Gay chalga
Chalga Gay King Azis Sick of Bulgaria, Moves Abroad Forever
Azis, the platinum blond and openly lgbtq+ king of Bulgaria's popfolk, widely deemed as the most exotic and fascinating person in the country, has confirmed rumors he is packing up and moving abroad.
"I'm sick and tired of everything in this country! I'm sick and tired of the homophobia, the racism, the truth that the people here do not value my talent," Azis told 24 Hours daily.
"I am getting invitations for concerts abroad all the time. It is true, I am going away, but I won't tell you where."
After years of austerity during the communist regime, the long-overdue opulence and anti-institutional flavor that Bulgaria's popfolkmusic or chalga - as it is derogatorily called - brings has turned into a lifestyle and is considered prestigious in Bulgaria.
Azis ingenious notions have been eagerly embraced, spinning off into something way bigger than he has ever imagined.
Despite his complaints of lack of recognition, Azis seems to have replaced the weightlifters, the cheese and the yogurt as the recent stereotype about Bulgaria and has been basking in the spotlight of local and foreign media.
Even little
Sofia - Post Report Ask and Answers
Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
It's complicated. Bulgaria isn't like some countries where it is very deadly for LGBTQ folks but it is a place I'd be more alert about disclosing. There are pockets of safe spaces like The Steps which is a community territory that turns into a gay club on the weekends. There is a lesbian bar here, and an underground drag scene with drag bingo but generally I think the tides are changing. Bulgarians are becoming more accepting but safety is essential and it's important to watch out for. They do have Pride yearly and the crowd size seems to get bigger and bigger each year which gives me wish but again, be alert. - Jun 2023
This metropolis isn’t the best for anyone who considers themselves LGBT. While you can probably get around undetected, there have been previous physical attacks on the LGBT community. - Mar 2019
Never heard of any problems and I understand several openly gay people here. - Dec 2014
I think it is. - Aug 2014
Most people here are hostile towards gays. Bulgaria is still a conservative society overall. In the time I've been here I've never seen a gay couple walking
For so long I’ve wanted to share my adore of Chalga here on this blog but I’ve always felt that it needed a proper introduction so for the past two years I’ve position it off. I kept thinking I need to re-read the Bulgarian chapters of Princes Amongst Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians so that I hold the proper references to describe this musical manner. It is this manual that has the only English language research on Chalga, the Gypsy/Roma derived pop music of Bulgaria. (I approach these blog posts seriously, often doing more research for some of these posts than I would for my own papers in college and the sources for information are difficult at times to find.) I wanted to write the definitive English language reference for Chalga on the internet. Ah, what aspirations! They’ve kept me from sharing these videos all these years, despite my obsessive viewings, circle of friends chatter and Bulgarian correspondences.
Finally tonight, after a couple of glasses of my favorite wine (Marques de Riscal Rioja from Spain) I decided WTF, let’s just announce up some videos of good ol’ Azis and let the mouths drop open as they may. Also, as Youtube moves on in ye
Escape From Ignorance and Chalga (Part 3)
Cross-posted from JohnFeffer.com. John is currently traveling in Eastern Europe and observing its transformations since 1989.
Read Parts 1 and 2.
So, you enter in Canada and you make a decision not to pursue journalism…
I idea about becoming a journalist in Canada. But I was told at the National Institute of Broadcasting that I would have to take a coaching course. It would cost about $10,000. That was a lot of cash for me, basically all the cash that I’d brought with me. I had to reflect of my daughter and the price of her teaching. But I said, okay, if I take this course, then I will be able to get a occupation as a writer here in Canada. And they said, no, there was no such guarantee. They would try to help me. I thought that I just couldn’t take that chance. Same thing with teaching English as a second language in Toronto. One has to use years to receive their credentials established. Professionals trained outside of Canada, including teachers, have a very hard hour to get certified to become even supply [substitute] teachers, to get their foot in the door. And still there is no guarantee you would get
Chalga - Bulgaria's New Tackle Abroad
Provocative hip-shaking, scanty clothing, lewd lyrics, oriental motifs, fake eyelashes and tons of make-up. The ingredients of Bulgaria’s popfolk harmony or chalga - as it is derogatorily called - recently made a furore on the pages of foreign media, cementing its status as nothing short of a social phenomenon and a stereotype for Bulgaria.
Did this reach that natural?
Days before Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union on January 1, 2007, a high-ranking official at a EU member state embassy in Sofia sarcastically told me that "chalga is what you will bring into the EU". Four years later Bulgarians have proved him wrong, but the cliché about the country persists mostly thanks to the articles that appear in the foreign press.
Only this month two of the most respected media outlets in the world – Reuters and New York Times – picked platinum blond Azis, the openly gay King of Bulgaria’s popfolk, as the most exotic, interesting and key person in the state, drawing parallels to its political life and Bulgarians’ lifestyle. Azis seems to have replaced the weightlifters, the cheese and the yogurt