One of many Bulgarian children across the world has welcomed with excitement the first school day thousands of kilometers away from Bulgaria. Although she is far from her homeland, Gabriela Ivanova has not stopped studying her native language and culture at the Bulgarian school "Raina Knyaginya" in Dublin. She arrived in the Irish capital city a year ago with her parents and says that she has already adapted to the new environment and has many Irish friends. She adds that what connects her most to her homeland is her love for Bulgarian music.

Gabi is just 11-years-old, but she has over 30 national and international music awards. At the age of 5 she became part of the Pim-Pam Children's Choir and she sang in the Children's Choir of the Sofia Philharmonic. She has worked hard in the fields of pop, jazz and folk singing, played the piano, and in Dublin attended the Art School at Gaiety Theater. Her voice has very wide range and this is most evident when she sings folk songs. "I really enjoy singing Bulgarian folk music and I feel proud in such moments. Bulgarian music is very beautiful, but also difficult to perform," Gabriela says.

Despite the fact she lives in Ireland, the girl insists on musical training by Bulgarian pedagogues. But how does her training go? "They contact me via Skype. I sing online and the teacher listens to me and corrects me. It's very cool! ” the girl says and tells us more about her Irish school:

"Because of the coronavirus, we are now not allowed to sing in class. But once, when I was making a presentation of Bulgarian costumes and traditions at school, the other children secretly asked me to sing them something. I cannot sing quietly and when I started singing, they were all amazed!" she says.

Her latest performance is the music video "S men i teb", produced by the Bulgarian hip-hop, R'n'B singer and producer VenZy.

VenZy himself takes part in the video, as well as some of Gabriela's friends. The song takes us back to our most carefree childhood days to remind us what it's like to be young and positive again. "The message is about the importance of having friends and good relationships between people, and not to hate," she says. The young singer adds that in addition to rehearsals, music contests and homework, she has plenty of time to play and socialize. Gabriela also enjoys attending the Bulgarian school at the end of the week and thanks to her Bulgarian teachers in Dublin, the girl does not lag behind when it comes to the educational system of her homeland.

"The program is exactly the same, but presented in a more colorful way. In general, everything is done as a game, to show us that learning can be enjoyable, with the idea to inspire us to go to school with pleasure," the girl says. And this is how she sees her future: "Honestly, I want to become a famous singer and be able to go to big international music contests, such as Eurovision. I can achieve this with a lot of work and practice, but also with the help of my mother, who always supports me. My mom is great,” Gabriela Ivanova says in conclusion and we wish success to the talented girl!

Photos: Personal archive

English: Alexander Markov