Dani Ilieva – the good girl of Bulgarian pop music

They call Dani Ilieva “the good girl of Bulgarian pop music”, and with good reason. Alongside her angelic voice, the young singer wins people over with her natural smile and her gift for turning small moments into big stories. On top of that, she is a wonderful conversationalist, as we found out during her visit to the Radio Bulgaria studio.

Despite being just 20 years old, she has already won more than 200 awards in national and international competitions. She is a familiar presence on stage and a favourite among students, who regularly invite her to perform at their school events.

Dani Ilieva’s journey to the big stage began in 2022 when she was just 16 years old. Together with fellow singer Emin Junaid, she captivated the jury with the song Ne te zabravyam (I Can’t Forget You). The duo went on to become the outright winners of one of Bulgaria’s oldest and most prestigious music competitions, Burgas and the Sea.

“That was the moment when I realised what it means to perform my own song and feel the audience’s love,” says Dani Ilieva when asked which festival or competition was the most emotional for her.

“Before that, the audience mostly consisted of parents, teachers, and close friends of the contestants. But at Burgas and the Sea, I felt like a bird whose cage had been opened, finally able to fly freely — in my case, to sing. I am so happy that this happened to me. After Burgas and the Sea, I began to dream more boldly – of bigger stages and of moving forward with original music and songs written especially for me.”

Those dreams soon became reality. In the years that followed, she represented Bulgaria at the International Festival in Sanya, China, and at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Rome. She also appeared on several popular TV shows and was selected for The Voice Global. Dani has continued to record original music, with her latest song, Nezhna Ludost (Tender Madness), released in November 2025. In the accompanying video, she charms viewers with both her performance and the striking scenery of the exotic Black Sea bay of Vromos.

• Dani Ilieva – very personal in “Nejna ludost”

Her vocal coach is Mihaela Marinova, one of Bulgaria’s leading young pop singers, whom Dani openly cites as a source of inspiration. She also works closely with Radomira Mihova, creator of the Successful Voice methodology and a lecturer in public speaking. Dani’s producer is composer Eftim Chakarov, to whom she credits much of her artistic growth — not only for her music, but also for her visual image and overall artistic direction. She is clearly focused on cultivating a personal style and producing original songs.

“What I definitely focus on are meaningful lyrics and beautiful melodies,” Dani says. “I really love ballads and I see how powerful they can be. When I performed Shte Tseluna Li in China, people in the audience were moved to tears. The song had a strong impact in the other countries where I performed it, too. In contrast, my song Taino, which I recorded a few months ago, is more dynamic and dance-oriented in a K-pop style. It’s very popular with schoolchildren, who often invite me to their events – I can see how much they genuinely enjoy it.”

Dani’s dog, Toby, also appears in the video for Taino. As it turns out, Toby has more experience of appearing in music videos than Dani herself. She does not hide the fact that he is very artistic and a great source of support.

At the end of our conversation, Dani Ilieva shared a Christmas greeting with the listeners of Radio Bulgaria: “I’m going to sing a little bit of my song Merry Christmas, and I hope people will be kind to each other and enjoy all the wonderful moments with their loved ones.”

She then sang in the studio:

A little star rose bright

From up above the sky.

My leaping heart alight,

said: It is Christmas time.

Posted in English by E. Radkova