Klapa Groups The New Pop Stars For Croatians Abroad?

Are klapa or acapella groups from Croatia taking the job of entertaining the Croatian diaspora around the world away from their more “glamorous” colleagues – the Croatian pop stars?  Judging by the amount of recent concerts from klapa groups and the announcement that Sveti Juraj, Tomislav Bralic and klapa Intrade and klapa Cambi will tour America, it seems that well might be the case reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

The rise in popularity of klapa style music in the Croatian diaspora has not come by accident. In 2008 the Croatian Ministry of Culture protected the intangible cultural heritage of klapa singing and began its push to promote klapa groups as more than just “escorts” to the pop singers. The push has seen klapa groups perform recently in their own right in countries such as Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Canada and as far a field as China.

“We have been all over Europe, Slovenia, Zürich, Vienna, Frankfurt, Kiev…and we did not need pop singers to open the door for us, we done it all alone. We have just been in Canada where 1500 Croatians came to listen to us,” said a member from Klapa Intrade.

Traditional Croatian diaspora entertainers such as Mladen Grdovic, Petar Graso, Milo Hrnic, and Maja Suput and co, will have to look over their shoulders as competition is arriving for jobs.