Lou Bega is a German mambo musician of Italian and Ugandan descent. He is most famous for "Mambo No. 5", his 1999 remake of the Pérez Prado instrumental from 1949. Bega added his own words to the song and sampled the original version extensively. Bega's musical signature consists of combining musical elements of the 1940s and 1950s with modern beats and grooves.
Background
Ethnicity:
His mother is from Sicily in Southern Italy and his father is Ugandan.
While Lou Bega was born in Munich, Germany, he is of Italian and Ugandan descent. His father Charles went to Germany in 1972 to study biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Until age six, Bega spent the most time with his mother Nicole in Italy. Then they lived permanently in Munich, where Bega attended German primary school. As a teenager he traveled to Miami, Florida, where he found the inspiration for his hit single "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)". Bega also lived in Uganda for half a year. Currently, he lives in Berlin, Germany.
Career
53 million sold CDs are an incredible aim on present days which Lou Bega could achieve within the last years.
6 million singles, 7 million albums and 40 million compilations, additionally songs in movies and TV series as well as several advertising spots. The whole world knows Lou Bega and he is more than a musical ambassador: his mother comes from Southern Italy, his father from Uganda. Multi-cultural – the connection of cultures and generations, the spreading of optimism and zest for life – this is what Lou Bega gives to his fans in his natural and friendly way. Fun, vitality and passion!
And you can experience this fun, vitality and passion during Lou Bega’s show which he is touring with all around the world.
His shows are as versatile as his hits. With his album “A Little Bit of 80s” which was released in 2013/2014 Lou Bega succeed modifying the greatest hits of the 80s like “Give It Up”, “Come On Eileen”, “Sunshine Reggae”, “Smooth Operator” or “Physical” into the typical Lou Bega style and presenting in a fantastic stage show.
Lou Bega performed these songs, partly as medleys, in the biggest TV shows all around the world.
During the previous years the artist released e.g. “Beautiful World – A Little Collection of Lou Bega’s Best” in 2013 with the greatest hits of his amazing career.
On “Beautiful World” fans and media could also find “Happy Feeling”, a brand-new song which Lou Bega produced together with the producers of “Caro Emerald” (A Night Like this).
2010 Lou Bega’s album “Free Again” was released which includes 2 further hit singles: “Boyfriend” and “Sweet like Cola”.
The video of “Boyfriend” was recorded in Berlin in the old Film Noir style: 1940’s movie look, smoky, black-and-white, grainy.
“Boyfriend” entered the German single charts directly and Lou Bega performed the song in several TV shows.
At the same time there was a huge TV campaign for this new single at the German TV stations N-TV and VOX
“Sweet like Cola” is a catchy summer tune which spreads good mood and was released as second single from album “Free Again”. The song stayed in German charts for weeks, was licenced world-wide and got several million visits at YouTube in no time at all.
In Belgium “Sweet like Cola” rose up to #12 of the charts and even reached #2 on the Philippines!
How everything started:
In 1999 the Mambo fever which broke out in Germany arrived in more than 20 countries world-wide. Lou Bega was newcomer of the year and his “Mambo No.5” – the world hit par excellence – infected the whole globe!
With his debut album “A Little Bit of Mambo” Lou Bega entered the top positions of the charts world-wide. In USA the successful album reaches #3 of the Billboard album charts and was sold more than 3.5 million times! All in all “A Little Bit of Mambo” is sold more than 7 million times world-wide. Also his second single ignited: “I Got a Girl” reached the Top20 of the charts in 5 countries.
Awards from all over the world bombard the down-to-earth artist. He received the German music award ECHO in 2 categories and was nominated even five times. He was also nominated for the GRAMMY, in Cannes he received the reputable WORLD MUSIC AWARD. Further awards like the BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT AWARD in Los Angeles/USA, FESTIVAL BAR in Verona/Italy, the AMADEUS AWARD in Vienna/Austria as well as the BUNTE NEW FACE AWARD in Berlin/Germany and many more followed.
From 1999 till today Lou Bega tours together with his band and his exotic female dancers all over the world. Highlights were the USA tour with CHER in 22 cities and also mega live shows in South America, India, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Moscow, Hong Kong and the Arab Emirates. The more than 200 European concerts inspired more than 3 million visitors. International companies, princes and royal houses – beneath the King of Morocco – booked Lou Bega and his live show for private or corporate events.
He has been guest in the biggest TV shows and specials world-wide like JAY LENO, ALLY MCBEAL, MOTOWN LIVE, JENNY JONES, QUEEN LATIFAH, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD – just to mention some of them. In the more than 20-year-old history of one of Europe’s biggest TV show WETTEN, DASS…? Lou Bega is the only artist ever who performed one song twice in the show in front of a frenetic audience. Even his visit of the grave of the Mexican national hero Perez Prado is reported on the 8 o’clock evening news of Mexico’s No.1 TV station and moved millions of Mexicans to tears.
WALT DISNEY, the biggest entertainment company world-wide, counts on Lou Bega, too, and released “Jungle Book” as computer game together with the artist. He recorded the theme song here and performs in the video clip of the game. Lou Bega is also common with presentations and so he presented the „American Music Awards“, „Grammy Awards“, „Billboard Radio Awards“ and the „Love Parade“ in Berlin/Germany.
Lou Bega, who writes his song texts and composes all his songs himself, also writes songs for other artists and is successful here as well. Several Top10 hits for other artists are his own.
Like no other Lou has been able to form his own style of music by blending elements of the 40s and 50s era with up to date grooves and sounds.