Maná
Maná performing in October 2007
Background information
Origin	Guadalajara, Mexico
Genres	Pop rock, Latin rock, Latin pop
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Warner/WEA International
Website	www.mana.com.mx
Members
Fher Olvera Alex González Sergio Vallín Juan Calleros
Past members
Ulises Calleros Iván González Abraham Calleros César "Vampiro" López Gustavo Orozco Sheila Ríos Juan Carlos Toribio

Maná is a Mexican rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, whose career has spanned more than three decades. The group has earned four Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo Nuestro awards.

The band formed in 1986 and released its first album, Falta Amor, in 1990. In 1992, the group released ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, which sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, becoming best selling Spanish-language rock album of all time. After several lineup changes, the group released Cuando los Ángeles Lloran, which is noted for its stylistic departure from the band's previous work. Maná followed with Sueños Líquidos (1997), Revolución de Amor (2002), and Amar es Combatir (2007), which continued the group's success. The band's most recent album, Drama y Luz, was released in April 2011.

The band's sound draws from the pop rock, Latin pop, calypso, reggae and ska music genres. They initially received international commercial success in Australia and Spain and have since gained popularity and exposure in the US, Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Their worldwide sales stand at more than 25 million albums as of 2011.^[1]

Band history[link]

1986–89: Formation and early releases[link]

Maná was formed in 1986 by José Fernando "Fher" Olvera (vocals), Ulises (guitars) and Juan Calleros (bass guitar), who had been performing together in a band called Sombrero Verde since the mid 1970s and disbanded in 1983.^[2][3] The three placed an advertisement in the local Guadalajara newspaper looking for a drummer to complete a new band, to which fifteen-year-old Alex González applied and soon joined the group.^[2] Maná signed to PolyGram, but became unhappy with the direction the label was taking the band and switched to Warner Music shortly before the release of the group's debut album, Falta Amor.^[4] A year passed before the album garnered its first hit single, "Rayando el Sol". The group toured heavily in support of the album performing more than 250 times throughout Latin America, including shows in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

1990–96: Commercial success[link]

In 1991, they added two new members to the group, Iván González on keyboards and César "Vampiro" López on guitar. Ulises Calleros no longer performed with the group, but became one of their managers. On October 27, 1992, the band released ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, an album that spawned several hits (including "Vivir Sin Aire," "Oye Mi Amor," "Como Te Deseo"). The record sold over 3 million copies worldwide and became the best selling Spanish-language rock album of all time.^[5] The band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries.

In 1994, guitarist César López and keyboardist Iván González left the group due to musical and personal disputes.^[6] Fher Olvera and Alex González felt that their departure offered an opportunity to reinvent the group's sound, and searched throughout Mexico, Spain and Argentina to find a new guitarist.^[6] In the meantime, Maná released the live album Maná en Vivo before choosing Mexican guitarist Sergio Vallín to replace López.^[4] In 1995, the band recorded a Spanish version of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" for the tribute album Encomium.^[6]

On April 25, 1995, the group released Cuando los Ángeles Lloran. The album was noted for its stylistic departure from the band's previous work, which saw the group experimenting with funk and soul music genres.^[6] Olivera explained shortly after the release of the album, "Basically, we're still the same Mana, but we're going through a funky, soulish stage. We want to have some fun and be a little louder."^[6] The initial reaction to Cuando los Ángeles Lloran was mixed and the first single, the funk-influenced "Déjame Entrar", failed to reach the top ten on the Mexican Singles Chart.^[6] However, the album later caught on and sold 500,000 copies in the United States alone within five months of release.^[6]

[edit] 1997–2007: Sueños Líquidos, Revolución de Amor, and Amar es Combatir

In 1997, the group released Sueños Líquidos, recorded in Puerto Vallarta and released simultaneously in 36 countries. The recording received a Grammy Award as Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. The group performed acoustically in Miami for Latin America's MTV Unplugged program. A final version of the performance was mixed at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, and the band released Maná MTV Unplugged on June 22, 1999.^[5] In the summer of 1999, the band co-headlined an 18-city tour of the United States with Carlos Santana.^[5] Maná also appeared on Santana's 1999 album Supernatural on the song "Corazón Espinado".^[4]