Malanga, a Venezuelan rock band formed in 1998, consisted of Arístides "Ari" Barbella on vocals, Rodolfo "Rudy" Pagliuca on guitar, David "Chapis" Lasca on bass, and Juan Luciow on drums. Their debut album, Ta' Trancao, was released in October 1999 under Líderes Entertainment Group and featured hits like "Déjala" and "Te Vas". The international success of "Déjala" earned them the "Disco Rojo" award from Spain's "40 Principales". In 2002, they released their second album, Tren de Vuelta, featuring collaborations with Rubén Blades and Franco De Vita. Their third album, Nadie quiere estar solo (2005), included the hit "De Caracas a Madrid", which topped the Venezuelan charts for eight weeks. Malanga continued to release music into 2009 with their album Aunque mueran las flores.
