BELGRADE, 2025-06-19 08:15:00
A Galician’s Balkan Dream
This Spanish singer is a celebrity in the Balkans, captivating audiences with her love of the region’s culture and music.
- Laura Marín is a Spanish celebrity in the Balkans.
- She has a large social media following in the region.
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Marín’s passion for the Balkans stems from her childhood love of the language and culture.
Who knew a singer from Spain would become a sensation in the Balkans? Laura Marín, a woman from the northwest of Spain, has captured the hearts of people across the Balkans with her music and her deep recognition for their culture.
For Marín, the dilemma of staying or leaving is a constant one. She’s known in Spain,but in the Balkans,she’s a star. Young people stop her on the streets of Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Novi Pazar, eager for photos and captivated by her voice. She has 97,000 followers on Instagram and 288,000 on a platform that’s similar to Twitter.
This is a novelty for several reasons. The difference in cultural interest between one side and another of Europe is clear.While people in Sarajevo, Podgorica, Pristina, or Belgrade know of Miguel de Cervantes, Pedro Almodóvar, and Penélope Cruz, knowledge of the Balkans in Spain is still limited.
Marín’s love for Galician culture and language, which she developed in her childhood in Porto do Son (A Coruña), goes hand in hand with her life speaking Spanish. She feels a strong connection to her roots and understands that Galician is a language that faces challenges. She can’t quite pinpoint when her interest in foreign languages started, but it certainly meshes with her Galician roots.
Her love of the region started when she was nine, after watching Bear in the Big Blue House, produced by The Walt Disney Company. She was fascinated by the song sung in Serbo-Croatian (now Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin): "My mother bought me several DVDs that were in different languages." She became obsessed with the end song and felt something "spiritual." From there, she began searching the internet and listening to Radisa Urošević, Snežana đurišić, Marta Savić, Seka Aleksić, Tanja Savić, Milica Todorović. She says, "I saw those women, I saw those songs, and I said this is my future, in adulthood this has to be my job." This led her to a love of turbo-folk, a music genre blending Balkan folk culture with synthesizers and electronic rhythms.
Did you know? Turbo-folk’s controversial history reflects the complex cultural and political landscape of the Balkans. despite criticisms, it remains incredibly popular!
During her childhood, she loved any Yugoslavian reference she could find.She never visited the region and had no contact with local people. She didn’t realize that a song in Eurovision had something to do with a film about the Bosnian war ("How would I know it, with 12 years?"). As she says, "I have never known in my life something with as much certainty as love and satisfaction for Yugoslavian culture." At 16, she became fluent in the language called Naski, without any formal training.
Pro Tip: Learning a language through immersion, even through media like music and film, can be incredibly effective. Find something you love and let it guide your learning!
"I knew I had to get there, although I didn’t know how, so I learned guitar chords alone to accompany my voice and started with 14 years to record versions of youtube songs." During the pandemic she opened a Tiktok and Instagram account (zovemselaura), and over four years she recorded "at least" one video every weekend. Her account gained popularity in 2022, but she had to deal with rude comments early on.
In 2023, the big chance she’d been waiting for came.She had been invited to travel to the region before, but she turned them down.(She had barely left her town to travel to Paris with the school, and wanted to travel with her mother) because to take that step, she needed to trust the project.A video of hers got over two million views on Facebook on N1 of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That’s when Halid Bešlić, the singer of popular romantic hymns in the region, contacted her. Marín took the stage with Bešlić in the capital of Bosnia, a dream come true.
Singing in the Balkans is still her "engine of life," but now she has a more mature view of her passion. She’s figuring out how to guide her career. She is getting an adequate offer with a guaranteed representative and training in the university, as a potential professor of Galician-portuguese, in high school or wherever it was.
When asked how long she’ll wait before making the leap, Marín seems sure. "If they love me with 18, they will also love me with 25." Simultaneously occurring, she gets advertising offers and gigs to play at events and weddings. She’s building her musical career step by step, but she’s also aware of the eagerness of her hundreds of thousands of followers in the Balkan capitals, who want her to fully commit to her career.
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Beyond the musical journey of Laura Marín, the name “Laura” itself carries a rich history, a subtle connection to the cultural tapestry she now straddles. The name, a fixture in both the Spanish and balkan worlds, offers another layer to the story of this captivating artist.
The name “Laura” has ancient roots, dating back to the 9th-century Spanish martyr, Saint Laura [[1]].The story of Saint Laura, who met her end in a vat of molten lead, underscores a deep connection to Spain, Marín’s homeland, and highlights the name’s enduring presence through the centuries.
Beyond its spanish origins,”Laura” also resonates in the world of literature. The 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch immortalized the name through his poems [[1]]. This poetic association lends a touch of romanticism and past importance to the name,features frequently enough found in the romantic ballads of the Balkans.
In modern times, the name continues to appear in popular culture. Take, for instance, the 1944 film noir, *Laura*, directed by Otto Preminger [[3]]. The film’s plot, centered on the examination of a woman named Laura, illustrates the name’s adaptability in both the world of literature and film, proving its lasting appeal across generations.
The Multifaceted Appeal of a Simple Name
The enduring appeal of the name Laura can offer some insight into Marín’s success in the Balkans. Perhaps the familiarity and gentle nature of the name have become a subconscious bridge between her and her audience. The name allows for manny interpretations and is common across languages and cultures.
Here’s a closer look at how the name “laura” has played a role in popular culture:
- Historical roots: With origins in the religious narratives of the Spanish tradition, the name provides historical context.
- Literary Significance: The name has been immortalized in poetry, offering a romantic allure.
- Modern Popularity: Continues its legacy with films, such as the well-known *Laura* (1944), showing its continued relevance.
What makes a name like “Laura” so successful? It’s a name with deep roots, a timeless quality, and a universal appeal.
Laura: A Name for Every Size
In the world of retail, the name “Laura” also stands for fashion. The Canadian women’s clothing store, Laura Canada, provides options for every size, showcasing the versatility of the name [[2]].
Does the prevalence of the name “Laura” across cultures and fields influence its impact? Yes. It serves as a familiar base connecting diffrent backgrounds.
Key Takeaways
- “Laura” is a name with a rich history, spanning from the 9th century to modern times.
- The name has
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