Many Chao likes many things. Just listen to his hit song; “Me Gustas Tu.” The morning, the night, the wind, the rain, the motorcycle, the neighbor, they are all listed in this bouncy, upbeat track.
And he doesn’t just stop there. He has many reasons to think fondly of life. His international rise to fame has brought him acclaim throughout the music world. And his sound is unique, a far stray away from the monotonous pop sounds that are continuously cranked out of downtown Hollywood studios. Manu Chao is different and that’s the way he likes it.
Chao does not just stop at one language. He sings in seven: French, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Arabic, English and Wolof. He mixes them, with several appearing in just one track. His music is influenced by rock, salsa, reggae, ska and Algerian rai. He has traveled as a nomad listening to stories from immigrants in France as well as peasants and families in Mesoamerica. He has visited more places in one year than many of us do in a lifetime.
His name does not just consist of the standard first, middle and last; he has a first, second, third, fourth and fifth name. Jose-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao is fascinating, intriguing and could rival the Dos Equis guy as truly the most interesting man in the world.
His mother was Basque, his father was Galician. They moved to the outskirts of Paris and Chao spent his early years growing up in the Parisian suburbs of Boulogne-Billancourt and Sevres. His childhood “gang groupies” consisted of artists and intellectuals, and his thoughts revolved around social justice and multicultural diversity, two elements that are constantly present in his music.
He jumped onto the music scene in the early 1980s and quickly became a local name in alternative music in Paris nightclubs and bars tucked down quaint alleyways. But it was in 1987 that Chao, his brothers and his cousin founded the band that would help carry them to the top. Mano Negra released their first hit, “Mala Vifa,” and that same year they toured most of the world, stopping at port cities, using the ship’s platform as their stage.
The sounds that wafted from those crowded bars and from the colorful streets that weave through the world’s most romantic city were drifting outward. The songs demanded freedom, justice, equality, and gradually people started to listen. After Mano Negra disbanded in 1995, Manu Chao formed a new group: Radio Bemba Sound System. He released Clandestino followed by Proxima Estacion: Esperanza a couple years later. Both albums were released under Manu Chao’s name and were instant hits throughout the world. The Manu Chao phenomenon was sweeping through the world and before long Manu Chao tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/manu-chao-tickets were hot commodities in the music market.
Manu Chao brings lyrics and sounds to the forefront of the music scene that not only should be enjoyed, these sounds along with their message deserve to be heard. Manu Chao likes many things. He even likes you, and you don’t have a single reason not to like him right back.
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