Corona— Italian Eurodance band
Corona was created by the producer Francesco Bontempi in the early 1990’s. Olga Maria de Souza became the band’s vocalist. Olga worked in a Brazilian bank and didn’t even think about becoming a professional singer, even though her parents were musicians. Her friend, the soccer legend Pele, convinced her to move to Italy, where she met Bontempi. Together they decided to establish a band, which they called Corona.
The group’s first single, "The Rhythm of the Night", was released in 1993 and became an international hit. It topped the Italian chart and stayed there for 13 weeks. In Canada, it also became a big hit. In the UK, it reached the second spot on the charts. French and Spanish charts gave it the 3rd place. In Australia, Austria, Netherlands, and Germany, the song entered the top-10. The single reached the 11th spot on Billboard Hot 100. The song was highly commercially successful. In Australia, Germany, France, and the UK, it earned gold certifications.
Thanks to the phenomenal international success of the first single. Olga de Souza became a big celebrity. The band started giving a huge number of concerts. Many fans wanted to book Corona for their private events and birthdays. In 1994, Corona went on a world tour, which included performing on all continents.
