Ionut Manelistu - Si Cu Buzunarul Gol, Mix 2017 →

He wasn't always this quiet. Just two years ago, he was the king of the Bucharest weddings, the "Vocea de Aur" who could make a billionaire weep and a pauper dance. But the 2017 winter had been cold, and the bookings had dried up like the summer grass.

"Yo, this beat is fire!" one of them shouted, beginning to pull off a clumsy manele dance step between the tables. "Who is this Ionuț? He’s got soul." Ionut Manelistu - Si Cu Buzunarul Gol, Mix 2017

The neon sign above “La Nea Mitu’s” diner flickered in rhythm with the bass thumping from a battered BMW 3-Series parked out front. Inside, the air smelled of strong espresso and cheap tobacco. Ionuț sat at the corner booth, staring at a crumpled five-lei bill—the only occupant of his wallet. He wasn't always this quiet