Darina Nikolaeva Yotova (Bulgarian: Дарина Николаева Йотова, born 9 September 1998), better known by her stage name Dara (Bulgarian: Дара), is a Bulgarian pop singer, who rose to fame in late 2015 after reaching the final in the Bulgarian edition of The X Factor. She is currently signed to Virginia Records, and in 2016 she released her debut single "K'vo ne chu" under the label.[1]
Dara Дара | |
|---|---|
 Dara in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Darina Nikolaeva Yotova |
| Born | 9 September 1998 Varna, Bulgaria |
| Origin | Varna, Bulgaria |
| Genres | |
| Instrument |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | https://www.virginiarecords.com/ |
Career
edit2015–16: The X Factor
editBorn in Varna, in 2015 Yotova participated in the Bulgarian version of the reality show The X Factor where she finished third, with Bulgarian rapper Krisko being her mentor.
2016–present: Early career
editFollowing her departure from The X Factor, Yotova signed a record deal with Bulgarian music label Virginia Records and adopted the stage name Dara. In the summer of 2016, she released her debut single "K'vo ne chu", accompanied by a music video. A few weeks later, the single peaked the Bulgarian charts and a subsequent English version of the song by the name of "Onto You" was released on 29 September, directed towards an international audience.[2]
On 12 March 2017, Dara released her second single entitled "Rodena takava", also accompanied by a music video.[3] A few months later, on 21 July, she made her first guest appearance on a single named "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug" by labelmates Plamen & Ivo alongside Bulgarian hip-hop duo Pavell and Venci Venc'.[4] On 29 September, Dara's third single "Nedei" was released on YouTube with an official music video.[5] On 20 June 2018, Dara released her fourth single entitled "Vse na men", along with a music video.
In early 2020, Dara starred in the TV show Kato dve kapki voda, the Bulgarian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar.
Since 2021, Dara has been a coach on The Voice of Bulgaria. In 2022, on the ninth season, Jacklyn Tarrakci, a member of Team Dara, won the competition. This made Dara the winning coach. In 2024, on the eleventh season, Dara's artist Slaveya Ivanova won the competition, marking Dara's second win in four seasons as a coach.
On 7 March 2022, Dara announced her debut album Rodena takava set to be released on 20 April 2022, accompanied with a live concert showcasing the album in Joy Station, Sofia.
In March 2023, Kai released "Rover", a remake of Dara's original "Mr. Rover", with his solo album Rover.[6]
Discography
editThis section needs to be updated. The reason given is: There is no record of Dara's post-2021 releases whatsoever. (May 2023) |
| Dara discography | |
|---|---|
| Singles | 10 |
| Music videos | 6 |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUL [7] | |||||||||||||
| "K'vo ne chu" | 2016 | 1 | Non-album singles | ||||||||||
| "Rodena takava" | 2017 | 28 | |||||||||||
| "Nedei" | 6 | ||||||||||||
| "Vse na men" | 2018 | 9 | |||||||||||
| "Darbie" | 2019 | 3 | |||||||||||
| "Ella Ella" | 6 | ||||||||||||
| "Ai Ai" | 2020 | 16 | |||||||||||
| "Mamacita" | 37 | ||||||||||||
| "Cold as Ice" | 2021 | 2 | |||||||||||
| "Thunder" | 1 | ||||||||||||
| "In My Head" | 2023 | 1 | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUL [7] | |||
| "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug" (Plamen & Ivo featuring Dara, Pavell & Venci Venc') |
2017 | 16 | Non-album singles |
| "My Time" (Monoir featuring Dara) |
2018 | 31 |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Director | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| As main performer | |||
| 2016 | "K'vo ne chu" | Lyusi Ilarionov, Andrey Andreev | |
| 2017 | "Rodena takava" | Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov[8] | |
| As featured performer | |||
| 2017 | "Nyama da si tragnesh s drug" | Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov | Plamen & Ivo featuring Dara, Pavell & Venci Venc' |
References
edit- ^ "Дарина Йотова - Dara: Честити ми 18" [Darina Yotova - Dara: Happy 18th birthday]. Signal.bg (in Bulgarian). September 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ DARA - Onto You (Official HD). Virginia Records. September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ DARA - Rodena Takava (Official 4k). Virginia Records. March 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Plamen & Ivo feat. DARA, Pavell & Venci Venc'- Nyama da si tragnesh s drug (Official Video). Virginia Records. July 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ DARA- Nedei (Official Teaser). Virginia Records. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ K-pop суперзвезда се влюби в песен на DARA – KAI представи своя версия на „Mr. Rover”
- ^ a b For peak positions in Bulgaria:
- For "Thunder": "Dara - Thunder – Bulgarian Top 10 – 17.09.2021 - 22.19.2021 – International Top 10 – 17.09.2021 - 22.19.2021". IFPI Bulgaria. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- For others: "Dara - Music Charts".
- ^ DARA - Rodena Takava (Official Making). Virginia Records. March 24, 2017. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via YouTube.