Biography
There is more than one artist named Viva!.
1.) Swedish new wave band, formed in Gothenburg around 1980. One of few memorable Swedish new wave bands, and one of even fewer Swedish new wave bands who recorded any albums in English. According to the singer and guitarist Ulf Zackrisson, they were inspired by the musical movement that started with progressive rock bands such as Genesis, and developed further through bands like Roxy Music, and later, by post punk bands like Magazine and Simple Minds (not forgetting the importance of David Bowie's "Low" and "Heroes").
Viva! recorded four albums, the first two in Swedish and the last two in English. The debut "I Splitter Av Ljud" (In Splinters Of Sound, 1982) was praised by many rock critics. Its dark and tight sound filled an empty space caused by the fading punk scene and the growing flood of cheerful, accessible new wave pop concerned with teenage romance and parties. Viva! was, for a while, mentioned as a great promise for the future. But after this short and intense period of media coverage, Viva! never really found themselves in the spotlight again, and partly due to a surprising lack of attention and airplay, they never made it to the charts. The second ("Flykten" or "The Escape", 1983) and third albums "Dreams Be Quiet!" (1985) was their artistic peak, but despite open talk about a serious attempt at the international market, Viva! remained a cult band with a small but very entusiastic following. The last album "A Rainbow At The Edge Of The Shadow" (1987) was more or less neglected by media. It is probably their most experimental album, and the strong combination of the classic rock setting (guitar, bass, drums) and atmospheric synthesizers, that made the two former albums so enjoyable, was almost gone on it.
During the making of "Flykten" and "Dreams Be Quiet!", Viva! consisted of Ulf Zackrisson (vocals, guitars), Hans Asteberg (keyboards), Tapio Remes (bass), and Lars Tapper (drums).
The rock critic Lennart Ökvist wrote this about Viva! in his review of the third album "Dreams Be Quiet" (1985): "From the debut /…/ where mighty synthmasses and a powerful beat prevailed, through the more quiet and dark landscape of the second album, the music has been brought down to a more sparse level /…/ 'The Frozen Field' /…/ is an incredibly beautiful and sparkling, pure song /…/ 'She Wears A Shadow" closes the album in a magnificent way /…/ Europe and the world /…/ has been waiting much too long for modern Swedish music."
One is tempted to add that the world is still waiting (for Viva!, at least). Fans of bands like Joy Division, Magazine, Ultravox, (early) Simple Minds and Japan may like Viva! at their best - if they manage to get any vinyls from Swedish auction sites.
2.) Viva! was also the name of the all-girl band that was formed during the first season of Popstars in India. The band was formed on 11. April 2002.
The band consisted of Neha Bhasin (* 18. November 1982 in Delhi), Mahua Kamat (* 6. March 1982 in Pune), Anushka Manchanda (* 11. February 1984 in Delhi), Pratichee Mohapatra (* 25. January 1978 in Mumbai) and Seema Ramchandani (* 28. October 1979 in Pune).
Their debut album "Viva!" was a massive success, selling in excess of 500,000 copies. Ramchandani left the group the same year. The remaining four girls went on a national tour and released their sophomore album "Viva! Reloaded" in 2003.
Viva! disbanded in December 2004. The members went on to follow careers as solo singers and television presenters.
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