The eighth edition of Sofia Singer Songwriter Fest won by a Bulgarian

The international Sofia Singer Songwriter Fest was conducted for the eighth time but at a new location – the Swingin’ Hall club in the capital of Bulgaria. On October 5th and 6th, in a cozy atmosphere, thirteen talented artists from Bulgaria, Ireland, France and Slovenia displayed their skills.

After a heated semi-final on Saturday evening, seven finalists made it to a chance for the prizes and the grand finale:

SHTERION PILIDOV (Bulgaria)
LUKE CLERKIN (Ireland)
VASSIL BOZAJEAN-VASKЕ (Bulgaria)
EVELYNE GALLET (France)
BOZHIDAR BANOV-PORTO (Bulgaria)
VIOLINA DOTSEVA (Bulgaria)
ANTOAN ANTONOV (Bulgaria)

The veterans of the jury – Plamen Sivov (Tochka BG) and Vasko Gromkov (BNT) – were joined this year by Slovenia’s star, the singer Ditka, winner of Sofia Singer Songwriter Fest in 2019. They assessed participants in accordance with five criteria: music, lyrics, vocal skills, playing skills and stage presence.

Samuel Manuelian (Saturday) and the Sha-Sha Duet (Sunday) also gave recitals, as did the guest-star Ditka from Slovenia, accompanied on the piano by her father, the renowned musician Gorazd Cepin. Sofia Singer Songwriter Fest’s director, Lilly Drumeva, premiered her new song together with the Sha-Sha Duet.

Third prize (high-end microphone and headphones provided by Factor Music House) was awarded to the singer Evelyne Gallet from France. Ireland’s representative – Luke Clerkin – took second place. He won ten hours of studio recording time at Retro Studio. And Kremona–Bulgaria’s beautiful guitar costing BGN 2,000 did not leave our country this year – the undisputable winner of SSSF 2024 was SHTERION PILIDOV, “guitarist of the starts”.

Sofia Singer Songwriter Fest’s eighth edition was dedicated to Simon & Garfunkel, the legendary folk duo, who created powerful songs with powerful messages, brilliant vocals and a dazzling guitar. The year 2025 marks 55 years since the song Bridge Over Troubled Water was written, which turned into a true hymn. The grand finale saw all artists perform this immortal song together, paying homage to the two great musicians.