Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Bulgaria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "DJ, Take Me Away" written by Dian Savov. The song was performed by the group Deep Zone and Balthazar. The Bulgarian broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) organised the national final Bŭlgarskata pesen v „Evroviziya 2008” in order to select the Bulgarian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 56 entries were selected to participate in the first phase of the national final, EuroBGvision, which consisted of three monthly selections. Fourteen entries qualified to compete in Bŭlgarskata pesen v „Evroviziya 2008” which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final held on 26 January 2008 and 23 February 2008, respectively. Eighteen entries competed in the semi-final and the top nine songs qualified to the final alongside three pre-qualified songs. In the final, public televoting exclusively selected "DJ, Take Me Away" performed by Deep Zone and Balthazar as the winning entry with 15.37% of the votes.
Deep Zone and Balthazar performing during the second semi-final
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the 2007 contest with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), the contest was held at the Belgrade Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May, and a final on 24 May 2008. The three live shows were presented by Serbian television presenter Jovana Janković and musician Željko Joksimović.
Belgrade Arena, Belgrade – host venue of the 2008 contest
Presenters Željko Joksimović and Jovana Janković during the first semi-final
The first logo, called "Mama 2008", was announced in October 2007. It was subsequently replaced in January 2008, after negative responses
Stage of the contest during the First Semi-final