At the Bulgarian Christmas charity concert held at the end of December 2022, Dara Ekimova presented her version of one of the most beautiful Bulgarian pop songs - "Stay". The original version of the piece gained popularity several decades ago. It was performed by Bulgarian pop singer Pasha Hristova.

Parashkeva Stoyanova Hristova (who adopted the artistic pseudonym Pasha Hristova) began her professional music career at the Bulgarian National Radio, where she studied singing in the newly-established Pop Singers Studio. Her solo career began in 1966. One year later, she earned a gold medal and a first prize at the Fun Song Festival in Sochi, Russia. In 1970, she won third prize at the Golden Stag Festival in Brashov, Romania. In 1971, Pasha Hristova won first prize at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland. During her short life, she sang and recorded dozens of songs, which later became evergreen songs. She died at the age of 25 in a plane crash at Sofia Airport.  

Today, young Bulgarian singer Dara Ekimova revives one of Pasha Hristova’s iconic songs- “Ostani/Stay”, with subtlety, emotion and vocal mastery.

Stay is among the songs that are closest to my heart. It is the anthem of eternal love and its incarnations. It is an honor to sing this song, said Dara Ekimova:

"Stay" is a very personal song. One can't convey the message of the lyrics if one doesn‘t have the emotional intelligence", Dara Ekimova noted, "This song is about true love and you can feel it in every word. I just feel what it's saying to me. "Beautiful when you come, twice more beautiful when you go"- is such a powerful sentence.

Renowned Bulgarian singer Pasha Hristova performed the song for the first time in 1971 at the Golden Orpheus Festival. “Stay” is composed by pianist Nikolay Arabadzhiev. Bulgarian poet Dimitar Vasilev authored the lyrics of the piece. Dara Ekimova’s version is performed by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor- Levon Manukyan. Levon Manukyan also authored the arrangement of the song.

Dara Ekimova is among the most promising young Bulgarian pop singers. She is a brilliant vocalist and artist, and a very talented author. In 2022, she released her first EP “Don't Wake Me Up”.

Dara Ekimova has more about her version of the song “Stay”:

"I received a proposal to sing this song and I wondered whether I would be able to do it? Pasha Hristova is an absolutely brilliant vocalist and artist - extremely subtle, extremely beautiful, sings high notes with ease. Incidentally, I had a conversation in which I said that this is really my very, very favourite song. And I said to myself - we have to record it. I recognize myself in the song. I was not aiming to repeat anything at all. I just feel the song in me. It's a very strange feeling."