A whirlwind world-music tour with an eclectic polyglot performer.
Inspired by Manu Chao
Manu Chao: Influences
The wordly sounds that shaped his groove machine.
Künstler-Biographie
Celebrated as a forefather of Latin alternative rock, French-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao’s rhythmic and often political music reflects a variety of global influences.
∙ Chao’s French rock band, Mano Negra, was inspired equally by world music and classic punk, scoring hits in Spanish (“Mala Vida”), English (“King Kong Five”), and Arabic (“Sidi h’bibi”).
∙ His 1998 solo debut, Clandestino, spent four years on the French charts and earned Best World Music Album honors at the Victoires de la Musique.
∙ Thanks to its catchy, sing-song structure, “Me Gustas Tu” was an international hit that propelled 2001’s Próxima Estación: Esperanza to No. 1 in several countries.
∙ He produced and performed on Malian duo Amadou & Mariam’s Grammy-nominated breakthrough, Dimanche à Bamako, which SPIN named one of the 40 Best Albums of 2005.
∙ In 2007, Chao won a Latin Grammy Award for “Me Llaman Calle,” which was written for the film Princesas and later appeared on his album Radiolina.
∙ The video for 2017’s “Moonlight Avenue,” the folky debut single from Ti.po.ta—Chao’s acoustic side-project with Greek actress Klelia Renesi—has more than 3 million views.