What is “chalga” genre in Bulgarian music?
15: They were silly, kitsch, synthesized tunes, which started appearing in Bulgarian media, and in the general Bulgarian cultural life in the early 1990s. Now, chalga has successfully found a niche in the Bulgarian music scene with a new image and a new name: pop folk. Initially characterized by simplistic lyrics and ‘oriental’ street sound, chalga tunes have become more popular in a few short years than any other developing music genre in Bulgaria. It is no coincidence that some of the first and most popular chalga singers and musicians were Roma or ethnic Turks.
