Manele (from Romanian, ''fem.'' ''sg.'' manea; ''pl.'' manele, the plural form being more common) is a genre of

pop folk Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

music from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

. The manele can be divided into "classical manele" and "modern manele". The "classical manele" are a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

-derived genre performed by

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

musicians called lăutari in a lăutărească manner, while the "modern manele" are a mixture of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

, Bulgarian and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

elements, generally using modern (electronic) instruments and beats. Similar music styles are also present in other

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

areas, like

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and with expatriates and emigrants originally from these regions. Related genres are Bulgarian ''

Chalga Chalga (; often referred to as pop-folk, short for "popular folk" or ethno-pop, short for "ethnic pop") is a Bulgarian music genre. Chalga or pop-folk is essentially a folk-inspired dance music genre, with a blend of Bulgarian music (Bulgarian e ...

'' (manele brought by Romanian visitors to Bulgaria is referred to as "Romanian chalga"), Greek modern ''

Skiladiko Skiladiko or Skyladiko , ( gr, Σκυλάδικο), is a derogatory term to describe a branch of laiko music and some of the current nightclubs in Greece in which this music is performed. It also refers to the so-called "decadent" form of laiko ...

'' and Serbian ''

Turbo-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria ( chalga), Romania ( mane ...

'', each one being a mixture of local folk Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian influences over a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

tune.

History

Early references to the terms ''manea'' and ''manele'' appear in Romanian texts from the late 18th and early 19th century, during the period of Turkish

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

over the Romanian principalities, as a genre of dance music brought by

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

from

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. This dance had no text. Some of these classical manele have been adapted during the ages. In the 1960s a type of lăutarească manea appeared, by adding texts to the geampara, a type of lăutaresc genre of Turkish origin. The modern manele originated in the 1980s and early 1990s as translations and imitations of Turkish and Arabic songs. A well known Romanian manele singer,

Adrian Copilul Minune Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ...

traces it to a genre known as "turceasca" (Turkish), .D. Cobuz with A. Simionescu
Meşterul Manele
("The Manele Master"), ''Jurnalul Naţional''; in the same interview, Adrian Minune also claimed having featured in "hundreds of albums" and having composed "many, thousands..." of songs The genre has been rocked by accusations of plagiarism a number of times, with manele singers adapting popular songs from

and

, without giving due credit. The accusations increased especially after the hit "De ce mă minţi" ("Why are you lying to me?") proved to be a mere cover of

Despina Vandi Despina Vandi - ΣΤΑ 'ΔΩΣΑ ΟΛΑΑ ( el, Δέσποινα Βανδή, ), born as Despina Malea () on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six y ...

's song "M'agapas"/"Ah kardoula mou". Further plagiarism accusations surrounded a well known manele singer's track called "Supărat"("Upset") which was proven by third parties to be plagiarized from a

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

song (Umoran by

Jasmin Stavros Milo Vasić (born 1 November 1954), better known as Jasmin Stavros, is a Croatian pop musician. One of his most popular songs remains "Dao bih sto Amerika" (''I Would Give a Hundred Americas''), which relates to his time spent in the United State ...

).M. Manega
Cui ii e frica de manele?
("Who's afraid of manele") '' Jurnalul Naţional'' Although this song was not technically a manea, it furthered the controversy surrounding this music genre and Romania's image. Most radio and television channels or media boycott manele music.

Characteristics

Manele is a mixture of "oriental" Romanian folk and contemporary pop music with bases on Balkan influences The lyrics usually refer to themes of love, enemies, money, alcoholism and difficulties of life in general, or some of the songs are specifically dedicated to parties, weddings, funerals, etc. Manele style contains objections to music primitiveness and low performance.

Subject matter and style

Manele are widely criticized for their lyrical content, which often consists of boasts about the singer's supposed sex appeal, intellect, wealth, social status, and superiority over so-called "enemies". Many singers use bad grammar, repetitive and simplistic rhymes suitable for

chanting A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

and are sometimes vulgar and/or misogynistic. Singers sometimes make trilling or yelling sounds during instrumental parts of their songs, an aspect that has been parodied many times. Some manele also have music videos, of which many are of poor quality while others are recorded in nightclubs or during private parties. Manele composers and players also use the term "oriental music" or "party music" for their creation, and consider their music a sub-genre of traditional, folk

Roma music Romani music (often referred to as gypsy or gipsy music, which is sometimes considered a derogatory term) is the music of the Romani people who have their origins in northern India but today live mostly in Europe. Historically nomadic, though n ...

. Traditional Roma music is usually played on classical instruments by a live band (taraf) of lăutari and has classical lyrics, while manele is usually sung by only one performer using modern instruments (generally

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

s) as backup. Most manele are recorded in small recording studios, owned by the singer himself or by a group of singers, since major recording labels refuse to contract them. However, there are some exceptions: for example, Stana Izbaşa and

Nicu Paleru Nicu Paleru (born April 23, 1973, Pitești, Muntenia) is a well-known Romanian manele musician. Part of the party music since the early 1990s, he finally attained national success in the late 1990s with the help of a Romanian TV show dedicated to p ...

sing live, often with traditional instruments.

Etymology and usage

The word "manea" is of Turkish origin: ''

mâni Mâni is a form of Turkish folk song in quatrains A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines. Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civiliz ...

'' is a form of Turkish folk song, in form of

quatrains A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines. Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gre ...

. The word "manea" is the singular form and it refers to the musical piece itself, as belonging to Manele genre. The accent is on the second syllable: maneá. The plural version, more commonly used, manele, refers to: *the musical genre (e.g.: "I'm listening to ''manele''.", in Romanian: "Ascult ''Manele''.") *two or more manea songs (e.g.: "What are the latest ''manele'' (songs) you know?", in Romanian: "Care sunt cele mai noi ''manele'' pe care le stii?) The adjective form of the word is ''manelist'', which is sometimes used in Romanian with a pejorative figurative form.

Manele fashion

Manelists have created a distinct image on the Romanian music scene, by showing their own fashion style. Many of the manelists use luxurious and casual, even styles combined altogether to form the specific manele fashion. Typical manele apparel includes flashy jewelry and affordable luxury clothing brands (such as

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as ...

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cos ...

) or certain sport brands (especially

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

). Such brands are an important part of manele culture, and they are even featured sometimes in lyrics.

Public opinion

Manele are a strongly disputed genre in Romania, with many representatives of Romanian upper-middle and intellectual class opposing this "musical" movement (and its popularization) mostly because of its usage of faulty grammar, overly simplistic or childish lyrics and subject matter and/or encouragement of demeaning behaviours towards other people, as well as an antisocial overall message. The fact that manele lyrics are considered by many to be rude and of poor taste, coupled with widespread racist feelings against Roma ethnics (Țigani/Gypsies), who account for the bulk of manele performers, has led to increasing hostility between fans and opponents. This has generated frequent conflicts between the two, often in the form of internet flame wars. In the media, manele have been repeatedly called by journalists and academics (such as the literary critic

George Pruteanu George Mihail Pruteanu (; 15 December 1947 – 27 March 2008) was a Romanian literary critic and politician. He was born in Bucharest in 1947. His father, , was a Jewish medical doctor and a university professor who studied the history of Moldavian ...

) "pseudo-music", "pure stupidity, inculture and blah-blah" or even "society's bed-wetter".D. Andronie
Este pişoarca societăţii
("It's society's bed-wetter"), ''Jurnalul Naţional'' C. Tepercea, a National Audio-visual Board member who did a study on the genre for the board considered it "the genre for the mentally challenged" in an interview.D. Andronie with C. Tepercea
Fariseism şi manelism
("

Pharisee The Pharisees (; he, פְּרוּשִׁים, Pərūšīm) were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs be ...

ism and manelism"), ''Jurnalul Naţional'' Even proposals to ban this type of music have been voiced. Romani-Romanian classical musician and politician

Mădălin Voicu Mădălin Ştefan Voicu (born 10 July 1952, in Bucharest) is a Romanian musician and politician of Romani ethnicity. Voicu is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and has been a parliamentarian in the Chamber of Deputies since 1996. He ...

distinguishes between the original genre and today's interpreters, calling their work "kitsch and bad taste", "bad merchandise, easy to sing, and only sold to fools at a high price", but considers them to be "harmful", "simple music and brain damaging", "a representation of the lack of musical culture in society" and "a fad that is poised to vanish in the future". Romanian-American professor Cezar Giosan further compares the genre in an article in ''

Dilema Veche ''Dilema veche'' ( English: "Old Dilemma") is a Romanian weekly magazine that covers culture, social topics, and politics. It was founded in 2004 as the successor to the magazine ''Dilema'', which was founded in 1993. Both magazines were founded by ...

'' with the early stages of rock-and-roll (and

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

), early rap and reggaeton, music starting out from the outcast classes of society, being shunned by the higher classes for the simple reason of its origin, only to explode into mainstream later on.C. Giosan
Maneaua
, ''Dilema Veche'' The same professor considers the genre as being a form of originality coming from below, with the singers having a genuine (albeit rough and uneducated) talent in music, with the lyrics being just a reflection of basic, simple human needs. In a similar vein, Sorin Adam Matei, an associate professor of communication at Purdue University, US, affirmed in an opinion piece for ''

Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name means "today's even (news)". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nistorescu and Mihai Cârciog, and ...

'' that manele are a creole genre, a simple, but lively music, spawned by the meeting of many cultures, that has a chance to succeed as a cultural style if it is polished and "cleaned up". Both consider that manele is a valuable representation of Romanian popular culture, and would like it encouraged. Famous Romani-Romanian violin player

Florin Niculescu Florin Niculescu (born February 8, 1967 in Bucharest) is a Romanian violinist of Romani (Gypsy) ethnicity. Family background and education Niculescu was born into a family of educated '' lăutari''. Everybody in his family was involved in music: ...

said that manele singers are talented, but lack musical education. On Romanian television stations, manele performers and music are particularly seen on specialized manele television stations, such as

Taraf TV ''Taraf'' ("Side" in Turkish) was a liberal newspaper in Turkey. It had distinguished itself by opposing interference by the Turkish military in the country's social and political affairs. It was distributed nationwide, and had been in circulat ...

or Manele TV. While mainstream radio stations do not air manele, a lot of smaller stations do, especially in Romania's capital, Bucharest. Occasionally, manele interpreters appear on New Year's Eve programs on television stations.

Prohibition

Manele have been prohibited in some cities of Romania in public transport, taxis or festivals.

Notable performers

Pre 1984: Manele lăutăreşti

* Brothers Gore (Aurel and Victor Gore) - instrumental manele *

Gabi Luncă Gabi Luncă (16 October 1938 – 2 April 2021) was a Romanian-Romani lăutar musician. Born in Vărbilău, Prahova County, Romania, she was also a folk singer. Life Her father was also part of the ''lăutari'', a very respected violinist be ...

Romica Puceanu Romica Puceanu ( rmy, Romika Puchanu; 1926–1996) was a Romanian Romani people singer and interpreter of urban lăutărească music from Romania. Early life Puceanu started to sing professionally when she was 14, with the "Brothers Gore taraf ...

1984–1991: First modern manele (adding electronic sound)

* Azur (vocalist: Nelu Vlad) - the first band to use electronic beats * Albatros (vocalist: Iolanda Cristea a.k.a. Naste din Berceni) * Generic (vocalist: Dan Ciotoi) * Miracol C (vocalist: Cezar Duţu a.k.a. Cezarică) * Odeon (vocalist: Costel Geambaşu)

1992–2004: Post-revolution period

* Dan Armeanca - considered the godfather of Romani pop *

Adrian Minune Adrian Minune (real name Adrian Simionescu, born 24 September 1974) is a Romanian manele singer of Romani descent. One major hit for the Manele Singer was at the Neversea Festival in 2019, when the swedish DJ Salvatore Ganacci honored him by ...

(previously Adrian Copilul Minune, Adi de Vito) *

Costi Ioniță Constantin "Costi" Ioniță (), known as Costi (born 14 January 1978) is a Romanian singer regarded as one of the most celebrated ethnic Romanian vocalists of ''muzică orientală'' (manele).Margaret H. Beissinger, ''"Muzică Orientală": Identit ...

* Carmen Şerban

2004–present: Contemporary manele

Popular performers include

Florin Salam Florin Stoian (born 1 October 1979), better known by his stage name Florin Salam, is a Roma manele singer. Beginnings Salam was born into a family of lăutari. During his adolescence, he sang together with his father and uncle's ensembles. Aft ...

Nicolae Guță Nicolae Linguraru is a Romani manele singer. Musical career Guță started as a singer and accordionist in the late 1980s, playing lăutărească music. He released his debut album in 1992. Two years later, he released his first mainstream hit � ...

Vali Vijelie Vali Vijelie is a popular manele Manele (from Romanian, ''fem.'' ''sg.'' manea; ''pl.'' manele, the plural form being more common) is a genre of pop folk music from Romania. The manele can be divided into "classical manele" and "modern mane ...

Sandu Ciorba Alexandru Ciorba, better known as Sandu Ciorba, is a Romanian singer-songwriter known for his work in the "etno" musical genre (Romanian folkloric music with a modern twist). His singles "Dalibomba" and "Pe Cimpoi" have become Viral video, viral ...

, and DeSanto.

References

Notes

The notes of a conference on manele at the "National Peasant Museum"

Interview with ethnomusicologist Speranţa Rădulescu

External links

Manele

Radio Manele

VXer targets Romanian gypsy music
{{Pop music Romanian music Pop music genres Balkan music Turkish words and phrases