Los Kjarkas is a Bolivian band that is one of the most famous Andean Folk Music bands. The group was formed in 1965 and is led by lead singer Gonzalo Hermosa González. They have a long and prolific career, spreading Andean Music to a wider audience and even forming two schools teaching Andean music in Ecuador and Peru.
"Llorando se fue", one of their most famous songs, was translated into Portuguese and performed by the French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma as "Lambada", becoming a huge hit. This translation was unauthorized and Los Kjarkas was uncredited, leading to a lawsuit that the band won, making Kaoma pay to license the song. "Llorando se fue" was sampled by various artists, including Jennifer Lopez in "On the Floor" and Don Omar in "Taboo".
Tropes:
- Andean Music: They play Andean music and helped spread the genre to a wider audience.
- Break Up Song: "Llorando se fue" is about a difficult breakup.
- Folk Music: The band performs folk music of the Andes.
- Long-Runners: The band has been around since 1965, over 50 years ago.
- Multilingual Song: They released a version of "Llorando se fue" with lyrics in Spanish and Japanese.
