There were critics who complained that Chalga was only about corruption, easy money, and indiscriminate sex, but many ordinary people have embraced it due of their new freedom as their alternative to officialdom.
A new generation of musicians adopted the genre and grabbed the public spotlight, performing daring and overtly sexual songs forbidden earlier.
In the first years of the rise of Chalga, the melodies were influenced by Arabic, Turkish, Roma and Greek folk music featuring instruments such as zurna, clarinet, accordion and buzuki.
The early Pop-folk divas and "kings", such as Toni Dacheva and Boni- singers of Kristal Orchestra - Gloria, Valdes, Rado Shisharkata and Sasho Roman, opened the way for uprising stars such as Sashka Vaseva, Desi Slava, Ivana, Kamelia, Reni, Extra Nina, Tsvetelina, Vesela, Joro Lyubimetsa.
The processes of liberalisation in the country allowed the Chalga genre to deal openly with more provocative displays of sex, money, as well as profanity in general similar in attitude to the rap or hip-hop music videos.
His provocative public displays of nudity and homosexuality along with the more vulgar lyrics of some of his songs and his flamboyant clothing played a great role in controversially popularizing the genre internationally as a typical Bulgarian music.
However, constant competition among for media attention singers and reliance on displays of sex, alcohol, money and the use of vulgar language has left the public with negative attitude towards the genre.
But this apparent success and upsurge in popularity has invited great controversy about Chalga and its quick proliferation and has led to some musical and linguistic research, critical study, and heated public discussions about the subject.
Chalga is often criticized for its "tawdriness", "loose morals",[13] its so-called "disconnection from Bulgarian music tradition"s (i.e. its Middle Eastern, Arabic, Arabesque roots), and its sexually explicit lyrics.
[citation needed] Chalga music videos often feature a wealthy man who spends money on promiscuous women and insinuate that they engage in indiscriminate sexual acts.