Dara (Bulgarian singer)

This article is about the Bulgarian singer. For the South Korean singer, see Sandara Park. For the Moldovan singer, see Nicoleta Dara.

Dara
Dara in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Darina Nikolaeva Yotova
Born	(1998-09-09) September 9, 1998 Varna, Bulgaria
Origin	Varna, Bulgaria
Genres	Pop R&B synthpop
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Virginia
Website	https://www.virginiarecords.com/

Darina Nikolaeva Yotova (Bulgarian: Дарина Николаева Йотова, born September 9, 1998), better known by her stage name Dara 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.

Career

2015–16: X–Factor

Born in Varna, in 2015 Darina 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

Following her departure from The X Factor, Darina 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 September 29, directed towards an international audience.

On March 12, 2017, Dara released her second single entitled "Rodena Takava", also accompanied by a music video. A few months later, on July 21, 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'. On September 29, Dara's third single "Nedei" was released on YouTube with an official music video. On June 20, 2018, Dara released her fourth single entitled “Vse Na Men”, along with a music video.

In early 2020, Dara starred in the Bulgarian TV show Kato Dve Kapki Voda.

Since 2021, Dara has been a coach on The Voice of Bulgaria.

On March 7, 2022, Dara announced her debut album “Rodena Takava” set to be released on April 20, 2022, accompanied with a live concert showcasing the album in Joy Station, Sofia.

Discography

Dara discography
Music videos	6
Singles	10

Singles

As lead artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		BUL
"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
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		BUL
"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

Year	Title	Director	Artist(s)
As main performer
2016	"K'vo Ne Chu"	Lyusi Ilarionov, Andrey Andreev
2017	"Rodena Takava"	Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov
As featured performer
2017	"Nyama Da Si Tragnesh S Drug"	Lyusi Ilarionov, Georgi Markov	Plamen & Ivo featuring Dara, Pavell & Venci Venc'