This study offers a comparative examination of two music genres, Slovenian folk-pop and turbo-folk, focusing on their role in constructing Slovenian national identity. Special emphasis is placed on the timeframe of their influence, from their emergence in the second half of the 20th century to their modern reception. The central thesis is that both genres shape the cultural dimensions of national identity in distinct ways. However, neither serves as its foundational pillar; rather, they are elements that acquire symbolic weight in specific historical moments. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of nationalism developed by authors such as Smith, Anderson, Gellner and Hobsbawm, as well as the concept of ideology in music as conceived by Adorno and interpreted by Pompe. The methodological work is based on a qualitative comparative analysis of both musical genres from the viewpoint of their historical, social and political context, as well as their reception in the past and present. slovenian folk pop establishes itself as a national genre via the process of re-traditionalization, drawing on local tradition, symbols and mythology, while emphasising Slovenia’s separation from the Balkan region. In contrast, turbo-folk gained its national connotation from the “outside”, through media constructions and its connection to the political establishment in the 1990s. Both genres were politically instrumentalised in certain periods, even though they primarily remain cultural and entertainment phenomena in their content. Today, perception of both genres is shifting: slovenian folk pop music maintains its status as a symbolic guardian of the Slovenian tradition, while turbo-folk is turning into an exotic pleasure of younger generations. Our key findings are that music cannot serve as the foundation or pillar of national identity, but is merely one of the elements that help shape its cultural dimension, either by reinforcing stereotypes or by recontextualising foreign influences.
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