Chalga
Chalga (Bulgarian: чалга; often referred to as pop-folk, short for "popular folk" or ethno-pop, short for "ethnic pop")[2][3] is a Bulgarian music genre. Chalga or pop-folk is essentially a folk-inspired dance music genre,[4] with a blend of Bulgarian music (Bulgarian ethno-pop genre)[5] and also primary influences from Greek, Turkish and Arabic.
Criticism[edit]
Chalga has become popular in "Chalga dance clubs" and Chalga-oriented pubs or bars. Most Chalga clubs or Pop-folk clubs are called 'дискотека' (discotheque). Chalga clubs are sometimes the most busy venues in Sofia and touristic venues. But this apparent success and upsurge in popularity has invited great controversy about Chalga and its quick proliferation and has led to some musical and linguistic research, critical study, and heated public discussions about the subject.[9]
Chalga proponents often claim Chalga or Pop-folk is the new Bulgarian folk music, but critics have demonstrated that it lacks connection to any indigenous music traditions and that its origins are largely Middle Eastern.[10] Nevertheless, the Chalga industry promotes Chalga as having Bulgarian-roots to the local population and to tourists,[11] with the latter accepting it as a novel approach to Balkan pop.
Chalga is often criticized for its "tawdriness", "loose morals",[12] its "disconnection from Bulgarian music tradition"s (i.e. its Middle Eastern, Arabic, Arabesque roots), and its sexually explicit lyrics. In addition, the Chalga industry has been criticized for "exploiting women and degrading them through sexism".
Chalga music videos often feature a wealthy man who spends money on promiscuous women and insinuate that they engage in indiscriminate sexual acts. Chalga lyrics focus predominantly on sexual intercourse, promiscuous behavior, sexism, and corruption.[13]
Chalga venues are largely criticized for not regulating entry by underage individuals and for failing to protect its customers from sexual assault by promoting sexual interactions. Chalga venues also do not regulate distribution of illicit drugs and are related to smuggling and drug-trafficking. Some artists, performers, and musicians shun the Chalga industry for undermining music creativity by encouraging formulaic and predictable music, plagiarism, and lewd lyrics.[14]
In addition, many Chalga critics claim the genre is made predominately for the minority Gypsy people.
There has been a long, intensive and very hostile rivalry between Chalga fans (or 'chalgadzhii'/'chalgari' (the latter is sometimes used as a derogatory term)) and heavy metal fans (or metalheads) in Bulgaria, due to genre and their respective subculture differences. Bulgarian metalheads tend to oppose Chalga due to its 'ethnic backwardness', proving that 'capitalism is only another modernist lie'.[15]
Lyrics and music videos[edit]
Modern-day Chalga or pop-folk lyrics and music videos have overwhelmingly liberal sexual content. The texts and/or lyrics, although sung primarily in Bulgarian, can be sung interchangeably in many languages and Bulgarian Chalga or Bulgarian Pop-folk have been subject of covers in a multiple of languages. But even in Bulgarian Chalga, sometimes especially in duet with foreign singer the actual Chalga song lyrics do contain a mixture of many languages – Bulgarian often mixed with some lyrics in [16] Serbian, Albanian, Turkish, Romani, Greek, Persian, Romanian, Arabic[17][18][19] and more recently with some lyrics in English, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian and German.
Because of its appeal and thanks to Bulgarian music television channels like Balkanika TV, Fan TV and Planeta TV, Chalga has become popular in other Balkan countries, notably North Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Turkey, and to a lesser extent in the post-Soviet nations of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.