The mezzo soprano Daniela hails out from the Bulgarian Gipsy community. This ethnic group, besides all trails of inevitable clichés connected with their spirit and fame, stand along others as undisputed guardians of the best music traditions and related skills in Central and Eastern Europe. Music education is an essential part of the Gipsy culture and is carried out since the childhood. That is the case of singer Daniela Diakova. She was born 30 years ago in the Gipsy community of a Bulgarian town coming from a family where her father and grandfather were composers and players. Her singing talent developed naturally as she grew up. She was raised in such a music environment that her family always supported her in pursuing a career in singing, addressing her to the schools where she was classically trained. Opera singing became the tool of expressing her voice, but before a young Gipsy singer could break on the International Opera scene she got sidetracked by personal events. Even though they were not at all negative ones yet detached her from achieving a professional career in Opera theatres. Nevertheless this album remains as valuable proof of her talent. The compositions belong to the music brilliance of her grandfather, the original writer of some of them. Daniela Diakova felt the inspiration to interpret her family music legacy in her own, unique vocal style. A style which combines the classic Opera singing to a quirky interpretation of the lyrics, typical of her original Gipsy culture. The result is a collection of romance arias with a retro sound taste. Surprisingly rare for the Gipsy cultural tradition that is almost entirely oral, the lyrics were written down in the Rom language. Unique melodies, completely unknown yet simple to repeat, these songs are easy to listen to yet rich of an ancient, straightforward feel, touched by the creative talent of atypical musicians. These songs belong in part to the Gipsy music traditions of the Balkans and partially to compositions by Daniela’s uncle and grandfather. Together with Daniela’s performance they craft an album of extraordinary originality
