Eurovision 2017 – Bulgaria

Kristian Kostov (born March 15, 2000) is one of the most popular up-and-coming teenage artists in Bulgaria and Russia. The Moscow-born singer, who has roots in Bulgaria and Kazakhstan, started his music career at the age of 6 in the prestigious musical group «Neposedy», known for developing promising young talent such as famous alumni “t.A.T.u.” and Sergey Lazarev.

As part of the group, he performed at many large-scale concerts throughout Russia up until 2011, when he left “Neposedy” to embark on a solo career. As a solo act he took part in numerous competitions including “Sound kids” (winner of the Grand-Prix), “New Wave Junior” (finalist, 2012) and «Shkola muzyki» (3rd place, 2012). The most life-changing competition for Kristian was his appearance on The Voice Kids (Russia) in 2014 where he was mentored by Dima Bilan eventually reaching the Top 6. Even though he didn’t win, his heart-stopping performances impressed the judges and gained him the love of legions of fans.

In November 2014 Kris was invited to perform at the Grand Finale event of UNICEF’s #Imagine project (past UNICEF ambassadors include celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, David Beckham and Katy Perry amongst others). Kristian was the only Russian-born artist who participated in the event, performing alongside artists such as Yoko Ono, Hugh Jackman, Daniela Mercury and many others.

Later the same year he also released his first single in Russia called “Slushay Dojd (Listen to the Rain)”. In April 2015 Kristian performed the single live in front of over 3000 people, impressing the audience with a breathtaking combination of singing and choreography alongside his own dance crew, “KrisKrew”.

In August 2015, Kris left Russia to audition for the 4th season of X Factor Bulgaria and ended up as the runner-up in the top-rated TV music competition. He gained incredible popularity among audiences of all ages with his covers of hits by Justin Bieber, Hozier, Sam Smith, and Bruno Mars.

Shortly after his appearance on X Factor Bulgaria, he signed with Virginia Records, one of the most renowned and successful labels in the country. Kristian was featured in Bulgaria’s largest music event – the Coca-Cola The Voice Happy Energy Tour – and had the opportunity to sing for over 50,000 people at the tour’s finale in Sofia. His debut single in Bulgaria “Ne si za men (Not For Me)” was released a month after the tour. It stayed at #1 on the official Top 100 airplay chart for Bulgarian music for two weeks, and was followed by an English-language version, “You Got Me Girl”. Less than 2 months later, the single “Vdigam Level” by Bulgarian hip-hop superstars Pavell & Venci Vecnc’, featuring vocals by Kristian, topped the charts for 14 consecutive weeks and racked up almost 6 million views on YouTube.
With roots in both Europe and Asia, a career that stems from successes in two nations, and skill in performing in multiple languages, Kristian Kostov is proud and humbled to be selected by broadcaster BNT to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision this year. He may only be sixteen years old (making him one of the first Eurovision performers born in the 21st century), but Kristian’s experience, poise, and talent go well beyond his years.