Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961 in Paris, France) is a singer of French and Spanish (Basque, Galician) origin. Heavily influenced by the UK rock scene, particularly The Clash, The Jam and Dr. Feelgood, Chao and other musicians formed the Spanish/English rockabilly group Hot Pants in the mid-1980s. The group released a demo entitled "Mala Vida" in 1984, which received plenty of local critical praise but otherwise gained them little attention.