Sarolta Zalatnay

Sarolta Zalatnay (born Charlotte Sacher in Budapest, Hungary, 14 December 1947) is a Hungarian singer. She has been noted for a flourishing popular music career under Communism, and evolved from teen pop to rock music.

Career Zalatnay was born with the name Charlotte Sacher; her family later adopted Hungarian naming conventions and her official name became Zalatnay Sarolta.

Thanks to the relatively lenient travel restrictions managed by the Communist-era Hungarian government, Zalatnay was able to tour England in 1968–69. While there she became acquainted with the Bee Gees, and had a brief personal relationship with Maurice Gibb. Furthermore, a vocal cord operation during this period changed the tone of Zalatnay's voice, allowing her to tackle grittier rock songs. Her 1973 album Hadd mondjam el (Let Me Tell You) received attention from international rock critics. During her most successful musical period, she also performed small roles in several Hungarian films. Later critics and journalists speculated that Zalatnay could have achieved international stardom were it not for the Communist-era restrictions on popular music, notwithstanding the relatively lenient strictures of her native Hungary. By this time, Zalatnay's musical career had been largely forgotten in Hungary, and her personal life and appearances on Hungarian reality TV were mostly of interest to local tabloids.

Albums Ha fiú lehetnék (If I Could Be A Boy, 1970) Zalatnay (1971) Álmodj velem (Dream of Me, 1972) Hadd mondjam el (Let Me Tell You, 1973) Szeretettel (With Love, 1975) Színes trikó, kopott farmer (Coloured Jerseys, Shabby Jeans, 1976) Minden szó egy dal (Each Word Is a Song, 1978) Tükörkép (Mirror-Image, 1980) Privát levél (Private Letter, 1988) Ave Maria (1989) Sarolta Zalatnay (compilation, 2007)