Biography
Le*Pop formed in Costa Rica as an electro-pop outfit whose initial exposure arrived via the 2008 edition of the MTV Latin America series Zona de Combate. The lineup features Stella Peralta on vocals, Popeye Noguera on guitar, Luis Montalbert on keyboards, Andre Kelso on bass, and Mario Miranda on drums. Their sound draws from new-wave forebears such as Blondie and Talking Heads while also reflecting more recent electro-pop groups including LCD Soundsystem and CSS. Observers have noted parallels with the Mexican female-fronted electro-pop ensemble Belanova. The group issued its first commercial recording, the full-length Bendita Televisor, in 2007 through the independent imprint Arimaka. Momentum increased the next year after the band earned a spot on Zona de Combate, itself an offshoot of the MTV-affiliated networking platform LaZona.com. The resulting on-air visibility placed the promotional clip for the single “No Tengo Calma” into regular rotation on MTV Latin America, an uncommon achievement for independent acts at that time.