My Eurovision guilty pleasure is Poli Genova’s If Love Was a Crime (Bulgaria 2016). The chorus is simple, the lyrics are nothing deep, but it grabs me right away. The “Oi dai mne lyubov ta” hook in Bulgarian sticks in my head long after it ends.
Poli came out in a mostly black leathery outfit with a cape, with neon lights running along her legs and glowing on the shoulder pads. It was sleek and striking without being too much. Then there was that little leg move she did, which could have looked awkward, but with the lights it became oddly memorable. Bulgaria hadn’t made much impact at Eurovision for years, and this performance finally put them back on the map with a top 5 finish.
It’s a guilty pleasure because it’s straightforward pop, a little flashy, the kind of entry people might roll their eyes at and then secretly add to their playlists. And yes, every time it comes on, I’m all in.