Laika roughly means 'music of the people' or 'popular music'. It is one of the most popular music styles in Greece, combining typical Greek themes and instruments with modern Western popular music. This music originated in the 1930s as a reaction to Greek folk music. Laika was faster and had less heavy topics such as love, the sun and enjoying life. It appealed to large parts of Greek society, who were not very fond of the elevated, classical music that dominated that period. In the 60s and 70s, the genre gradually changed and the style of the 30s was called Laika Tragoudi. What emerged in the 60s and 70s was called classical Laika. This genre was dominated by singers who sang ballads with long stretches and a low tempo.
