Lou Bega facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lou Bega
Bega in 2018
Background information
Birth name	David Lubega Balemezi
Born	(1975-04-13) 13 April 1975 (age 50) Munich, Bavaria, West Germany (now Germany)
Genres	Pop, Latin hip hop, Latin pop, mambo, ska
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Lautstark, BMG, RCA, Condon Musical Enterprise, Unicade, DA, Big, Matthew B. Jarvis-Benson Phillips

David Lubega Balemezi (born on April 13, 1975), known as Lou Bega, is a German singer. He became famous in 1999 with his song "Mambo No. 5." This song was a new version of an old instrumental piece from 1949 by Pérez Prado. Lou Bega added his own words to the song and used parts of the original music. "Mambo No. 5" became a number one hit in many countries across Europe. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award. Lou Bega's music style mixes sounds from the 1940s and 1950s with modern beats.

About Lou Bega's Life

David Lubega Balemezi was born in Munich, Bavaria, which was then West Germany. His mother was from Sicily, Italy, and his father was from Uganda. His father, Charles, moved to West Germany in 1972 to study biology.

Until he was six years old, Lou Bega spent most of his time in Italy with his mother. After that, they moved to Munich permanently, where he went to primary school. As a teenager, he visited Miami, Florida. This trip gave him the idea for his famous song "Mambo No. 5." He also lived in Uganda for six months.

In 2019, Lou Bega shared that he became interested in the Bible while staying in a hotel on the Maldives. When he returned to Germany, he was baptized after watching videos from a Danish group called The Last Reformation on YouTube.

Lou Bega's Music Journey

Lou Bega started his music career as a rapper. When he was 13, he formed a hip hop group with two friends. Their first CD came out two years later, in 1990.

While living in Miami, he discovered his love for Latin music. After returning to Munich, he met his manager, Goar Biesenkamp, and music producers "Frank Lio" and "Donald Fact." Together, they created the idea for "Mambo No. 5." Lou Bega then signed a record deal with the Lautstark label.

Bega performing in 1999

His first single, "Mambo No. 5," became a huge worldwide hit in 1999. It reached number one in many European countries, including Germany, the UK, and France. In the United States, it reached number three. In France, the song stayed at number one for twenty weeks! A British TV channel, Channel 4, even used it for their test match cricket coverage for several years.

On July 19, 1999, Lou Bega released his first album, A Little Bit of Mambo. This album was very popular, reaching number three in Germany and the U.S. It also hit number one in countries like Austria, Canada, Finland, Hungary, and Switzerland.

His second single, "I Got a Girl," also did well, reaching the top 10 in some European countries. The third single, "Tricky, Tricky," was popular in Canada and the U.S. He also had success in France with his song "Mambo Mambo."

Lou Bega's second album, Ladies and Gentlemen, came out in 2001. It didn't have the same big success as his first album.

In 2002, he released a collection of his songs called King of Mambo. Two years later, he released another collection, The best of Lou Bega, which helped him become well-known again.

His third album, Lounatic, was released in 2005, but it didn't appear on the music charts. In 2010, he released his fourth album, Free Again, which also didn't find much success.

In 2013, Lou Bega released his fifth album, A Little Bit of 80's. On this album, he covered classic songs from the 1980s. These included "Smooth Operator" by Sade, "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters, and "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club. The first single from this album was his cover of "Give It Up" by KC and the Sunshine Band.

In 2019, Lou Bega released "Scatman & Hatman." This song used parts of the vocals from the 1994 hit "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" by Scatman John.

Working with Other Artists

In 2006, Lou Bega recorded a song called "C'est la Vie" with Edvin Marton. They also made a music video for it. This song was a bonus track on Marton's album but was not on any of Lou Bega's albums.

Live Shows and Appearances

Lou Bega has performed for important people like royals and at big company events. He has also appeared on many TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Ally McBeal. He was the only artist asked to sing the same song twice on Germany's main show, Wetten, dass..?.

He has also been the host (MC) at big music events like the American Music Awards and the Grammy Awards. In 2016, he performed as a special guest at several of André Rieu's famous concerts in Maastricht. In 2021, he performed "Mambo No. 5" for Polish troops.

Lou Bega in Movies and Games

Lou Bega sang the theme song for the Disney Channel cartoon series Brandy & Mr. Whiskers. He also recorded a Disney version of "Mambo No. 5" with lyrics about Disney characters and appeared in its music video.

In the video game Tropico, players can choose Lou Bega as a character. His song "Club Elitaire" was also included in the German version of the game.

In the game Walt Disney's The Jungle Book Rhythm n' Groove, Lou Bega is part of a dance challenge. Players dance as King Louie to Lou Bega's version of "I Wanna Be Like You." If you do well, you can unlock a video of him dancing with children. Lou Bega also wrote the theme song for the French cartoon series Marsupilami.

Awards and Nominations

Music Albums

Studio albums

• A Little Bit of Mambo (1999)
• Ladies and Gentlemen (2001)
• Lounatic (2005)
• Free Again (2010)
• A Little Bit of 80s (2013)
• Walk to the River (2018) featuring Jenieva, his wife
• 90s Cruiser (2021)

See also

In Spanish: Lou Bega para niños