Chantelle
Encyclopedia
Chantelle was a popular merengue
music
al group from Puerto Rico
, which performed from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's name comes from the popular French
feminine given name (translated to "Chantal" in Spanish
and English
).
Formed in 1988, Chantelle was an all female
music group, which is somewhat of a rarity for tropical music
bands. One of their few predecessors in that respect was "Las Chicas Del Can
", a Merengue music
group from Dominican Republic, that performed during the middle 1980s.
In 1989, Chantelle became known on the Puerto Rican
and Latin American airwaves with their biggest hit, "Aunque tu no Quieras" ("Even if you Don't Want to"). That song was about a girl telling her boyfriend that they had to separate, despite their feelings. This song gave Chantelle television
and radio
coverage, and the three girls in the group (Olga Tañón, Sandra Torres and Daly Fontanez) became famous women, although Olga Tañón
became the most famous of the three. The group received a Lo Nuestro award
for "Tropical - New Artist of the Year".
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al group from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, which performed from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's name comes from the popular French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
feminine given name (translated to "Chantal" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
).
Formed in 1988, Chantelle was an all female
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
music group, which is somewhat of a rarity for tropical music
Tropical music
Musica tropical or tropical music is a broad term for vocal and instrumental music with "tropical" flavor usually associated with the Afro-Caribbean music. It is part of an even broader category of Latin music. Usually it is an upbeat dance music, but also includes ballads. It features complex,...
bands. One of their few predecessors in that respect was "Las Chicas Del Can
Las Chicas Del Can
Las Chicas Del Can is an all-female merengue group from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Originally created by Wilfrido Vargas, several teams of female vocalists and musicians have alternately performed under the name Las Chicas del Can throughout the group's history.Originally founded in 1982,...
", a Merengue music
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
group from Dominican Republic, that performed during the middle 1980s.
In 1989, Chantelle became known on the Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Latin American airwaves with their biggest hit, "Aunque tu no Quieras" ("Even if you Don't Want to"). That song was about a girl telling her boyfriend that they had to separate, despite their feelings. This song gave Chantelle television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
coverage, and the three girls in the group (Olga Tañón, Sandra Torres and Daly Fontanez) became famous women, although Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón is a two-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy-winning Merengue and Latin Pop artist. Tañón has earned 5 Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Premios Lo Nuestro awards during her career.-Early years:...
became the most famous of the three. The group received a Lo Nuestro award
Lo Nuestro Awards
Lo Nuestro is an awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by television network Univision. The awards began in 1989. Notable recipients include Selena, Gloria Estefan, Juan Gabriel, Olga Tañón, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Juanes, Laura Pausini, Luis Miguel, Maná, Juan Luis Guerra, ...
for "Tropical - New Artist of the Year".