Editing Lou Bega (section)

==Career==

Bega started his musical career as a rapper.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} At the age of 13, he founded a hip hop group with two other boys. It would be two years before Bega and his friends' first CD would be released in 1990.<ref name="Lou Bega's official website"/> While living in Miami, he discovered Latin music. In 1997, he participated in Goar Biesenkamp's music project Balibu as rapper ''David Lubega''. The Balibu single "Let's Come Together" featuring Lou Bega and the DJ Ole Wierk was released in the fall of 1997 on East West Records/Warner Music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicade-music.de/mambo-story|title=THE SUCCESS-STORY OF MAMBO No. 5|publisher=Unicade music|access-date=15 April 2025}}</ref> After returning to Munich, Bega met his then manager, Goar Biesenkamp, as well as music producers "Frank Lio" (Achim Kleist) and "Donald Fact" (Wolfgang von Webenau) (Syndicate Musicproduction), with whom he developed the concept for the song "Mambo No.&nbsp;5". Bega signed a recording contract to the label Lautstark.<ref>{{cite web |author=BMG Berlin Lautstark |url=http://www.lautstark.de/frameset.html |title=Artists under contract to ''Lautstark'' |publisher=Lautstark.de |access-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310010719/http://www.lautstark.de/frameset.html |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Lou Bega.jpg|thumb|Bega performing in 1999]]

His first single "Mambo No.&nbsp;5" became a world wide hit in 1999, charting at No. 1 in most European countries, including Germany, UK, France, and No. 3 in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/ersuche.asp?kategorie=chart&interpret_suche=Lou+Bega&titel_suche=&jahr=&cat=s|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728085024/http://www.officialcharts.de/ersuche.asp?kategorie=chart&interpret_suche=Lou+Bega&titel_suche=&jahr=&cat=s|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2014|title=Charts.de: Lou Bega (Singles) |publisher=Charts.de|work=[[Media Control charts|Media Control]]|language=de|access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/lou%20bega/|title=Official Charts Company: Lou Bega |publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Lescharts.com: Lou Bega - Mambo No.&nbsp;5 (A Little Bit of...)">{{cite web|url=http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=Mambo+No%2E+5+%28A+Little+Bit+Of%2E%2E%2E%29&cat=s |title=Lescharts.com: Lou Bega – Mambo No.&nbsp;5 (A Little Bit of...) |publisher=Lescharts.com |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Allmusic: Lou Bega (Awards)">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-bega-mn0000210143/awards |title=Allmusic: Lou Bega (Awards)|publisher=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref> In France, "Mambo No.&nbsp;5" spent twenty weeks at No. 1.<ref name="Lescharts.com: Lou Bega - Mambo No.&nbsp;5 (A Little Bit of...)"/> It was also used by the British television broadcaster [[Channel 4]] for their coverage of [[Test cricket|test match]] [[cricket]] between 1999 and 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/415421.stm |title=Mambo hit knocks fans for six |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=9 August 1999 |access-date=31 March 2012}}</ref>

On 19 July 1999, Bega released his debut album ''[[A Little Bit of Mambo]]'', which peaked at No. 3 both in Germany and the U.S.<ref name="Allmusic: Lou Bega (Awards)"/><ref name="Charts.de: Lou Bega (Albums)">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/ersuche.asp?kategorie=chart&interpret_suche=lou+bega&titel_suche=&jahr=&cat=a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728064554/http://www.officialcharts.de/ersuche.asp?kategorie=chart&interpret_suche=lou+bega&titel_suche=&jahr=&cat=a|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2014|title=Charts.de: Lou Bega (Albums) |publisher=Charts.de|work=[[Media Control Charts|Media Control]]|language=de|access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref> While it charted moderately in the UK, peaking at only No.&nbsp;50, it reached No.&nbsp;1 in Austria, Canada, Finland, Hungary, and Switzerland.<ref name="Allmusic: Lou Bega (Awards)"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=A+Little+Bit+Of+Mambo&cat=a |title=Lescharts.com: Lou Bega – Little Bit of Mambo |publisher=Lescharts.com |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/kereso-eloado-cim-szerint |title=Mahasz: Archívum Kereső – előadó/cím szerint |publisher=Mahasz |access-date=1 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115113822/http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/kereso-eloado-cim-szerint |archive-date=15 November 2014 }}</ref> The second single, "I Got a Girl" charted well, entering the Top 10 in some European countries, including France, Finland and Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=I+Got+A+Girl&cat=s|title=Lou Bega – I Got a Girl|publisher=Schweizer Hitparade|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> The third single, "Tricky, Tricky", achieved No.&nbsp;18 on the Canadian charts and No.&nbsp;74 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' charts.<ref name="Allmusic: Lou Bega (Awards)"/> In France, Bega did well also with his single "Mambo Mambo", which reached No.&nbsp;11 on the French charts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=Mambo+Mambo&cat=s |title=Lescharts.com: Lou Bega – Mambo Mambo |publisher=Lescharts.com |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref>

Bega's second studio album ''[[Ladies and Gentlemen (Lou Bega album)|Ladies and Gentlemen]]'' was released on 28 May 2001. The album failed to experience success similar to its predecessor in Bega's native market or internationally. It peaked at No.&nbsp;54 in Germany,<ref name="Charts.de: Lou Bega (Albums)"/> and No. 23 on Switzerland's album chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=Ladies+And+Gentlemen&cat=a|title=Lou Bega – Ladies and Gentlemen|publisher=Schweizer Hitparade (Hung Medien)|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> The album produced two singles, "Just a Gigolo" and "Gentleman", both of which charted moderately.

In 2002, the artist published a compilation titled ''King of Mambo'' and two years later another compilation, ''The best of Lou Bega'',<ref>[https://www.todomusica.org/lou_bega/ Lou Bega] at [https://www.todomusica.org/ Todomusica.org]</ref> with which he regained some of the prominence.

Bega released his third studio album ''Lounatic'' on 10 May 2005, which failed to enter the charts.<ref name="MusicLine.de: Lou Bega - Discografie">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicline.de/de/artist/Lou+Bega/2329/discography |title=MusicLine.de: Lou Bega – Discografie |publisher=MusicLine.de |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref>

On 21 May 2010, Bega released his fourth album titled ''[[Free Again (Lou Bega album)|Free Again]]'', which also did not find much success on the charts.<ref name="MusicLine.de: Lou Bega - Discografie"/> It only charted in Switzerland peaking at No. 78.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Lou+Bega&titel=Free+Again&cat=a|title=Lou Bega – Free Again|publisher=Schweizer Hitparade (Hung Medien)|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref>

Bega's fifth studio album ''A Little Bit of 80's'' was released on 28 June 2013, in Germany on Ariola (Sony Music).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.de/Little-Bit-80s-Bega-Lou/dp/B00CJPRIWM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1372733048&sr=1-1&keywords=Lou+Bega |title=Amazon.de: Lou Bega – A Little Bit of 80s |publisher=Amazone.de |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref> In this album, Bega again covered classic international hits including "[[Smooth Operator]]" (1984)" by [[Sade (band)|Sade]], "[[I'm So Excited]]" (1982) by [[The Pointer Sisters]], "[[Vamos a la playa (Righeira song)|Vamos a la playa]]" (1983) by [[Righeira]], "[[Red Red Wine]]" (1968) by [[Neil Diamond]] (a remake of which was a hit for [[UB40]] during the 1980s) and "[[Karma Chameleon]]" (1983) by [[Culture Club]]. Bega's first single off his fifth album was his cover of the 1982 hit "[[Give It Up (KC and the Sunshine Band song)|Give It Up]]" by [[KC and the Sunshine Band]], which was released in Germany on 14 June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.de/Give-It-Up/dp/B00D64T1T8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372734099&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Lou+Bega-Give+It+Up |title=Amazon.de: Lou Bega – Give It Up|publisher=Amazone.de |access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref> The song peaked at No. 6 in Germany.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141207162000/http://www.lou-bega.com/single-give-it-up-enters-charts/ Lou Bega Give It Up German Charts on loubega.com]</ref>

In 2019, Bega released "Scatman & Hatman", his first release since 2013. The track uses vocal samples from the 1994 single "[[Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)]]" by [[Scatman John]]. Shortly after the track's release, he told Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' that he was inspired to create the track by the fact that Scatman John died in the same year that "Mambo No.&nbsp;5" was released, adding,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8516252/lou-bega-interview-scatman-hatman-mambo-no-5-star |title=A Little Bit of New Lou Bega: 'Mambo No.&nbsp;5' Star Discusses 'Scatman & Hatman,' His First Single In Six Years |first=Jason |last=Lipshitz |website=Billboard.com |date=17 June 2019 |access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref>{{blockquote|We found out how much [John and I] had in common. The guy died of a brain tumor in 1999 — my own father died of a similar brain tumor in 1999 as well, just four weeks before the mambo came out. And then of course, there's the suits, and the mustaches, and the retro style.}}