Kaoma
OriginParis, France[1]
GenresLambada, worldbeat
Years active1988–1999
2006–2009
LabelsEpic, Atoll
Past membersLoalwa Braz
Chyco Dru
Jacky Arconte
Jean-Claude Bonaventure
Michel Abihssira
Etna Brasyl
Dyami
Alan Hoy
WebsiteKaoma Lambada webpage

Kaoma was a French-Brazilian band formed in 1988 by French producers Jean Georgakarakos and Olivier Lorsac to promote the song "Lambada". Loalwa Braz was hired to sing lead vocals, other musicians were Chyco Dru (bass), Jacky Arconte (guitar), Jean-Claude Bonaventure (keyboard), Michel Abihssira (drums and percussion) and Fania (backing vocals). Dru is from Martinique, Arconte from Guadeloupe, and Braz from Brazil.

Career

In 1989, they had a major chart-topping international hit with their dance music single "Lambada", a direct cover of the 1986 dance hit "Chorando Se Foi" by Brazilian singer-songwriter Márcia Ferreira, which itself was a legally authorized Portuguese-translated rendition of the original slow ballad "Llorando se fue" (1981) by Bolivian group Los Kjarkas.[2][3] Given Kaoma's clear act of plagiarism and release of their single without Los Kjarkas' permission, Los Kjarkas successfully sued.[4] "Dançando Lambada" and "Mélodie d'amour" were the next two singles and were also hits, although they failed to earn the same success as "Lambada", which itself peaked at number 46 in the US Billboard Hot 100.[5] "Lambada" fared better in Europe, reaching number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.[6]

Also in 1989, Kaoma released their first album Worldbeat which achieved worldwide success, becoming - along with Beto Barbosa - one of the legends of Brazilian lambada. At the 1990 Lo Nuestro Awards, Kaoma won two awards for Pop Group of the Year and New Pop Artist of the Year.[7]

In 1991, Kaoma released the album Tribal-Pursuit which provided the singles "Danca tago-mago" and "Moço do dende".

On January 19, 2017, Braz was found dead in her car.[8][9] Police arrested three suspects for the murder; several motives were suspected, such as a botched robbery or a revenge killing.

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
BRA AUS
[10] 		AUT
[11] 		GER
[12] 		NLD
[13] 		NOR
[10] 		SWE
[10] 		SWI
[10] 		US US Latin
Worldbeat
  • Released: 16 July 1988
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: CD
 1 17 16 21 12 11 41 6 40 1
Tribal-Pursuit — — — — 51 — — — — —
A La Media Noche
  • Released: 10 November 1998
  • Label: Atoll Music
  • Formats: CD
 — — — — — — — — — —

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[16] 		AUT
[11] 		CAN
[17] 		GER
[12] 		IRL
[18] 		NLD
[13] 		NZ
[19] 		SWI
[20] 		UK
[21] 		US
"Lambada" 1989 5 1 78 1 4 1 10 1 4 46 Worldbeat
"Dançando Lambada" — 17 — 18 11 5 — 6 62 —
"Lambamor" 1990 — — — — — — — — — —
"Mélodie d'amour" — — — — — 15 — — — —
"Jambé Finète (Grillé)" (Remix) — — — — — — — — — —
"Danca tago-mago" 1991 — — — — — 8 — — — — Tribal Pursuit
"Mamãe Afrika" — — — — — — — — — —
"Moco do Dende" 1992 — — — — — — — — — —
"A la Media Noche" (Remix) 1998 — — — — — — — — — — A La Media Noche
"Banto" 1999 — — — — — — — — — —
"Lambada 3000" 2009 — — — — — 18 — — — — Non-album single

References

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (1990-01-15). "Review/Pop; Lambada, Would-Be Craze by Way of Paris". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Márcia Ferreira's Official Site Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. Biography. marciaferreira.com.br
  3. ^ Céspedes, Gilka Wara (1993). ""Huayño," "Saya," and "Chuntunqui": Bolivian Identity in the Music of "Los Kjarkas"". Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana. 14 (1): 52–101. doi:10.2307/780009. JSTOR 780009.
  4. ^ Saenz de Tejada, Nacho (1990-05-29). "Kjarkas: "La lambada es un dolor"". El País.
  5. ^ Kaoma: Billboard singles AllMusic.
  6. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 296. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ "Lo Nuestro – Historia". Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "Loalwa Braz, do Kaoma, é achada morta em carro incendiado, diz polícia". Gl.globo.com. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Lambada singer Loalwa Braz found dead in Brazil". BBC. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d "Kaoma – Worldbeat". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Discographie Kaoma". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Discographie von Kaoma". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Discografie Kaoma". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco". ABPD. Archived from the original on 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  15. ^ "Canadian certifications". Cria. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  16. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 150.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9018". RPM. Retrieved 22 June 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search by Artist for Kaoma". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Discography Kaoma". charts.nz. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Kaoma – Lambada". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Kaoma | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  22. ^ "www.bpi.co.uk/". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  23. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Lambada')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
  24. ^ "Guld and platina 1987–1998" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  25. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  26. ^ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results". Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  27. ^ "Goud / Platina | NVPI". nvpi.nl. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  28. ^ "List of best-selling international singles in Japan". JP&KIYO. 2002. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-01-27.

External links

Kaoma
Authority control databases
Categories