It’s been a long time, but it’s finally back. We tell you why we’re excited about ‘Viva Tu’, Manu Chao’s first album in 17 years.
Franco-Spanish singer Manu Chao has announced a new album, ‘Viva Tu’, which will be released in September, 17 years after their last studio album. The 63-year-old musician announced his comeback on his website, a month after publishing the first song, also titled ‘Viva Tu’.
On Wednesday, Chao released a second song, ‘Sao Paulo Motoboy,’ a tribute to motorcycle delivery drivers of the Brazilian megalopolis “that They risk their lives every day on two wheels in the great metropolis”.
It is said that the next new album will be “inspired by his travels and everyday life of the people”, with songs in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English, and will feature the collaborations of Willie Nelson in the song ‘Heaven’s Bad Day’ and the French singer Laeti in ‘Tu Te Vas’.
As in their previous albums, the project will address global issuesthemes close and dear to the artist, known for his outspoken political activism and his commitment to current affairs.
Manu Chao not only sings in several languages, but also practices music as a kind of global humanist activismexpressing solidarity beyond borders with lyrics about immigration, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, drugs and love.
The news of a new album is a great event, not only because at ‘Euronews Cultura’ we are big admirers of Manu Chao, but also because the artist has only published four studio albums. His debut, ‘Clandestino’, was published in 1998 and achieved great success around the world.
Previously, in 1987, he had founded the punk rock-folk-flamenco-reggae group Mano Negra, which achieved considerable success, especially in Europewith songs like ‘Pas assez de toi’, ‘King of Bongo’ and ‘Out of Time Man’.
His first solo work, after the dissolution of the group in 1995, made him a world star. The album is a fascinating and lively mix of reggae, rock, raï and samba, with hits such as ‘Clandestino’, ‘Bongo Bong’ and ‘Desaparecido’, sung in Spanish, English, French and Catalan.
One of the best albums of all time
The album occupied 469th on the ‘Rolling Stone’ list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2020.
It was followed in 2001 by ‘Next Station: Hope’, a multicultural mosaic of influences and styles that included Spanish and Latin American folk, African rhythms and a lot of reggae.
The lead single, ‘Me Gustas Tú’, sung in Spanish and French for better reflect your double identity through a naively romantic song about confusion and loss, it was an instant hit. That topic alone has more than 341 million views a YouTube.
His second job earned him a Grammy nomination and a spot on our list of the best European albums of the 21st century.
‘Radio Bemba Sound System’, de 2002, It was a live album.which was followed by the underrated ‘Sibérie m’était contéee’, from 2004, his first album exclusively in French, which shines for its play on words and the narration of stories about life in Paris.
The song ‘Petite blonde du Boulevard Brune’ may be one of his most underrated songs.
His last album was ‘La Radiolina’ in 2007, and after selling millions of copies of his albums, has followed a discreet careercontinuing to perform in the four corners of the world with his live band Radio Bemba.
This is the songs list from his new album ‘Viva Tú’:
- Neighbors At Sea
- The Color of Time
- River Why
- Long live you
- Heaven’s Bad Day (Feat. Willie Nelson)
- Tu Te Vas (Feat. Leeti)
- Heart in the Sea
- Four Streets
- The Butt
- São Paulo Motoboy
- Tom and Lola
- Lonely night
- So many Earths
‘Viva Tu’ goes on sale on September 20. It is already one of the most anticipated albums of the second half of 2024. Manu Chao is currently on a world tour, with stops in Spain, Italy and France scheduled until September.
