Christian Kostov, who won second place for Bulgaria in 2017 with his song "Beautiful Mess," has praised Dara's performance at Eurovision 2023. "For me, Dara was the winner from the start. She never stopped showing that she was the piece of victory," he told bTV.

Kostov explained that they knew they would win at a certain point due to the simple mathematics of the scoring system. "Once we scored 30 or 40 points from the jury, all we had to do was count," he said.

The singer revealed that in the days leading up to the final, he was constantly in touch with Dara. "We were just enjoying the moment, and I needed to learn from her. She had the attitude that she had already won," Kostov shared.

According to Kostov, Dara's free spirit and confidence were the keys to her victory. "It was precisely 'Bangaranga' and the freedom of spirit. We need to believe in the impossible and then it becomes possible," he added.

Kostov expressed his admiration for the international audience's reaction to the Bulgarian performance. "Dara just took over everything. In the venue, in the press center—everyone was cheering, everyone was dancing. I didn't see a single unhappy person about the winner," he said.

The notion of Dara as a "Trojan horse" or "unexpected winner," as some international media described her, was entirely incomprehensible to Kostov. "There's no way it's just Bulgarians. I receive messages from people surrounded by 20 foreigners, and all of them support 'Bangaranga.' Everyone was of the same opinion that she should take the trophy," he explained.

Looking ahead to Bulgaria hosting Eurovision next year, Kostov expressed confidence that the country is ready for the event. "We need to show Sofia to people around the world. I think we are ready. We just need to start working on it now," he stated.

In a message to future contestants, Kostov said, "It doesn't matter if you're a superstar or a complete newcomer. Just go for it and enjoy the moment."