Bandana (pop band)

Bandana

Bandana
Background information
Origin Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres Dance-pop
Pop
Years active 2001–2004
Labels Sony BMG
Website Official website
Members Ivonne Guzmán
Lourdes Cecilia Fernández
Valeria Gastaldi
Virginia Da Cunha
María Elizabeth Vera

Bandana was 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.

Members

The group consisted of 5 girls:

All the girls hailed from Buenos Aires, apart from Guzmán, who is a native of Colombia

Casting

Formed in 2001 on the reality TV show Popstars, 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".[1] 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".[1]

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.[2] It spawned a number of hits including Cómo Puede Ser, Guapas & Maldita Noche. They also completed a successful tour, selling out Buenos Aires' 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.[3] They also won Best New Artist—Southeast at the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America.[4] 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[5] & also featuring on the cover of Billboard Magazine. This was notable for being the first time that an Argentine group had achieved this feat.[6]

They disbanded in 2004. They reunited in 2008 for an episode of Susana Giménez talk show.

Cultural Impact

Following on from a trend established by the Spice Girls 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'.[7] Their signature bandanas of varying colours were quickly imitated by the teen population, as were their lyrics & dance routines.[7]

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 Intentando, filmed on location in Buenos Aires. It premiered in Argentina on 14 June 2003,[8] & 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".[9] 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".[10] In spite of this, the movie grossed over ARS 10,500,000.[11] and had a bigger B.O. than many international blockbusters.

Discography

Albums

DVDs

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 & Stitch)
  • 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

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "El sueño del estrellato veloz convertido en realidad" Página 12 Article Julián Gorodischer 01-11-2001
  2. ↑ Biography Music.com, Drago Bonacich 18-06-2004
  3. ↑ http://www.portalcomunicacion.com/both/opc/argentina2003.pd
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Best New Artist Southeast - Winners, MTVLA.com - MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica
  5. ↑ Biography, Music.com, Drago Bonacich 18-06-2004</
  6. ↑ '¡Las chicas en la tapa de Billboard!', Article, Terra.com.ar 15-08-2003
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Biography MTVLA.com
  8. ↑ IMDB Release Dates
  9. ↑ 'El espectáculo del año', Review - Zonafreak.com.ar, Ygnacio Cervio
  10. ↑ 'Una oportunidad fallida' Clarin.com, Review - Diego Lerer 26-06-2003
  11. ↑ IMDB Box Office/Business
  12. ↑ CAPIF Official
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 CAPIF Oficial

External links