Madlen Tomova is a 12-year-old Bulgarian girl who uses every free minute to develop her singing talent. She has been attending the school of vocal pedagogue Plamena Zlateva since she was a little child and today her musical talent has already been noticed and Madlen is a winner of a number of awards in Bulgaria and abroad. A week ago, the singer represented Bulgaria at the international Musicland competition, which is held in Ohrid and Bitola, North Macedonia. She won first prize with two songs, as she managed to overcome strong competition in her age category. This year, children from 16 countries participated in the competition, as representatives from Romania, Malta, Albania, Georgia, etc. stood out, the talented singer says.

The popular international Musicland competition this year celebrates 25 years since its establishment. According to the regulations, all participants are divided into age groups and are evaluated against competitors in the respective group. Plamena Zlateva was part of the 11-member international jury, but according to the regulations she did not have the right to vote for the Bulgarian participant.

"I fulfilled one of my huge musical dreams as I sang ‘The Show Must Go On’ live with the Bitola Chamber Orchestra at the gala concert. It was incredible and I will remember this emotion for a long time!", Madlen Tomova said after she placed first in the second age group for a pop song.

This is yet another recognition for the young singer. Last year she was chosen to represent Bulgaria on another prestigious stage - the international competition "Sanremo Junior" in Italy.

• Madlen Tomova is Bulgaria’s hope of success at Sanremo Junior 2024

"I met participants from all over the world. We were very impressed by the organization and preparation of everyone. The actual part of the competition took place in Ohrid, where I performed two of my favourite songs – one is the eternal hit by Queen ‘The Show Must Go On’ and the other was ‘Never Enough’ from the movie The Greatest Showman. After we sang them it was announced who the qualified participants for the gala evening were. This was one of the most important parts of the competition because out of all 33 participants, just 15 children qualify for this gala concert. In it, the performances are accompanied by a chamber orchestra and we were very happy when we found out that I was among the qualified ones. Another Bulgarian girl from the city of Targovishte also qualified. We were both very happy for this success. The greatest emotion was at the gala concert and there was a rehearsal in the morning together with the orchestra in the hall," Madlen Tomova says about her experiences.

"I've been dreaming of developing my music skills and being on stage since I was little," the young singer says. She has been singing since she was three years old and now her dream is already coming true as she achieves great successes.

Despite the strong competition among children of the same age as Madlen, she ultimately managed to convince the jury that she deserved the award the most and won the only first place in the category for 12-year-olds. She was also very impressed by the size of the hall where the gala concert in Bitola was held. The audience there raised the adrenaline of the young singer even more and she went on stage with a greater desire to perform brilliantly. At the end the applause sounded like a real promise of an award for the Bulgarian participant.

She has already understood the most important thing: when you want something and believe in it, you will always find time and dedicate yourself to it. And singing is a pleasure for Madlen. "When I sing, I relax and forget about all my everyday problems," the winner of the first prize in the Musicland competition in North Macedonia says.

Author: Gergana Mancheva
Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos and video: personal archive of Madelen Tomova, personal archive of Plamena Zlateva, facebook.com/voicewormup