Bandana (pop group)
Encyclopedia
Bandana were a Latin Grammy-nominated female pop group
from Buenos Aires
, Argentina
. They saw both local and international success from 2001 until 2004 when they disbanded. In total, they released 3 studio albums, 1 live album and DVD, and a film starring themselves
. They were managed by RGB Entertainment and were a big phenomenon, causing hysteria among tween and teen girls.
All the girls hailed from Buenos Aires
, apart from Guzmán, who is a native of Colombia
, 5 girls were selected from 5,000's of contestants who had attended the casting. Their emergence coincided with a period of nationwide economic depression
. As such, their success contrasted greatly with the general mood of the country, & one of the judges commented that "this was an opportunity to shine at a very downbeat moment for Argentina". The final line-up was unusual in the sense that the girls didn't conform to traditional ideas of beauty: Ivonne wore braces & Lourdes was known as la peti (shorty) due to her height. Judge Afo Verde noted that "appearance didn't matter to us, what each girl conveyed was most important".
' biggest theatre, Teatro Gran Rex
, more than 40 times during winter vacations (July).
Later in 2002, they recorded a Spanish version of Can't Help Falling in Love
by Elvis Presley (Muero De Amor Por Tí), for the Disney film Lilo & Stitch
. In 2002, they released their second album, Noche (Night), which wasn't as successful as the first but it was still the best-selling album of 2002 in Argentina. They also won Best New Artist—Southeast at the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America
. In December 2002, they performed a joint concert with Mambrú
in the Vélez Sársfield
stadium with over 40,000 tickets sold.
In order to promote themselves internationally, they traveled to the USA, appearing in New York
& Miami & also featuring on the cover of Billboard Magazine. This was notable for being the first time that an Argentine group had achieved this feat.
They disbanded in 2004. They reunited in 2008 for an episode of Susana Giménez
talk show.
in the UK & internationally in the late 1990s, Bandana became a carefully marketed product which was especially popular among young girls. Many licensed products with their brand were available to purchase, and contributed to the heightened interest in the group, occasionally referred to as 'Bandanamania'. Their signature bandanas of varying colours were quickly imitated by the teen population, as were their lyrics & dance routines.
From 2001 to 2003, there was an official Bandana store selling lots of merchandisings. The store was located at Avenida Corrientes, right besides Teatro Gran Rex.
, filmed on location in Buenos Aires
. It premiered in Argentina on 14 June 2003, & met with mixed reviews. One critic claimed it a success "thanks to the competent technical aspects, precise use of emotion that plays with the audience, but above all, the atmosphere which it creates in the cinema". Others were less complimentary, commenting "their acting talents are just passable.....the songs shine due to the absence thereof.....& the script comes straight from the 'teenager dreams of being a singer' handbook". In spite of this, the movie grossed over ARS 10,500,000. and had a bigger B.O. than many international blockbusters.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. They saw both local and international success from 2001 until 2004 when they disbanded. In total, they released 3 studio albums, 1 live album and DVD, and a film starring themselves
Vivir Intentando
Vivir Intentando is an Argentine 2003 family, musical film starring the 5 members of girl group Bandana.The film provides a fictional account of the band's formation, and premiered on 14 June 2003 in Buenos Aires.-Cast:* Ivonne Guzmán as Ivonne...
. They were managed by RGB Entertainment and were a big phenomenon, causing hysteria among tween and teen girls.
Members
The group consisted of 5 girls:- Ivonne GuzmánIvonne GuzmánIvonne Guzmán is a Colombian singer-songwriter, composer and actress. She is best-known of being a member of Argentine all-female band Bandana. She also acted Inés in Argentine version of theatre musical Hairspray.- External links :* at IMDb.* *...
- Lourdes Cecilia FernándezLourdes Cecilia FernándezLourdes Cecilia Fernández is an Argentine singer-songwriter, composer and actress. She is the best known as a member of Argentine girl group Bandana and as a frontman of Lourdes, a band that carries her name...
- Valeria GastaldiValeria GastaldiValeria Gastaldi is an Argentine singer, and also former member of popgroup Bandana.Gastaldi was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina...
- Virginia Da CunhaVirginia Da CunhaVirginia da Cunha is an Argentine singer-songwriter, composer and actress. She is best known as a plaintiff in a protracted lawsuit against Google and Yahoo! in Argentina....
- María Elizabeth Vera
All the girls hailed from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, apart from Guzmán, who is a native of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
Casting
Formed in 2001 on the reality TV show PopstarsPopstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
, 5 girls were selected from 5,000's of contestants who had attended the casting. Their emergence coincided with a period of nationwide economic depression
Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)
The Argentine economic crisis was a financial situation, tied to poilitical unrest, that affected Argentina's economy during the late 1990s and early 2000s...
. As such, their success contrasted greatly with the general mood of the country, & one of the judges commented that "this was an opportunity to shine at a very downbeat moment for Argentina". The final line-up was unusual in the sense that the girls didn't conform to traditional ideas of beauty: Ivonne wore braces & Lourdes was known as la peti (shorty) due to her height. Judge Afo Verde noted that "appearance didn't matter to us, what each girl conveyed was most important".
Musical history
Their first self-titled album, Bandana, was the best-selling album of 2001 in Argentina, turning platinum soon after release and achieving 4 platinum certifications. It spawned a number of hits including Cómo Puede Ser, Guapas & Maldita Noche. They also completed a successful tour, selling-out Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
' biggest theatre, Teatro Gran Rex
Teatro Gran Rex
The Teatro Gran Rex is an Art Deco style theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina which opened on July 8, 1937, as the largest cinema in South America....
, more than 40 times during winter vacations (July).
Later in 2002, they recorded a Spanish version of Can't Help Falling in Love
Can't Help Falling in Love
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a pop song originally recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. The melody was based on "Plaisir d'Amour" but with a different...
by Elvis Presley (Muero De Amor Por Tí), for the Disney film Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch
This article is about the movie. For the television series, see Lilo & Stitch: The Series.Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002...
. In 2002, they released their second album, Noche (Night), which wasn't as successful as the first but it was still the best-selling album of 2002 in Argentina. They also won Best New Artist—Southeast at the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America
MTV Video Music Awards Latin America
Premios MTV Latinoamérica was the Latin American version of the Video Music Awards. They were established in 2002 to celebrate the top music videos of the year in Latin America and the world. They are presented annually and broadcast live on MTV Networks Latin America...
. In December 2002, they performed a joint concert with Mambrú
Mambrú
for the Spanish traditional song "Mambrú se fue a la guerra", see Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerreMambrú was a male popgroup from Buenos Aires, Argentina. They saw both local & international success from 2002 until 2005 when they disbanded...
in the Vélez Sársfield
Estadio José Amalfitani
The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The venue is mainly used for football matches and is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield. The stadium is nicknamed El Fortín or El Fortín de Liniers...
stadium with over 40,000 tickets sold.
In order to promote themselves internationally, they traveled to the USA, appearing in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
& Miami & also featuring on the cover of Billboard Magazine. This was notable for being the first time that an Argentine group had achieved this feat.
They disbanded in 2004. They reunited in 2008 for an episode of Susana Giménez
Susana Giménez
Susana Giménez, née María Susana Giménez Aubert is an Argentine actress, ex-vedette and television host....
talk show.
Cultural Impact
Following on from a trend established by the Spice GirlsSpice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
in the UK & internationally in the late 1990s, Bandana became a carefully marketed product which was especially popular among young girls. Many licensed products with their brand were available to purchase, and contributed to the heightened interest in the group, occasionally referred to as 'Bandanamania'. Their signature bandanas of varying colours were quickly imitated by the teen population, as were their lyrics & dance routines.
From 2001 to 2003, there was an official Bandana store selling lots of merchandisings. The store was located at Avenida Corrientes, right besides Teatro Gran Rex.
Vivir Intentando (Go For It)
In 2003 they released their first movie, Vivir IntentandoVivir Intentando
Vivir Intentando is an Argentine 2003 family, musical film starring the 5 members of girl group Bandana.The film provides a fictional account of the band's formation, and premiered on 14 June 2003 in Buenos Aires.-Cast:* Ivonne Guzmán as Ivonne...
, filmed on location in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. It premiered in Argentina on 14 June 2003, & met with mixed reviews. One critic claimed it a success "thanks to the competent technical aspects, precise use of emotion that plays with the audience, but above all, the atmosphere which it creates in the cinema". Others were less complimentary, commenting "their acting talents are just passable.....the songs shine due to the absence thereof.....& the script comes straight from the 'teenager dreams of being a singer' handbook". In spite of this, the movie grossed over ARS 10,500,000. and had a bigger B.O. than many international blockbusters.
Albums
- Bandana (2001)
- Label: Sony BMG
- Noche (2002)
- Label: Sony BMG
- Vivir Intentando (Go for It) (2003)
- Label: Sony BMG
- Hasta Siempre (2004) - Live Hits album
- Label: Sony BMG
Tours
- Gira Argentina (2002–2003)
- Gira España y Latin America (2003–2004)
- Gira Argentina: Hasta Siempre (2004)
Singles
- 2001: "Guapas"
- 2002: "Cómo Puede Ser"
- 2002: "Maldita Noche"
- 2002: "Doce Horas"
- 2002: "Muero de Amor Por Ti" (for the film Lilo & StitchLilo & StitchThis article is about the movie. For the television series, see Lilo & Stitch: The Series.Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002...
) - 2002: "Llega La Noche"
- 2002: "Un Demonio"
- 2003: "Necesito Tu Amor"
- 2003: "Hoy Empieza"
- 2003: "Sigo Dando Vueltas"
- 2003: "Hasta El Día de Hoy"
- 2004: "¿Qué Pasa Con Vos?"
- 2004: "A Bailar"
- 2004: "Canto Con Vos"
Awards and nominations
- MTV Video Music Awards Latin AmericaMTV Video Music Awards Latin AmericaPremios MTV Latinoamérica was the Latin American version of the Video Music Awards. They were established in 2002 to celebrate the top music videos of the year in Latin America and the world. They are presented annually and broadcast live on MTV Networks Latin America...
- 2002: Best New Artist - WON
- Premios CAPIF:
- 2002: Best Pop Band - Nominated
- 2002: Best New Artist - Nominated
- 2002: Best Music Publishing - Nominated
- 2003: Best Pop Album - Nominated
- 2004: Best Pop Album - Nominated