Transforming traditional folk songs into modern pop music, Csinszka creates sound that is her very own.
The cover of Csinszka’s latest album already reveals her intention to combine styles. It is called “Transformania”, which can refer to multiple things: Transylvania, her birthplace, the Transformers that she calls inspiration and the act of transforming something into something else.
On the image of the cover, Optimus Prime is swinging in a Szekely gate, a traditional, detailed wooden gate typical of the Szekelys, a Hungarian ethnic group of Transylvania. The transformation is also present in how she uses traditions and transforms them into something new, something that is her very own.
The album itself does the same, transforming traditional sounds into modern pop music. Many songs either cover or reference old Hungarian/Transylvanian folk songs. Her singing style is traditional folk singing with a lot of curving. She even pronounces words with a rather Szekely accent while singing.
This folky singing is combined with modern electro-pop elements and a Charli XCX-like autotune. This mix is not always in balance; in songs like “Airday” the electropop elements are much more prevalent (the song title is a reference to the Hungarian name of Transylvania, Erdély, which has the same pronunciation as the English word “airday” – the song is about the Transylvanian identity often being stuck in between, Hungarian in Romania but Transylvanian in Hungary, never completely accepted in either place). Meanwhile, songs like “Én vagyok az aki nem jó” lean much more into the folk genre.
Some songs also mix in English lyrics into Hungarian singing. Interesting to see on songs like “Intimacid” how the Hungarian text is more archaic and uses more references from the source material, meanwhile, the English text feels current. Almost as if she is summarising or analysing the Hungarian text to make it more approachable for her audience.
For me, a highlight is “Infinity”. This is a really solid and intimate song about falling in love. Her singing is very delicate, although the curvy folk style still tries to break through from time to time. But it is more classical singing, reminding me a lot of Rosalía.
Another favourite is the closing song “Pillangó”. It is a self-empowering song when she motivates herself to love herself and to fly free regardless. All this in the form of a classic modern synth-pop production.
The album as a whole does what it promises: transforms older folk songs into something new, something current and trendy, yet unique and personal. This album feels like Csinszka’s self-exploration, an ode to her roots, in the context of her present as a modern human.
This is bound together with the only feature of the album, which is her own father on the song “Apart”. The song is mostly in English, besides the parts when she directly addresses her father (“Apa jöjj (..)” meaning “Papa come (..)”) and then calls him Prince Csaba, leader of the Szekelys. These motives bind together her personal history with her father, with her identity as a Szekely. All this in a song mostly sung in English.
Luckily, she does not require you to learn history to enjoy her music. Rather, she invites you to experience the cultures that are important in her life through her songs. And there is a lot to experience and enjoy here. Cultural theory is just the cherry on top.
Stream “Transformania” LP on Spotify.
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