It is exactly ten years since the launch of the first TV music reality show in Bulgaria – Singing with the Coo-coo band which started out at the end of 2004. It was followed by Music Academy, Star Academy, Music Idol, the Voice of Bulgaria and X Factor. Just two of the above are Bulgarian, the rest are licensed foreign formats. Over time, criticism of these formats mounted as it turned out this was not a good practice for promoting young talent.
“Taking part in this show was a big step for me, because the show gives popularity and helps gain a great deal of experience,” Mihaela says. “It means working tooth and nail and keeping a very high professional standard, adequate to the stage you are performing on.”
Mihaela Fileva did not win the show, nonetheless she has been pursuing a successful career. She has a production company supporting her and is studying at the Music Academy; she has been working on a debut album.
Music Idol winner Maggie Djanavarova:
“I have good memories – the show has given me a lot. It was the biggest step I have ever taken, something I had been dreaming of for a long time. I acquired teamwork skills and met some wonderful musicians. But to make it big you have to know what you want and how to get it. It takes perseverance to follow your dreams and to never give up. We each have to choose our own pace and forge ahead.”
With the help of her producer, Maggie Djanavarova released her debut album First step but then went ahead on her own. Voice of Bulgaria participant Nevena Tsoneva (who won the first edition of Music Idol in Bulgaria) also has an album to her name as well as… a non-feasance lawsuit she won against her production company. It may be art we are talking about, but it is all about money. Singer Maya Neshkova started out her career from the first Bulgarian radio reality show in 1973 Villy’s Trombone.
“I have been watching these shows and there are things I find that are positive. There are benefits for the participants – the challenge helps them come to know their own selves, their potential better. Of course, nowadays it is all purely commercial. The trouble is that instead of being given a break, the talented kids get overexposure to an extent that for the audience they are “burnt out”. We are a small country and any error or any time you push things too far, the backlash is instantaneous and you shall never be able to say why nobody likes you any longer. Anyhow, the aim is to have a show, and for the producers to get their money. It is up to each and everyone to decide what to do.”
Here is Maria Moutafchieva from the popular Mary Boys’ Band:
“Being a celebrity is a pretty delusion. To the kids who take part in the modern reality formats, that is what matters most. They sing because they think that is the shortcut to fame. But in truth, for a true musician the beginning is at the age of 5-6 with an instrument and solfeggio lessons. When the time comes for an audience to hear you, you must be way ahead in your development and have a message to convey. We are now seeing people who have talent but are far from ready for the stage. Music is something that should have touched you, passed through you as a performer; only then, re-invented, can it be sent out to the world. That is when you can leave an imprint and have a style of your own. I heartily wish the talented people of Bulgaria a career after the reality show is over.”
The audio file features the following songs:
- I am here, performed by Mihaela Fileva;
- First step, performed by Maggie Djanavarova.
English Milena Daynova
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