Lou Bega

Lou Bega

Lou Bega is the stage name of David Lubega, a German singer and recording artist born in Munich in 1975. He is associated with contemporary R&B, dance-pop, Latin pop, mambo, pop and swing. His background is multicultural: his mother is Sicilian and his father is from Uganda, and he spends time in Miami during his teenage years.

Career

He is best known for “Mambo No. 5”, a Latin pop hit built from Perez Prado’s 1952 instrumental of the same name. Bega adds new lyrics and samples the original extensively. The song becomes a worldwide success, reaching the top five in Europe and the United States and later becoming a familiar stadium anthem at sports events. It is also used by Channel 4 for its Test Match cricket coverage between 1999 and 2005.

Albums and songs

In 1999, he releases A Little Bit Of Mambo, which includes “Mambo No. 5” as well as “1+1=2”, “I Got a Girl” and “Tricky”. The album is certified triple platinum by the RIAA in December 1999 and sells almost 4 million copies in the United States alone. He follows it with Ladies And Gentlemen in 2001 and later with Lounatic, which appears in late 2005. He also records “Baby Keep Smiling” with Compay Segundo. The first videos from Lounatic are “You Wanna Be Americano” and “Bachata”.

Other appearances

Lou Bega appears as a selectable character in the video game Tropico as part of a licensing deal that also includes one of his songs in the German release of the game.