons with Eilish will be inevitable regardless of the song, but it would be wiser not to send a straight-up copy.

I looked it up again and I could've sworn Billie had some video that was exactly like it. I'm not really following her stuff. Didn't find it anymore though.
But I came across the videos of "When the Party is over", "Hostage" and "Bury a friend". The clothing is the exact same and the first two videos also have the exact same overall style going on.
So calling it a straight up rip-off was probably a bit too harsh on my part. But it's still too similar

But I don't think that they go with Phantom Pain anyway. I see a lot of love for Imaginary Friend so I think that will be the one

 

[soulm8]

Honestly, this is one of those instances where I don't miss last year's entry. While I found some qualities in "Tears Getting Sober", it was too "soundtrack of Eilish's trip to Disneyland" to my liking. I have listened to the current options available and I must say that - except for one song - this is very solid imo. Victoria did not come to joke around.

I sent her my musings tonight, here they are:

My first place goes to two songs: "Imaginary Friend" and "Phantom Pain", my favourites for different reasons.

"Imaginary Friend" is the only option that has a clear development and climax, the Eilish inspiration is there without being too overpowering, there has been work on vocal arrangements (Victoria uses her voice in a more powerful way and the choir-like parts add a little dramatic - pun intended - note to the music) and last but not least, the supreme "humming + imaginary friend line" combo really makes the composition reach higher heights while adding to the dreamlikeness of the atmosphere. Lyrically, I noticed they try to broaden the subject to make it more relatable, but I think dealing with actual imaginary friends is actually very unique and less niche than one would think. It fits the whimsical theme perfectly.

"Phantom Pain" is dark and ghostly. The ongoing bass is such a mood, there are a lot of pleasant subtleties throughout this track. It's hypnotizing without sounding boring or repetitive. And sonically-speaking, it's never been done before at Eurovision, which is always noteworthy imo. It's a very cinematic piece and I could envision Victoria embody a ghost looking at her non-reflection in a giant mirror... It may be a tad less accessible than Imaginary Friend, so if Bulgaria does not want to take any risk, they'll probably ditch this one quite easily. But hey a bit of risk is a good thing in my book, so... I don't know if it's getting much love online, but this is amazing to me. I like the lyrics that can easily apply to more casual situations, there is more than one way of looking at them.

"Dive Into Unknown" has an unusual melodic progression going on in the chorus, which I really like. The piano accompaniment combined with the backing voices set an ethereal atmosphere, which is what Victoria excels at. The arrangements are tasteful and the development make it a competent song. The only drawback is that it competes against "Imaginary Friend" which, in a similar style, gives a bit more "troughs and valleys" on first listen. Hence my assumption that it's underrated. But this is a really a sophisticated song! Lyrically, this has a dreamlike metaphoric quality while being perfectly applicable to everyone of us. Living life is diving into unknown, and that is an interesting topic to deal with.

"The Funeral Song": I reflected a lot on whether I liked this song or not, and I came to the conclusion I personally do not connect to it as much as the other songs. This is a quality composition with attitude and rhythm, I note the contrast between the darkness of the lyrics and the seemingly "joyful" melody. The beats are very efficient, the bells of the chorus are divine and I like the ending part that slows down. Lyrically, I appreciate the spot-on reflection about life and how we perceive it sometimes. I guess I expected Victoria to go all out draamaa-wise given the title, but she didn't and I guess that's just as well. I would not be mad if they did NOT send it to Eurovision though.

"Ugly Cry" is a competent song with a distinctive pace, but I feel like the other options are stronger due to the intensity of their atmosphere and their construction. I think it loses steam halfway through and it's not as arresting melodically and arrangement-wise. I would not pick this song for Eurovision. Lyrically, it conveys a respectable message. But I believe "Imaginary Friend", "Phantom Pain" and "Diving Into Unknown" are more unique in this regard.

"Growing Up Is Getting Old" is the only song I really don't like. Not because it's bad, but because it does not seem to have much appeal or personality compared to the rest. It's like a less memorable version of "When We're Old" to me. It is perfectly acceptable as part of the EP, but it lacks impact to leave an impression after one listening. Why choose this if there are other options? Lyrically, I do not have anything to say other than it is well-crafted. Honestly, I feel like the lyrical standards are quite high here given what we have at the contest usually.

So, my ranking is as follows:
1. Imaginary Friend & Phantom Pain
3. Diving Into Unknown
4. The Funeral Song
5. Ugly Cry
6. Growing Up Is Getting Old

If Bulgaria picks one of the songs in my top 3, they get 12 points from me. It's that good. Diving Into Unknown is a real gem too, but I assume it suffers from directly competing against Imaginary Friend, that is more instant for most people. Phantom Pain is my jam but I've read here and there people are not feeling it. Shame, although I'm not sure how it would fare really.

I would rather avoid The Funeral Song, although it would not be a disaster. Ugly Cry would be an ill-advised choice and Growing Up Is Getting Old has to be avoided at all costs because I would not give more than 2 or 3 points.

In the end I would be surprised if Imaginary Friend lost, there seem to be a consensus on that song, and it seems like the fans of "Tears Getting Sober" are more drawn towards it because it's got that dreamlike feel. Victoria worked hard on this. I wonder if Roxen is jelly because she won''t be able to steal any of that material.

Nicely said! At the beginning I didn’t like Growing up is getting old now it’s my second favorite. But not sure it will do well in ESC, though with the live performance and staging it could get to life.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

Just submitted my thoughts on the songs.

My favourite was Imaginary Friend.

I liked Ugly Cry and Phantom Pain as well. The Funeral Song and Dive Into Unknown were alright.

Wasn't a fan of the growing up is getting old one.

Ranking:

1. Imaginary Friend
2. Ugly Cry
3. Phantom Pain
4. Dive Into Unknown
5. The Funeral Song
6. Growing Up is Getting Old

 

[MAD20]

Don't know why but I think it's gonna be either Imaginary Friend or Ugly Cry. Rooting desperately for the first one

 

[Mimmon]

10th of March we going to find out Bulgarian entry for Eurovion 2021

 

[crashworld]

I have decided to give the potential songs a proper listen on Spotify (at least more than 5 times to really set the songs apart) since there aren't many new ESC songs for me to listen.

Ranking the songs based on my personal taste if I really want to rank them:
1. Phantom Pain
2. Imaginary Friend
3. Ugly Cry
4. Dive Into Unknown
5. The Funeral Song
6. Growing Up Is Getting Old

As I have said before, I think picking any song from the 6 will just serve its purpose to showcase Victoria primarily as an artist and her sound but none of them are ESC competitive in its current form. It really feels like "Hi! I'm Victoria, this is an EP to introduce me as an music artist. Oh, by the way, I am also competing in ESC, so just pick any of the 6 songs from the EP as the winning entry. Thank you!". I personally do not see an ESC winning song from the 6 songs.

 

[I bims]

It really feels like "Hi! I'm Victoria, this is an EP to introduce me as an music artist. Oh, by the way, I am also competing in ESC, so just pick any of the 6 songs from the EP as the winning entry. Thank you!". I personally do not see an ESC winning song from the 6 songs.

But to be honest I think that is not a completely wrong way to approach it. Sending a song that is made to work well at Eurovision takes away from being authentic and is a reason why so many songs follow a certain guidline and sound the same in the end.
It can still result in good songs but I think we should be open to sounds that are not typical for Eurovision.

I don't think Amar Pelos Dois had a very "eurovision friendly" sound. It was very laid back, no showstopper. It still won.

 

[crashworld]

But to be honest I think that is not a completely wrong way to approach it. Sending a song that is made to work well at Eurovision takes away from being authentic and is a reason why so many songs follow a certain guidline and sound the same in the end.
It can still result in good songs but I think we should be open to sounds that are not typical for Eurovision.

I don't think Amar Pelos Dois had a very "eurovision friendly" sound. It was very laid back, no showstopper. It still won.

Nothing against that approach too. I mean it's always best for the artist to send something they are comfortable in rather than they self-sabotage the songs they are not into ala Roxen's Cherry Red.

My only problem is that all the 6 songs are too samey-samey, so it almost feel like that ESC is an afterthought and her primary focus is establishing herself as a music artist and her sound. I just wish we get more varied sounds/songs from her, pushing the boundaries a little more. Therefore, I am not very bothered if she ends up picking the one that I like most or the one I like least because even though I rank them in 1 - 6, but quality wise, they are on par.

And I am glad that they didn't do an elaborated National Selection with these 6 songs, because I would find it extremely pointless since they are basically of a similar sound.

 

[Frenchbaguette]

I haven't listened to any of them, since I know from watching est selections tops that they have a similar vibe, so i'm ready to be blown away by victoria's creativity

 

[soulm8]

Some exciting news from BNT:

https://twitter.com/bg_eurovision/status/1366452957441572867?s=20

 

[njdevils94]

I think it will be Imaginary Friend, Growing Up Is Getting Old, or Phantom Pain.

 

[pardoESC]

I must say, I really liked Victoria, since last year I even started following her material (even the ones in Bulgarian I do not understand a word in), was second place for me last year, only the Italian song, I liked more. I really like her as a singer, I also really liked the alright. This year? I like the songs less, maybe "ugly cry". A bit up, but I was completely disappointed with the songs

 

[I bims]

I think it will be Imaginary Friend, Growing Up Is Getting Old, or Phantom Pain.

I'm very certain it's Imaginary Friend. Most comments I've seen online so far favored that one. But it also could be Ugly Cry. One of those two.

 

[Mainshow]

The more I listen to the EP, the more I fall in love with "Growing Up Is Getting Old" - WHAT A SONG

 

[soulm8]

I'm very certain it's Imaginary Friend. Most comments I've seen online so far favored that one. But it also could be Ugly Cry. One of those two.

It says The song Victoria feels comfortable to sing. Don’t expect it to be Imaginary friend....

 

[rasmuslights]

The more I listen to the EP, the more I fall in love with "Growing Up Is Getting Old" - WHAT A SONG

yes that song truly is a grower. It's also my favorite rn.

 

[Mainshow]

It says The song Victoria feels comfortable to sing. Don’t expect it to be Imaginary friend....

Why do you think she will struggle to perform "Imaginary Friend"?
The mmms will be part of the backing track anyway or am I mistaken?

 

[Mimmon]

Another show or this time Concert to watch I see....

 

[soulm8]

Why do you think she will struggle to perform "Imaginary Friend"?
The mmms will be part of the backing track anyway or am I mistaken?

Just not her comfortable style to sing live.

 

[I bims]

Just not her comfortable style to sing live.

The song allows for a lot of support through the pre-recorded backing vocals though?
Don't know why she would not be comfortable with that song. If she can't hit a note (it happens to the best) it will be somewhat covered.