Turbofolk in Everyday Life of Croatian Youth: From the Margins to the Mainstream

U radu se teorijski i empirijski, kvalitativnom metodom intervjua na uzorku od šest sugovornika istražuje fenomen turbofolka u svakodnevnici mladih u Hrvatskoj. U teorijskom dijelu turbofolk je smješten u društveno politički kontekst pri čemu se povezuje s nacionalizmom, balkanizmom, feminizmom, ali globalizacijom i konzumerizmom kao bitnim čimbenicima kada se govori o suvremenim glazbenim žanrovima. Turbofolk se provlači i kroz sociološke koncepte kulture i ukusa, te se istražuje njegova pozicija u hrvatskim medijima. Rezultati tematske analize intervjua pokazuju kako je turbofolk i dalje opterećen stereotipima, ali je priznat kao mainstream glazba među mladima u Hrvatskoj. Nadalje, uočeno je kako sugovornici svoje svakodnevne medijske navike vezane uz turbofolk gotovo isključivo povezuju uz digitalne medije. U kontekstu turbofolka kao glazbenog žanra stavljaju naglasak na hibridizaciju žanrova i utjecaj zapadne popularne kulture. Turbofolk je za njih također vezan za noćne izlaske i konzumaciju alkohola. Uočena je odbojnost prema nacionalizmu, kao i određeni pad društvene osude prema slušateljima turbofolka u svakodnevnom životu. Naposljetku, iako su kritički nastrojeni prema određenim vrijednostima koje turbofolk promovira, sugovornici smatraju da se radi o glazbenom žanru koji je izvor opuštanja i razonode.The aim of this research is to explain the phenomenon of turbo-folk in the everyday life of Croatian youth, by employing a theoretical framework that is backed by empirical evidence drawn from the qualitative analysis of six interviews. In the theoretical part of the paper, turbofolk is placed in the socio-political context, whereby it is linked not only to nationalism, Balkanism and feminism, but also to globalization and consumerism as important factors whilst discussing modern musical genres. Furthermore, turbofolk is analysed in regards to the sociological concepts of culture and taste, and its position in Croatian media is explored. The results of the thematic analysis of the interviews show that turbofolk is still burdened with stereotypes, but is recognized as mainstream music among young people in Croatia. Moreover, it has been observed that the interlocutors associate their turbofolk-related daily media habits almost exclusively with digital media. In the context of turbofolk as a musical genre, they focused on the hybridization of genres and the influence of Western popular culture. For the interlocutors, turbofolk was also tied to night-time entertainment and alcohol consumption. An aversion to nationalism was noted, as well as a certain decline in social condemnation towards turbofolk listeners in everyday life. Finally, while they were critical of certain values that turbofolk promotes, the interlocutors considered it to be a musical genre that is a source of relaxation and entertainment