Whatever happened to 'Mambo No. 5' star Lou Bega?

Who doesn't know the song 'Mambo No. 5'? It made Lou Bega instantly famous in the 90s. Then things went quiet around the musician and he became a one-hit wonder. What happened to the star from the 90s?

The German musician Lou Bega was born on April 13, 1975, in Munich to a Ugandan father and Italian mother. His real name was David Lubega Balemezi.

He was only 24 years old when he broke through with his cover of the song  'Mambo No. 5'. It was originally from Pérez Prado in 1952.

With help from a skilled team of German producers, Lou Bega added lyrics to the original and a new melody to the chorus. That's when we got the insufferable... ehm unforgettable lyrics:

'A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita's all I need
A little bit of Tina's what I see'

The song was initially not supposed to be released. When it did happen though, the response to 'Mambo No. 5' exceeded all expectations...

In the summer of 1999, 'Mambo No. 5' was number 1 in the German singles charts for eleven weeks and went platinum twice.

Lou Bega's song also made it into the charts in 20 other countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain.

Even in the USA, 'Mambo No. 5' reached number 3 on the Billboard charts.

Lou Bega received the German music award Echo in two categories and was nominated for five other awards. He also won the World Music Award in Cannes and was nominated for a Grammy, among other prizes.

After his success, Lou Bega toured the world - and this almost cost him his life, as he told Forum magazine.

"I had a tour with 24 gigs in 25 days in America. Before that, I was already on tour in South America and had jet lag problems," Lou Bega recounts. "Then I suffered a heart attack. And that at the age of 24! That was a bit of a wake-up call."

Despite his health issues, Lou Bega released more songs and an album. However, it was difficult to match the success of the first song. Even today, 'Mambo No. 5' is still the most successful German pop music production of all time!

Labeling his song as a one-hit-wonder upsets Lou Bega. He has continued to make music, but none of his other songs received much attention.

In 2021, however, Lou Bega released a new album, '90s Cruiser'. It was his comeback after an eight-year break. For the album, he covered famous songs from the 1990s.

Lou Bega also writes songs for films and fellow artists. He makes music together with his wife Jenieva Janes, to whom he has been married since 2014. They call themselves David & Jenieva.

The couple lives in Berlin and has a daughter named Jada Love.

Lou Bega was also baptized as a Christian in 2018. He says that faith has filled an inner emptiness in his life. Since then, he has packed religious elements into his songs.

In 2021, the star found himself at the center of a scandal. He performed at a concert organized by the Polish Ministry of Defense and the national TVP television station.

The concert was intended to support the troops in the defense of Poland's eastern border. And what was the border defended against? Thousands of migrants who tried to get into the European Union from Belarus. A humanitarian crisis.

The concert, at which the Spanish band Las Ketchup also performed, was sharply criticized. The Polish opposition politician Maciej commented: "A concert when people die at the border."

Despite the controversy, 'Mambo No. 5' is still a song people all over the world love to listen to. It has been streamed over 586 million times on the platform Spotify. "A little bit of Monica..." remains an iconic phrase!

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