Minutes after Bangaranga’s first Eurovision victory, lead singer Dara confessed the group nearly pulled out weeks before the contest. In a chaotic backstage interview, Dara told reporters the band was ‘hours from walking away’ due to a funding row with the national broadcaster. Sources confirm Dara threatened to withdraw after discovering their performance budget had been slashed by 40 per cent without notice.
‘We were told to do it on a shoestring. It felt like sabotage,’ Dara said. The revelation throws suspicion on broadcaster bosses who now face questions over the last-minute cash crisis.
Dara’s gamble paid off, but the victory still rings hollow: the money problems were buried until now.
