Contemporary music in Bulgaria, as such, has developed in the country since 1989, after the fall of the communist system, as, indeed, in the Motherland. Until this moment, the only version of music that existed was pop music in the same form that existed and, alas, still exists in the former Soviet lands. Western music was censored and made available only through the efforts of sailors bringing back vinyl records from months-long international voyages. However, the 90s opened the door to music on a global scale, in all its diversity and diversity - reggae, hip-hop, rock, metal and punk. Western influence and the end of censorship gave rise to an incredible number of young performers who sought to express themselves at any cost - recording "albums" on cassettes in basement studios, distributing them among friends by dubbing them from cassette to cassette.
CHALGA
Throughout the 90s, traditional classical folk music, which is still widely revered in Bulgaria, begins to transform into Balkan pop-folk, otherwise known as chalga. The birth of this genre in Bulgaria's music scene owes its origins to the musical influences of Greece, Serbia and Turkey. This musical genre is filled with oriental motifs mixed with the modern sound of low-quality pop with catchy beats, the lyrics are characterized by superficiality and concentrate around the themes of ostentatious wealth, love (mostly unhappy), betrayal and public showdown based on all of the above problems.
Typical representatives are Azis, Kali, Galin, DesiSlava, Tedi Alexandrova, Vanya (performer, since Vanya is a female name in Bulgaria), Anelia, Emanuela, Preslava, Galena, etc.
Asis | watch clip
DesiSlava | watch clip
HIP-HOP
Between 1995 and the beginning of the 21st century, hip-hop culture in Bulgaria experienced rapid development. In 1996, one of the most famous Bulgarian rap groups “Ъpsurt” (Absurd) was formed. In 1994, Misha Shamara created the group “Gumeni Glavi” (Rubber Heads). A member of this group was also the rap artist 100 Kila (100 Kg), who later began a successful solo career. During the same period, well-known performers appeared to this day - the group DRS+, Knockout, Khorata na Izgreva (People of the Dawn), Wosh MC (an allegory with Losh MC, which is translated in Bulgarian as Bad MC), X-Team, Udarnata group, FARS , Logo5 (an allegory on the word “speech therapist”), Brother’s Quarters, Valek.
From 2000 to the present day, hip-hop music in Bulgaria continues to develop. New groups appear - Uma and Duma (social hip-hop), 187 Crew, MD Beddah, after 2010 performers - Crisco (the modern “star” of the Bulgarian hip-hop scene, in style and general impression painfully reminiscent of the famous one, but not for quality music, Timati), F.O., Dim4ou, Qvkata DLG, E.C.C.C, Keranov and others.
Pavell & Venci Venc | watch clip
Crisco | watch clip
POP
The modern pop scene in Bulgaria mainly consists of performers under 30 years of age who are trying to keep up with their Western colleagues and create the most modern pop sound, which in practice means copying Western trends in the realities of Eastern Europe. Light dance tunes suitable for the dance floors of coastal clubs, texts not burdened with deep meaning, video clips without claims to the originality of the story or picture. Typical representatives of this genre in modern Bulgaria are Christian Kostov, Plamen and Ivo, Geri Nikol, Dara, Pavel Kolev and Itsaka. Artists who create truly original sounds are usually not popular and are often not heard on radio stations. These include Milenita (jazz-pop, soul, R&B), DIA (creates songs combining classic folklore with the genres of dubstep, trap, drum and bass), Merudiya (reggae pop), Mitko Taralezhkov bggz and bat' Neven ( reggae-pop).
Christian Kostov | watch clip
Milenita | watch clip
DIA | watch clip