Last time around I was very skeptical with Bulgaria, the staging leaving me rather cold and disappointed, partly because of the huge expectations the delegation created and being less authentic, raw and original than what the official video clip promised. Kristian also felt distant and not really relatable in which was a modern looking but ultimately underwhelming concept with video effects that are not really adding anything to the performance.

A lot of these issues remain and the overall impression of the act feels very staged and artificial.
But they did rework some aspects for the better today.
Kristian was styled differently which helped a lot with connection. He also dropped most of the ghostly faces into the camera he had in the 1st rehearsal, so he was improved overall. His falsettos he visibly has to put a lot of effort in and it doesn't always sound great, but solid enough.
The backdrop has some new elements and they have some much stronger camera angles now to create the illusion of space more efficiently, same can be said for the camera during the rain. It is a visual masterpiece of nonsense.

Not everyone will 'feel' this entry, but it doesn't have to convince everybody to do well in the contest.

Viktorija, the singer of Fusedmarc seems to be having some sound issues today. During the first run she didn't sing most of the bridge and at the start of the second one she sounded very soft. Other than that, it still looks and sounds the same. Not surprising as they are completely focused on this song.

Now that I've seen the staging from Bulgaria from the hall, I like it even less than the first time. The stage looks very empty and dark and some of the visuals make it look only bigger (and emptier), thinking mostly about the 'box' that appears on the large led screen after the panels around and above him rise into the air. On a positive note, these panels don't interview with the view of the audience.

What I think has improved is the way Kristian looks. He is now all dressed in black, which looks better than the black and white from a few days ago. Vocally he is excellent and the song is very accessible. So,all in all, mixed feelings on this for me as well.

When in the interview after the first rehearsal Ksenia mentioned that she will wear another dress, I was a bit disappointed as I already loved what she was wearing. Luckily, now I see there is no need for that as this new long, white dress is at least as stunning.

The backdrop is beautiful. The city images remind me a bit of what can be seen in some Harry Potter movies, flying through the city. In the hall we see more of that on screen, but in this case it looks great whether you see it in the hall or on the tv-screens. I also love how Ksenia and Artyom show even more chemistry and dance more. It sounds great, it looks great, this could and should be Belarus' best result ever by a mile.