Born Cristian Stambuk on March 16, 1977 in Osorno, Chile, singer and songwriter Koko Stambuk (aka Koko) is better known as a successful Latin pop producer. In 1996 at the age of 19, in order to enter the music business, Stambuk moved to Santiago de Chile. Here he started working with several bands such as Sien, Merlín, and Carlos Cabezas' group, before finding his feet as main composer, singer, and guitarist for Glup! From its Brit-pop-inspired beginnings to hopping on the bandwagon of pan-Latin artists such as Manu Chao, Café Tacuba, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Glup! released three albums between 1999 and 2003 (1999, Wellcome Polinesia, and Glup!), achieving considerable success. Also in 1999, Stambuk formed a production team with Cristián Heyne under the moniker Packman. Together they virtually started the teen pop phenomena in Chile, designing, writing all the material, and producing the girl trio Supernova and its male counterpart, Stereo 3. Their massive commercial success turned Stambuk into a much sought-after producer and songwriter in Chile, particularly in the pop field, where he worked with the likes of Amango, Denise Rosenthal, CRZ, Six Pack, and Kudai. He also became a top-of-the-list rock/punk producer thanks to his involvement with bands Gufi and Tronic. Outside of his commercial work, Stambuk studied theater and anonymously moonlighted on the electronic project Frijoles, with whom he released "Elefantes Volviendo a Casa" in 2006. A very busy man, Stambuk was typically flooded with offers during the 2000s, not only as producer and author, but also as pop band image/sound consultant and composer for TV, theater, and film. His contributions to the soundtracks of the Spanish version of Sesame Street and Alfonso Cuarón's celebrated Y Tu Mamá También helped to make Stambuk's work recognized outside Chile, where he had evidently became a big fish in a very small pond. A logical move to the epicenter of Latin pop followed, and Stambuk duly relocated to Mexico City in 2007. He began his Mexican adventure by producing Luis Fonsi's multi-seller Palabras del Silencio, following up with Reik's hit single "Inolvidable." He also appeared on Julieta Venegas' Otra Cosa. Perhaps surprisingly at this point, in 2009 he decided to start a solo career with the release of Valiente, a techno-pop album that benefited from heavy radio and TV rotation. ~ Mariano Prunes