The career of folk singer Dimana Mircheva-Dia started with a bizarre dream she once had. The result is a modern project addressed to the young. Aegea is a folk song, a blend of traditional music and the hottest kind of electronic music – trap. Trap music emerged at the beginning of the 1990s as a combination of hip-hop, dubstep and house music. 

Seventeen-year-old Dia demonstrated her singing talent when she was still a little girl; she took to pop and jazz and participated in many singing contests. When she applied to the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School her choice came as a surprise to everyone who knew her – folk singing. “Folklore holds an irresistible attraction for me,” she says. “I am always on the lookout for folk music in the media and online.” Electronic music is another one of Dia’s grand passions. That is the reason why she ventured into such an audacious experiment.

At school Dia performs mostly songs from Macedonia. “Macedonian songs are so emotional and the lyrics are invariably very positive,” she says. But what is the story behind her debut?

“Aegea is a song from Aegean Macedonia and it is all about love, something all teenagers readily understand. It is the story of a young man and his yearning to see his beloved. I had a dream that I was signing this song in traditional attire, but to trap music. I went and told my mother about this dream and she said: “Let’s make the dream come true!” So, I called up composer and sound engineer Alex Noushev. He was really enthusiastic and he acquainted me with the other members of ANP Music Production. So, that is how Aegea was born.”

Dia met Alex Noushev many years ago – she was tutored by his wife Miglena Tsenova. Here is Alex Noushev about their joint project:

“We had been looking for a suitable folk song for a long time. Before Aegea we had tried with three other songs. Dimana herself suggested which songs to use. I decided that if I wanted to throw a bridge between myself and her I would need the help of young people. So, I turned to Atanas Borissov and Petar Alexiev who have an excellent track record of mixing folklore with electronic music. As a matter of fact, Aegea is the first product of our virtual label. The initials – ANP come from our three names – Alex, Naso and Peter.”

Dia says it is her dream to work with musicians like Tafo Velikov, the musician who so skillfully mixes folk music with dubstep.

“To my mind this is the future of Bulgarian folklore,” says Dia. “Authentic folklore is very much in demand but young people do not seem to be very interested, because they think this is not the kind of music you can dance or unwind to. That is why I made up my mind to prove them wrong by creating a song that will make them get up and move, a song that will show them folklore is far from boring.”

English version: Milena Daynova