Lou Bega - Biography
25 years of MAMBO NO.5 – AND THE SHOW GOES ON!
LOU BEGA – World star & King of Mambo
In 1999, the mambo fever that broke out in Germany reached over 20 countries around the world.
LOU BEGA is the “Newcomer of the Year” and his “Mambo No.5” – the world hit par excellence – infected the entire globe! With his debut album “A Little Bit of Mambo” LOU BEGA entered the top ranks of the charts worldwide. In the USA, the successful album reached #3 and sold 3.5 million copies! In total, more than 7 million copies were sold.
“Mambo No.5” and other hits by LOU BEGA are now also on more than 40 million compilations, bringing LOU BEGA’s total sales to 53 million records – an incredible result in this day and age. Even in today’s streaming age, “Mambo No. 5” is one of the most streamed songs in the world, reaching over 600 million streams on Spotify alone, while the video for “Mambo No. 5” has over 500 million clicks on YouTube. Songs such as “Scatman & Hatman”, “Sweet Like Cola” and “I Got a Girl” have also achieved millions of streams and video clicks.
So it’s about time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this global hit in style.
To mark the 25th anniversary, the unique entertainer is performing his magnificent
Greatest Hits Show with his dancers.
The whole world knows LOU BEGA…
… and he is more than just a musical ambassador, his mother comes from southern Italy and his father from Uganda. Multi-culturalism – connecting cultures and generations, spreading optimism and good humour – that’s what he gives his fans with his natural and cheerful manner: Fun, joie de vivre and passion.
And it is precisely this fun, joie de vivre and passion that LOU BEGA brings to his shows, with which he travels around the world.
The down-to-earth artist has been showered with awards from all over the world. He received the German music award “ECHO” in two categories and was nominated five times. He was also nominated for the “GRAMMY”, and in Cannes he received the prestigious “WORLD MUSIC AWARD” in Cannes. Further awards such as the “BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT AWARD” in Los Angeles, the “Festival Bar” in Verona, the “AMADEUS AWARD” in Vienna and the “BUNTE NEW FACES AWARD” in Berlin followed.
From 1999 to the present day, LOU BEGA has been touring the world with his band and dancers. Highlights include a 22-city tour of the USA with Cher, as well as mega live shows in South America, India, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Moscow, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. The more than 200 European concerts alone were enthusiastically followed by more than three million spectators.
International companies, royalty, and royal families – including the King of Morocco – have booked the entertainer and his live show for private functions or corporate events.
The world’s biggest TV shows and specials such as JAY LENO, ALLY MC BEAL, MOTOWN LIVE, JENNY JONES, QUEEN LATIFAH and ACCESS HOLLYWOOD are just some of the shows LOU BEGA has appeared on in the USA. On “WETTEN DASS…?”, he is the only artist in the programme’s 25-year history to perform a song twice in front of a frenzied audience. On Mexico’s biggest TV channel, LOU BEGA’s visit to the grave of national hero Perez Prado was reported live on the 8pm news – millions of Mexicans were moved to tears.
WALT DISNEY, the world’s largest entertainment group, backed LOU BEGA and published the “Jungle Book” as a computer game with the artist. He recorded the title song for this and can be seen in the accompanying video clip. He also proved to be extremely talented as a presenter: a confident appearance at the “American Music Awards”, the “Grammys” and “Billboard Radio Awards” as well as the “Love Parade” in Berlin.
LOU BEGA, who writes and composes his own songs, has also written songs for other artists, landing several hits in the process. He now also has numerous Top 10 placings in his “songwriter account”.
LOU BEGA has succeeded like no other in shaping his very own musical style by merging musical elements from the 40s and 50s with modern grooves and sounds to create a new entity.
