Prin Lume: the bittersweet electro-pop debut by Romanian singer-songwriter Paulina

Who: Paula-Alexandra Gînju, also known as Paulina, is a young Romanian singer-songwriter and therapist-in-training who has just released her debut album.

What: Prin Lume (or Through the World) is an eight-track electro-pop love album rooted in several Romanian music traditions.

What they say: “I wrote this album in order to symbolically mark the end of an important stage in my life: a fairy tale-like romance that ended with disappointment. A self-destructive love. I loved someone who was unable to love me back, no matter how many songs or poems I’d written to that person,” the singer explains. “Through my music, I gave myself an ultimatum and gained back my strength.”

Why you should listen: Prin Lume is laced with nostalgia, mixing influences that range from Romanian folklore, 90s pop, and jazz, to genres of Romanian Roma music like lăutărească and manele. The combination of the singer’s soothing voice, the melodic fusion, and the constant dance beats creates a bittersweet mood which fits both the dancefloor and quiet nights in. Its appeal is universal, but Romanian speakers might also enjoy Paulina’s sentimental, manele-style lyrics, peppered with unexpected metaphors. As one uneasy line on the album’s final track, “Nu meriți inima” (“You don’t deserve my heart”), proclaims: “You have the sharp soul of a cutler.”

Listen to the album below and follow our Eastern European New Releases playlist on Spotify.