Just as he went to lock the screen, the diner door swung open. A group of teenagers walked in, one of them holding a phone aloft. The tinny, energetic beat of Ionuț’s own voice filled the room. The kid was blasting the new mix.
"Even with an empty pocket," he muttered, repeating the title of his lead track, "a man still has his pride." 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. Just as he went to lock the screen,
He picked up his phone. The screen was cracked, but the YouTube upload was finished: The kid was blasting the new mix