Lili Ivanova, the Prima of Bulgarian pop music will perform a concert in Brussels

The biggest name in Bulgarian pop music, Lili Ivanova, will perform a special concert in Brussels on March 6, 2024, at the iconic FLAGEY hall.

The event is at the invitation and under the patronage of MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk.

Lili Ivanova Foundation will be presented in the European Parliament. The aim is to promote Bulgarian music and culture. Lili Ivanova will also be welcomed at the historic City Hall of the Belgian capital, which is located on the popular Grand Place.

The legendary Flagey hall is said to have one of the best acoustics in Europe. Built in the 1930s, in Art Deco style, this landmark building has been a favourite venue for concerts of jazz, world, classical and contemporary music from around the world.

Belgian Didrik de Schaetzen is the Secretary General of the ALDE party, but also a passionate pianist and lover of good music. Alongside the organisation of the concert, he has also discovered the music of Lili Ivanova. He calls her the Tina Turner of Eastern Europe.

"Culture is very important to me. I am working to make the European Union stronger, but a stronger European Union is not only Schengen, for example, but culture as well. Culture is what unites us. The presence of Lili Ivanova here in a place where Jacques Brel and many other legends have performed, means creating links between countries, and that is in fact the purpose of my work. This is what Ilhan Kyuchyuk does as ALDE Co-President - to unite the people of Europe, and culture is an essential element of this," said Didrik de Schaetzen, ALDE Secretary General.

The idea for Lili Ivanova's concert in Flagey came about by chance.

"One morning, as I was travelling to a political event, I decided to check the main news of the day. I logged on to the Epicenter website and saw that Valeria Veleva had done a big report on what Lili Ivanova wanted to do with everything she had, both material and memories. I understood that the idea was to set up a foundation. I was impressed by her story. I've always been impressed from a political point of view when American presidents have set up foundations after the end of their careers. I've been to many such events. And I decided to call Valeria Veleva so that Lili Ivanova's foundation could gain more visibility and a European dimension here in Brussels," said Ilhan Kyuchyuk, MEP, Co-President of ALDE.

For an artist like Lili Ivanova, the best way to raise awareness is of course a concert.

"Lili Ivanova has been singing all her life. We decided to do concert here in Brussels, in Flagey - in this very famous hall. So that Lili Ivanova's songs can be heard by Bulgarians who have been living here for many years, but also so that her work can be promoted among foreigners who will probably come to hear her here. Lili Ivanova is the most significant name in the history of Bulgarian Pop Music. I have always associated her name with Bulgaria," Kyuchyuk added.

This will be Lili Ivanova's first concert in Brussels. A few years after her concert in another legendary hall - the Olympia in Paris - the singer will for the first time sing in front of Bulgarians in the Belgian capital. The organizers of the concert in Flagey hope this time to attract even more fans, not only Bulgarian.

"I want to make it possible for this concert to be heard by many people - to be covered by the international media, for ambassadors to come, for people who appreciate culture and art, to give the opportunity for many people to see, hear and bow before the enormous talent of Lili Ivanova. So we are expecting everyone on March 6, here in this wonderful hall at 8 pm to enjoy what Lili Ivanova will present to us".

The team of organisers from the Flagey are proud of their hall and look forward to welcoming Lili Ivanova in it.

"We are in the famous Studio 4, which has one of the best acoustics in all of Europe. "The Flagey was built in the 1930s, it was the first building of the Belgian National Institute for Radio Broadcasting ," said Daniel Hennix - Flagey.

In the 1980s, Belgian public service radio and television moved out of Flagey, and a major restoration began before the 1990s. Prominent public figures, patrons and businessmen joined forces and resources to restore an outstanding cultural heritage. For the first time in the country's history, 30 Belgian companies worked together to save the architectural masterpiece and restore it to its original glory. The typical Art Deco style of the façade has been preserved inside.

World-famous pianists, jazz musicians and other artists choose the Flagey not only for concerts but also for studio recordings.

Most of the tickets for Lili Ivanova's concert at the Flagey are already sold. On March 6, among the hits of the Bulgarian pop music star, the fans will hear Shturche, Panairi, Detelini, Vetrove, Camino, Neveroyatno, Iskam te, Preuprezhdenie, Prisada, Sulza, Pokrusa, and many others, as well as her latest song Dva Belega (Two Scars). On stage with the legendary Lili Ivanova will be her musicians from LI ORCHESTRA.