Fobia is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

rock en español band from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

History

The band was formed in 1987 by

Leonardo de Lozanne Leonardo de Lozanne is a Mexican model, fashion designer and singer-songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of the Mexican rock band Fobia Fobia is a Music of Mexico, Mexican rock en español band from Mexico City. History The band ...

and Francisco "Paco" Huidobro, brother of Micky Huidobro of Molotov. The original lineup consisted of Lozanne, Huidobro, bassist Javier 'Chá!' Ramirez, keyboardist Iñaki Vazquez, and Gabriel Kuri on drums. Kuri was later replaced by Jorge ‘Chiquis’ Amaro who was followed by multi-instrumentalist

Jay de la Cueva Javier Fernando de la Cueva Rosales (born January 5, 1978), known professionally as Jay de la Cueva or Bryan Amadeus Moderatto is a Mexican model, actor, producer, singer, bassist, drummer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. He has participated ...

, (lead singer of the Mexican

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...

band

Moderatto Moderatto was a Mexican rock band from Mexico City, known for their exaggerated on-stage personae that parody the stereotypical 1980s glam metal lifestyle. Moderatto started as a cover band in the late 1990s and released their debut CD ''Resurre ...

). Fobia was one of the original bands to emerge from the rock en español / Rock en tu idioma (

Rock in your language ''Rock en tu idioma'' was a publicity campaign -- resulting in a series of rock albums -- initiated by the Sony BMG, BMG Ariola Records, Ariola music label, which other labels later also joined, to promote and distribute the music of Mexican, Span ...

) boom of the late 1980s, alongside

Caifanes Caifanes is a Mexican rock band formed in Mexico City in 1986. The group achieved commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The original lineup of members consisted of Saúl Hernández (vocals and guitar), Sabo Romo (bass), :es:A ...

Maná Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band formed in 1981. Originally called Sombrero Verde, the current lineup of members is vocalist-guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González (musician), Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan ...

, Neón, Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio and Los Amantes de Lola; all of which followed in the footsteps of

Soda Stereo Soda Stereo was an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982. The band's membership consisted of singer-guitarist Gustavo Cerati, bassist Zeta Bosio and drummer Charly Alberti. During their career, the band released seven studio a ...

– who by the late 1980s had amassed a huge following in the Americas. In December 1987,

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Ariola de México held a " Rock en tu idioma" battle of the bands contest in

. Fobia was eliminated early on and Los Amantes de Lola went on to win the contest. In spite of their early elimination, executives from Ariola decided to schedule an appointment with Fobia. According to legend, the band missed their meeting with Ariola because they weren't able to enter the building due to problems with security. Following the incident, the band's luck improved.

Saúl Hernández Saúl Alfonso Hernández Estrada (born January 15, 1964), is a Mexican musician, writer, poet, songwriter and the lead singer of Jaguares and Caifanes, two prominent Mexican rock en español bands. Biography Saúl Hernández was born in th ...

produced their first demos and Ariola eventually signed them. Fobia's early sound, like many of the genre, was heavily influence by 80's new wave with a few notable exceptions:

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

KISS A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

. Fobia's music has always embraced the fantastic and eccentric and contains large doses of irony and humor. Fobia steered clear of the political and cultural themes that were embraced by their contemporaries. According to Lozanne, "I think it was more of a strategy of the record companies. We never felt like we were part of a movement. We didn't dress like the other bands. We didn't sing about the things they were singing about". The name ''Fobia'' was chosen because it described the insecurities, fears, and personal obsessions of the band members. These were transformed into melodies and music, and materialized into their first songs; "El microbito", "La iguana" and "El crucifijo", which they played in small bars and at house parties. Fobia's self-titled debut album ''

Fobia Fobia is a Music of Mexico, Mexican rock en español band from Mexico City. History The band was formed in 1987 by Leonardo de Lozanne and :es:Francisco Huidobro, Francisco "Paco" Huidobro, brother of :es:Micky Huidobro, Micky Huidobro of Molot ...

'' cemented their reputation as an innovative and original rock en español act. Produced by Oscar López, their self-titled album yielded classics such as "El Microbito", "El Crucifijo", and "La Iguana". In 1990, Fobia toured with

, and Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio as part as a promotional tour for the emerging batch of Mexican rock bands. The following year Fobia released ''

Mundo Feliz Mundo Feliz was the second album released by Mexican rock band Fobia Fobia is a Music of Mexico, Mexican rock en español band from Mexico City. History The band was formed in 1987 by Leonardo de Lozanne and :es:Francisco Huidobro, Francisco ...

'' (Happy World) which was recorded in

and at the Power Station in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, again with Marteen. ''

'' yielded "Camilla" and "El Diablo". The album featured a cameo by Mexican rock/pop diva

Alejandra Guzmán Gabriela Alejandra Guzmán Pinal (born 9 February 1968) is a Mexican pop and rock singer. With more than 30 million records sold throughout her career, winner of a Latin Grammy Award, and nicknamed " La Reina de Corazones" (the Queen of Hearts ...

. In 1993 Fobia release '' Leche'' (Milk), a decidedly more experimental album, infusing Latin rhythms and alternative rock. The self-produced album became Fobia's least successful album to date. The lead single, "Los Cibernoides" (Cybernoids) was a critique of the Mexican media conglomerate

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

. Regardless of sales, '' Leche'' was a critical success. ''Leche'' saw the departure of original drummer Gabriel Kuri. For 1995's '' Amor Chiquito'' (Small Love) Fobia enlisted famed Argentine producer and composer

Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (; born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine composer, record producer and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Gustavo Santaolalla, numerous accolades for List of works by Gustavo S ...

who had a long string of production credits during the 1990s, producing albums for Mexican acts such as

Café Tacuba Café Tacuba (), stylized as Café Tacvba, is a band from Naucalpan de Juárez, State of Mexico. The group gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, before they had the current lineup of Rubén Albarrán, Rubén Isaac Albar ...

, Molotov, and

Julieta Venegas Julieta Venegas Percevault (; born 24 November 1970) is a Mexican singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer who specializes in pop-rock-indie music in Spanish. She embarked on her musical journey by joining several bands, including the ...

. The album was mixed by Jim Kerr and

Tony Peluso Anthony F. Peluso (March 28, 1950 – June 5, 2010) was an American guitarist and record producer. He was lead guitarist for pop duo Carpenters from 1972 to 1983. Peluso played the fuzz guitar solo on the Carpenters' song "Goodbye to Love". He al ...

, ex guitarist of

The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...

. For '' Amor Chiquito'', original drummer Gabriel Kuri was replaced by Jorge (Chiquis) Amaro, former drummer of Neón. '' Amor Chiquito'' was a more direct sounding album. The lead single “Revolucion sin Manos” was a guitar driven 4/4 stomper. ''Amor'' put Fobia back on top of the

rock en español Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

food chain. Fobia toured the U.S. and Latin America. Following the release of the album Kuri was replaced by

, currently of

, who at the time had worked with teen pop group

Micro Chips Microchips (also styled Micro Chips and M.I.C.R.O. C.H.I.P.S.) was a Mexican children's rock music group active from 1987 to 1993. History In 1987 Javier Willy (keyboard) and Daniel Willy (drums) from Torreón, Mexico, decided to start a band. S ...

and played drums for Las Víctimas del Doctor Cerebro. In 1997 Fobia participated in a

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

tribute album with "Under Pressure" ("Presionando"). That same year Fobia released the live album '' Fobia on Ice''. Fobia disbanded in 1997.

Reunion

In 2004 Fobia reunited and released a greatest hits compilation album titled '' Wow 87*04''. '' Wow 87*04'' was followed by Fobia's fifth studio album Rosa Venus (Venus Rose). To promote the record, Fobia toured the U.S. and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. Following the release of Rosa Venus and the subsequent tour Fobia returned to

to play a series of shows including an opening slot for the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

held at El Foro Sol. To honor their 20th anniversary in 2007 Fobia released XX a compilation of live tracks recorded during their 2005 tour. The album included acoustic versions as well as new arrangements of old songs. This disc was accompanied by a documentary/music video DVD. In April 2011, Fobia gave a rousing performance at the 11th Vive Latino – Festival Iberoamericano de Cultura Musical, one of the most important music festivals in

. Fobia previewed "La Búsqueda" a song from their upcoming album."Fobia 'prende' en el Vive Latino"
, ''El Universal'', 4/08/2011 Since then, the band released Destruye Hogares in 2012. In early 2019 Fobia played in 'El Palacio de los deportes' field for 17,000 fans to celebrate its 30th years anniversary and played 32 songs and releasing '

Pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...

' on march the 1st with their main hits and many other songs live.

Members

: Lead singer * Francisco "Paco" Huidobro: Lead guitar * Javier 'Cha!' Ramírez: Bass Guitar *

: Drums * Iñaki Vázquez: Keyboards Former Members * Gabriel Kuri: Drums * Jorge 'Chiquis' Amaro: Drums

Discography

* ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1991) * '' Leche'' (1993) * '' Amor Chiquito'' (1995) * '' Fobia on Ice'' (1997), live album * '' Wow 87*04'' (2004) * '' Rosa Venus'' (2005) * '' XX'' (2007), live album * ''Destruye Hogares'' (2012) * ''Pastel'' (live album, includes two CD's and one DVD) (2019) * ''MTV Unplugged'' (Live acoustic album) (2020)

External links

*Fobia Websit
Official site

References

{{Authority control Rock en español music groups Mexican rock music groups Musical groups from Mexico City Musical groups established in 1987