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Don't Cry, Iraq! Pour in Champagne!*
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Popular pop-folk singer Ivana is one of most prolific performers in this music style in Bulgaria. She is ready to leave for Iraq, along with colleague singers, to entertain Bulgarian troops and boost their morale. Photo by tialoto.bg
By Ivelina Puhaleva
Arts and music have never known boundaries to reach people's souls and bring in the messages of their authors or performers.
But how would a patch of Bulgarian music appear on the blood-bathed and war-torn canvass of the Iraqi reality?
I couldn't help ask myself that question when hearing about the intentions of Bulgarian pop-folk divas to leave for Iraq and visit the Bulgarian troops there "in a bid to boost their morale." Frankly said, if it happens, they will not be pioneers in staging life concerts at military bases, as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Cher and Mariah Carey have tempted to do it over the years.
Bulgarian pop folk industry have budded in the last decade rocketing scores of young ladies into the stardom of beloved popular singers in Bulgaria. Pop folk music has left far behind pop, rock and any other music style performed in Bulgaria.
The about-face stars Gloria, Ivana, Gergana, Kamelia, Reni, Anelia, whose changed outlook feeds permanently the yellow pages of newspapers and magazines, are quite popular not only in Bulgaria, but in various countries abroad, as the TV stations broadcasted by their producers are launched on global satellites.
Their household names have cashed in real fortunes for once completely unknown males and females, some of whom have now shifted eyes to enter Bulgarian parliament at next elections in June this year. And poll opinions give them a good chance to succeed!
Why to wonder then that a pop-folk-flagged delegation of music and entertainment would meet any obstacles to be again the first to arrive at Bulgarian troops in Diwaniya, while in Sofia Bulgarian MPs check in the security conditions at the far-distance land to make an official visit.
So - don't cry Iraq, pour in the champagne*!
* One of the chart-breaking hits of Ivana is called "Champagne and Teardrops", a cover of a popular Serbian song.
Arts and music have never known boundaries to reach people's souls and bring in the messages of their authors or performers.
But how would a patch of Bulgarian music appear on the blood-bathed and war-torn canvass of the Iraqi reality?
I couldn't help ask myself that question when hearing about the intentions of Bulgarian pop-folk divas to leave for Iraq and visit the Bulgarian troops there "in a bid to boost their morale." Frankly said, if it happens, they will not be pioneers in staging life concerts at military bases, as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Cher and Mariah Carey have tempted to do it over the years.
Bulgarian pop folk industry have budded in the last decade rocketing scores of young ladies into the stardom of beloved popular singers in Bulgaria. Pop folk music has left far behind pop, rock and any other music style performed in Bulgaria.
The about-face stars Gloria, Ivana, Gergana, Kamelia, Reni, Anelia, whose changed outlook feeds permanently the yellow pages of newspapers and magazines, are quite popular not only in Bulgaria, but in various countries abroad, as the TV stations broadcasted by their producers are launched on global satellites.
Their household names have cashed in real fortunes for once completely unknown males and females, some of whom have now shifted eyes to enter Bulgarian parliament at next elections in June this year. And poll opinions give them a good chance to succeed!
Why to wonder then that a pop-folk-flagged delegation of music and entertainment would meet any obstacles to be again the first to arrive at Bulgarian troops in Diwaniya, while in Sofia Bulgarian MPs check in the security conditions at the far-distance land to make an official visit.
So - don't cry Iraq, pour in the champagne*!
* One of the chart-breaking hits of Ivana is called "Champagne and Teardrops", a cover of a popular Serbian song.
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