Born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao in Paris, France, Manu Chao‘s parents were from Spain originally, but moved to the Paris suburbs to escape the dictatorship of Francisco Franco during the Spanish civil war.

His parents were both from Northern Spain originally – his mom from the Basque town of Bilbao, and his dad from Galicia.

Manu Chao originally wrote this jam Me Lllaman Calle for the 2005 Spanish Film Princesas. It later earned the film a Goya nomination for best original song. Manu then released this song on his 2007 Album La Radiolina.

Manu often sings in French, Spanish, Arabic, Galician, Portuguese, and Wolof languages. He will then switch between languages mid song.