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Emanuel Ntaka

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Emanuel Ntaka
Born (1977-12-12) 12 December 1977 (age 46)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • activist
Years active2002–present
Labels

Emanuel Ntaka (born 12 December 1977) is an Argentine singer, songwriter and activist. He was a member of the pop boyband Mambrú, formed in 2002 in the second series of the Argentine reality TV competition Popstars.

Early life

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Ntaka was born on 12 December 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[1] His father was Blues Ntaka (1935–2001), a South African anti-apartheid activist and musician. His mother was Antonia Scarpati, an Argentine from Santiago del Estero. The two met while Ntaka was touring, while in exile, in Italy. Emanuel has two older siblings, both of whom were born in Italy.[2]

He followed his father's footsteps in pursuing a musical career, enrolling at the Escuela Nacional de Música Juan Pedro Esnaola, later following up his professional studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel de Falla.[2][3] Before reaching success, Ntaka worked as a barman at a salsa bar in Buenos Aires.[4]

Musical career

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Before 2002, Ntaka formed part of a band by the name of Living Covers. In 2002, he participated in the second series of the Argentine reality TV competition Popstars. The first series, released the year prior, had already resulted in the formation of the successful girl group Bandana; the second series set out to form an all-male pop group to match Bandana's success. As part of the programme's selection process, Ntaka underwent training in choreography, professional recording and fitness coaching.[5]

Ntaka was one of the five (and the eldest) selected members of what would become Mambrú. The group's debut album, released in October 2002, had become a triple platinum record by 2003.[6] During the following years, Mambrú became one of the most successful pop acts in Argentina,[7] embarking on a Latin American tour and releasing two more albums: Creciendo (2003) and Mambrú 3 (2005).[2] The group received a number of accolades, including three Gardel Awards and a Martín Fierro Award.[8][9] They played in every single Argentine province, in a tour that spanned 2004–2005. Their aim was to 'sing to the entire country', and local bands were recruited to work as supporting artists in their various hometowns.[10]

Despite their success, Mambrú separated as a group in August 2005.[11] Milton Amadeo had already split from the group, pursuing a solo career, in 2003.[12]

Following his departure from Mambrú, Ntaka launched his solo career, releasing an album in 2009 by the name of No pares, shifting his influences from pop rock to a more traditional sound informed by African influences.[13] He would go on to launch his own record label, NTK Records.[14] In 2014, he produced the album Sonidos negros en Argentina, released under NTK.[15]

Activism

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Since the beginning of his solo career, Ntaka has sought to raise awareness of Afro-Argentine music and culture.[16] In 2016, he was appointed as coordinator of the Afro Culture Programme, part of the Directorate of Socio-cultural Programmes at the Argentine ministry of culture.[17][18] The programme grants financial support and promotes cultural projects developed by Afro-Argentines.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Arrascaeta, Germán (3 November 2002). "Mambrú, un volcán que entró en erupción". La Voz (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Doallo, Darío (8 November 2021). "Emanuel Ntaka, ex Mambrú: cómo es su presente y el ataque de un grupo skinhead que lo cambió para siempre". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  3. ^ Mecozzi, Patricio (1 July 2021). "Un padre perseguido por el Apartheid y la fama adolescente, la vida de Emanuel Ntaka, el ex Mambrú". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  4. ^ Blejman, Mariano (1 May 2003). "Los pros y los contras de vivir en la Argentina". Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Mambrú: cinco varones del pop". La Nación (in Spanish). 10 December 2002. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Oros y Platinos". capif.org.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 July 2003.
  7. ^ "Mambrú se volvió a juntar 20 años después: cómo fue el encuentro entre Tripel, Amadeo, Rauch, Silberbeg y Ntaka". La Nación (in Spanish). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Charly ya es Gardel, y por duplicado". Página 12 (in Spanish). 18 March 2003. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  9. ^ "¿Que es de la vida de Tripa, el ex Mambrú". Infobae (in Spanish). 11 February 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  10. ^ ""Mambrú Actuará en San Luis a Beneficio"". El Diario de la Republica (in Spanish). 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Revelan detalles desconocidos de la separación de Mambrú". Clarín (in Spanish). 7 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Rauch reveló por qué se separó el grupo Mambrú". El Territorio (in Spanish). 8 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Cómo luce hoy el ex "Mambrú" Emanuel Ntaka". La 100 (in Spanish). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  14. ^ Festa, Patricia (30 October 2017). "El reencuentro más esperado: Mambrú se reunió tras 12 años ¡y mirá cómo están!". Filo.news (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Emanuel Ntaka: "El país necesita el mensaje de amor y paz de Hair"". Diario Popular (in Spanish). 21 July 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  16. ^ Pellettieri, Lucia (13 February 2022). "Activists Demand Schools Teach Afro-Argentine History". Global Press Journal (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Mambrú se reunió después de 20 años y los fans enloquecieron: "Volvió a suceder"". El Tribuno (in Spanish). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Inauguran monumento a María Remedios del Valle en el día de las personas Afroargentinas". Grupo La Provincia (in Spanish). 8 November 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Cómo participar de la primera convocatoria "Argentina, Cultura y Raíces Afro"". InfoCielo (in Spanish). 15 November 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
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