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Manu Chao - singer, songwriter, musician and globetrotter extraordinaire - has divided his career between his two major passions in life: music and travelling. Manu, who rose to fame as lead singer of the anarchic genre-bending band Mano Negra, has gone on to launch a successful solo career, returning to his Latin roots and working on more reflective, personal material.

Manu Chao was born in Paris on 21 June 1961. His parents, both of whom came from Spain, moved to the suburbs shortly after his birth so Manu spent his childhood growing up in Boulogne-Billancourt, then in Sèvres. Manu's father, Ramon, was a journalist but young Manu spent most of his free time hanging out playing football with the sons of workers from the Renault car factory (which was close to the family home). Manu was also a passionate music fan and when he was not playing football he was to be found sitting in front of the radio or the family record-player, listening to Chuck Berry or songs from the Spanish revolution. (His musical tastes have remained extremely eclectic to this day).

In his teenage years Manu discovered the UK rock scene via the Clash, a group which was to have a strong influence on his own early career. In 1985 Manu went on to form his own group, les Hot Pants, who played their own inventive mix of rockabilly and rhythm'n'blues. By the mid-80's the alternative French rock scene had begun to thrive, throwing up a new generation of 'indie' groups such as les Beruriers Noirs and les Gar?ons Bouchers. Countless new bands were soon performing on the alternative rock circuit, playing gigs in bars, squats and disused factories to an audience of teenage fans eager to get away from the musical mainstream. Manu Chao also began to thrive on this new alternative circuit, performing with an indie rock outfit known as Los Carayos.

In 1987 Manu went on to form la Mano Negra, a multi-racial genre-bending group who were to have a seminal influence on the alternative French rock scene. La Mano Negra exploded onto the forefront of the music scene in June 1988 with a highly original debut album entitled "Patchanka". Over the next few years the group acquired international acclaim for their innovative albums and their explosive live shows, building up a strong following of fans worldwide. Then in 1995 la Mano Negra story came to an end when the ten members of the group finally decided to go their separate ways.

After the split Manu decided to go back to his Spanish roots, heading off to Madrid for two years. Shortly after arriving in the Spanish capital Manu began hanging out with a bunch of local musicians and soon went on to form a new group, Radio Bemba, with whom he began touring almost immediately. Manu also spent several months travelling around South America (a place he was already highly familiar with as la Mano Negra had toured there extensively).

After enjoying music as a collective group experience for so many years Manu was beginning to envisage a new musical approach. He came up with the idea of performing as a solo singer but collaborating with musicians from widely diverse backgrounds such as the group Tijuanano (from Mexico), Skank (from Brazil) and Todos Tus Muertos (Argentina). Turning away from the alternative rock sound he had developed with La Mano Negra, Manu began to seek new inspiration in street culture and the music he heard on the local bar scene.