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3w ago

‘Rock ’n’ Rom’ Tour Channels Elvis to Confront Anti-Roma Discrimination in Romania

Performing Elvis hits in three languages with localized lyrics, Lakatos’s shows resonate deeply with Roma audiences by fostering cultural pride.

Tudor Lakatos, who goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano, poses outside the Terasa Florilor restaurant before a performance in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Customers dance as Tudor Lakatos, who goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano, performs at the Terasa Florilor restaurant with the Taraful Frunzelor band, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A customer records video as Tudor Lakatos, right, who goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano, performs at the Terasa Florilor restaurant, along with Nicolae Feraru, left, and Stefan Marin, center, of the Taraful Frunzelor band, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, June 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Tudor Lakatos, who goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano, performs with the Taraful Frunzelor band at the Terasa Florilor restaurant, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Overview

  • He has spent four decades using Elvis’s music to challenge stereotypes since his first performances under Ceausescu’s regime.
  • A school teacher for 25 years, he leverages his ‘Rock ’n’ Rom’ show to demonstrate to Roma students that they can aspire beyond village life.
  • His set list features Presley hits reimagined in Romani, Romanian and English with localized lyrics such as replacing “blue suede shoes” with “bare feet.”
  • Roma make up about 7% of Romania’s population and a recent EU survey found one in five reported discrimination in the past year.
  • Lakatos continues to tour venues large and small across Romania to provide positive role models and foster inclusion.