Los Kjarkas

Los Kjarkas is an Andean folk music band from Capinota, Cochabamba, Bolivia. The group is led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Gonzalo Hermosa González. Los Kjarkas was founded in 1965 by Gonzalo Hermosa González along with his brother Elmer Hermosa González, who first began playing Argentine zamba. Little by little, the group started expanding their repertoire and their styles to include more autochthonous Bolivian rhythms. In 1976, the group recorded their first album Bolivia, which started to bring them a good amount of attention. This was followed by Sueño Milenario de Los Andes (1977), which includes traditional songs as well as songs penned by Gonzalo Hermosa González. Soon enough, the group became more popular, touring internationally and releasing albums such as Cóndor Mallku (1980), Canto a la Mujer de Mi Pueblo (1981), and Pueblos Perdidos (1984). In 1989, the group released the album Génesis Aymara, one of their most popular and acclaimed. At the end of the 80s, Los Kjarkas received some international attention after being at the center of a plagiarism lawsuit when the French-Brazilian group Kaoma were found to have plagiarized elements from their international hit “Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)” from the Kjarkas song “Llorando Se Fue.” Over the ensuing decades, Los Kjarkas continued touring extensively as well as releasing new music, celebrating 45 years of their career in the year 2016.