Kaoma was a French Brazilian group formed in Paris in late 1988, built around the Brazilian singer Loalwa Braz, who had been living in France for years and recorded in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English. She fronted a genuinely international line-up: bassist Chyco Dru from Martinique, guitarist Jacky Arconte from Guadeloupe, keyboardist and producer Jean-Claude Bonaventure, drummer Michel Abihssira and backing vocalist Fania Niang.
In the summer of 1989 the band released "Lambada", which topped the charts across Europe and Latin America and set off a worldwide dance craze. The song was not original, though: it was an unauthorised Portuguese version of "Llorando se fue", written in 1981 by the Bolivian folk group Los Kjarkas. After a two year legal battle, French courts ruled in favour of the original authors, and the Hermosa brothers, along with Portuguese lyricists Marcia Ferreira and Jose Ari, were finally credited and compensated.
Kaoma released three albums before splitting up in 1999. Loalwa Braz kept performing until her death in Brazil in 2017, and "Lambada" remains one of the most recognisable Portuguese language songs ever recorded.