The controversial musical genre is coming out of the shadows.
The recent news about Zagreb getting a new radio station, Extra FM radio, which will play turbofolk music has caused quite a stir, reports Jutarnji List on April 29, 2018.
Turbofolk is a controversial musical style in Croatia, mostly due to the fact that it is primarily identified with the eastern part of former Yugoslavia. Still, despite all the controversies and very low quality, it is very popular in the country. There is a media embargo, which means that the genre is banned from most television and radio stations, but clubs playing turbofolk are filled with young and old, many of whom often do not even admit to listening to such music.
Sociologists Krešimir Krolo, Sven Marcelić and Željko Tonković from the Department of Sociology of the University of Zadar have conducted a survey among 2,650 high school students in six of the largest towns on the Adriatic coast: Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik. The results present a more comprehensive picture of cultural needs, participation and values among young people, but a significant part of the research was focused on the issue of turbofolk music.
“If we look at the socio-demographic characteristics of people who prefer turbofolk, a clear statistical picture emerges. It should be noted, however, that these categories are never absolute, and that we can only outline a type of person who is more likely to be a turbofolk consumer,” the sociologists point out.
The primary influence is the parents. It is less likely that children whose parents are highly educated will listen to the genre than children whose parents have completed just high school.
Also significant is the kind of music that children are surrounded by when growing up. Students whose parents listen to local pop music are more likely to listen to turbofolk than children of parents who prefer foreign music. The authors of the research call it the intergenerational transfer of cultural capital. The study has also shown that there is a negative link between turbofolk and genres such as rock, jazz, classical music, hip-hop and reggae.
“As for the worldview and values, students who listen to turbofolk will probably be inclined to support rightwing positions and be more religious, as well as less tolerant towards minorities and homosexuals. This is a highly important finding in the context of the debate about turbofolk as a potential ‘pollution’ for Croatian culture. Statistically speaking, it is more likely that such music will be listened to by those who declare themselves to be more patriotic and conservative than the average citizen,” said the sociologists.
Furthermore, turbofolk is a more “female” genre, it is more liked by children from smaller towns, and it is more often listed to by students of vocations schools.
Still, listening to turbofolk among younger generations is devoid of the political burden which is attributed to it by older generations, the sociologists concluded.
Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Petra Plivelić).
