Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961), is a French folk singer of Spanish origin (Basque and Galician). He sings in French, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career with Hot Pants, a French band that combined several musical styles and languages. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995.