LOU BEGA
LOU BEGA
He shaped the musical landscape of the late nineties like hardly anyone else—and now he is back to reconnect with the carefree spirit and joie de vivre of those days: Lou Bega releases his new album “90s Cruiser”—an extremely exuberant journey back to the Nineties!
After already releasing the single “Buena Macarena” and causing a midsummer heatwave with his “Bongo Bong” update, the Munich-born artist now ignites the full Nineties hit fireworks.
“The Nineties are the decade in which the boundaries between mega-cool and super-cheesy didn’t just blur—they were torn down.”
— Lou Bega
After Bega and his long-time producer Roland Spremberg (among others a-ha, Ville Valo, Natalia Avelon) recorded the song “Scatman & Hatman” together—earning immediate top positions in the iTunes charts and millions of streams—the duo recently dove deep into the hit history of the 1990s. For the upcoming studio album “90s Cruiser”, they selected numerous classics that, frankly, we haven’t danced to in far too long.
As the title suggests, the hitmaker cruises back into the carefree 90s on this new longplayer: “90s Cruiser” brings together only the biggest highlights of the decade in which he himself celebrated his breakthrough with “Mambo No. 5.”
“Sing Hallelujah,” “Connected,” “Bongo Bong,” “Buena Macarena”…
Starting with the euphoric Eurodance classic “Sing Hallelujah,” which Bega serves with plenty of exotic flair and casually shifts into reggae territory, the album continues—following the previously released single highlights “Buena Macarena,” “Bongo Bong,” and “Scatman & Hatman”—with one hit after another.
Bega’s interpretation of “Connected” brings the funk of the Stereo MCs into the present (a beat you simply can’t sit still to!), the Backstreet Boys never sounded as summery and danceable as in his version of “Get Down,” and just in time for its 30th anniversary, “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” hits the dancefloor with even more momentum.
Slightly younger but just as legendary: “King of My Castle”—or the perfectly fitting line “bring it back / sing it back,” originally by Moloko, which neatly sums up Bega’s current mission. Of course, the Eurodance spirit of the Vengaboys couldn’t be missing either—at Mr. Bega’s it becomes the programmatic “Let’s Get The Fiesta Started.”
Rounded off with original compositions like “Waiting By The Pier” and “Time Cruisers,” which showcase yet more facets of his current sound, Bega builds another bridge between the decades. The sense of new beginnings and pumping energy of “Time Cruisers” fits perfectly into the hit constellation—and with lines like “back to life again / back to love again,” it also perfectly captures today’s zeitgeist.
Overall, “90s Cruiser” radiates the same exuberant energy as back then—only now these melodies sound even more powerful thanks to fully contemporary production. No surprise, really: the Munich native has always known how to make danceable music even more danceable. His “Mambo No. 5” was, after all, essentially an update marking the 50th anniversary of the original mambo predecessor—and now it’s straight back to the Nineties!
With an album that works both as a time journey and as an optimistic, modern snapshot, Lou Bega extends the summer feeling far beyond its limits.
Since conquering the No. 1 spot in the charts of 21 countries in 1999 with “Mambo No. 5,” Lou Bega has been one of the international music world’s most reliable party hitmakers. Feel-good anthems such as “I Got A Girl,” “Gentleman,” “Boyfriend,” and “Sweet Like Cola” followed, leading to a GRAMMY nomination in the USA and even performances as a special guest of Cher.
The two-time ECHO Award winner has sold more than 6 million singles, over 7 million albums, and around 40 million compilation albums worldwide.
“That decade was simply one never-ending party,” Bega concludes about the Nineties—and now he’s sending that endless party into overtime once again.