Kongos

Biography

Kongos (often styled as KONGOS) is a South African-American band, now based in Austin, Texas. The alternative rock group consists of four brothers: Dylan (vocals, bass guitar, guitar), Johnny (accordion, keyboards, vocals), Jesse (drums, percussion, vocals) and Daniel Kongos (guitar, vocals).

Beginnings

They spent their childhoods in the city of East London, South Africa. They compose, record and perform in Austin, Texas. They graduated from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona and attended Arizona State University. The four men are the sons of recording artist John Kongos. They are of Greek, American and Mexican origin and have attended the Greek SAHETI School in Gauteng, South Africa.

Lunatic (2011–2015)

The band's second album Lunatic×Lunatic24 July 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Come With Me Now3:322Sex on the Radio3:563Escape4:334Kids These Days3:565As We Are4:436I Want to Know3:557Hey I Don’t Know4:018Traveling On4:329Take Me Back4:4610It’s a Good Life3:5911I’m Only Joking3:4412This Time I Won’t Forget5:46 was released in 2012. The single "I'm Only Joking" topped various South African charts, including all three of Tuks FM's charts, and received copious airtime on 5FM and on many other stations in South Africa. The music video for the song debuted on TV 5 on SABC 3 and was in rotation on MKTV. Their second single "Come with Me Now×Come With Me Now2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Come With Me Now3:32" was in rotation on both 5FM and Tuks FM. The song appeared on the 5FM Top 40 and the Tuks FM Top 30 charts.
In late October 2013, the band self-released Lunatic in the United States. In 2014, both "I'm Only Joking" and "Come with Me Now", the latter of which being their top song, began receiving noticeable exposure in the United States, gaining momentum in airplay on radio and being featured in television commercials there. Their song "Come with Me Now" was used as the official theme song for WWE's pay-per-view event Extreme Rules and in the motion picture The Expendables 3. As a result, the band was signed by Epic Records in late January 2014 and the band re-released Lunatic. "Come with Me Now" had sold more than 70,000 copies as of March 2014, but has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA, signifying sales of more than a million copies.

Egomaniac (2016)

On 27 March 2016, Kongos announced via their newsletter that their third album, Egomaniac×Egomaniac10 June 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Take It From Me3:112The World Would Run Better3:003I Want It Free3:454Underground3:185Autocorrect3:246Where I Belong3:087Birds Do It3:1582 in the Morning3:139Look at Me3:5310I Don’t Mind3:2711Hey You, Yeah You3:0112Repeat After Me3:5013If You Could3:33, would be released on 10 June 2016 and that the first single, "Take It from Me", would premiere on 15 April. On 28 April 2016, the second instant grat track "I Don't Mind" was released to album pre-order customers. The official Egomaniac tour was announced in June 2016 commencing in September.

The Front Lounge, Bus Call and 1929 (2017–present)

On 16 November 2017, the band released the first installment of their new podcast, The Front Lounge, to be updated weekly. It was here they hinted towards the documentary of their lives on the road while touring for three years. The band officially announced the documentary, titled Bus Call, on 31 January 2018. On 5 February 2018, the band released the title of their fourth album, 1929, with no further information. They had been sharing photos and videos from their studio, hinting towards the album's release on their social media pages.
1929, Pt. 1 was released on 18 January 2019. 1929, Pt. 2 was released on 11 October 2019.

Members

Dylan Kongos – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar (2011–present), lead guitar (2007–2011), keyboards, programmer
Daniel Kongos – rhythm guitar (2007–2011), lead guitar (2011–present), vocals
Johnny Kongos – accordion, keyboards, programmer, vocals
Jesse Kongos – drums, percussion, programmer, vocals

In popular culture

The film Holy Motors, and the video game Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel used "Come with Me Now×Come With Me Now2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Come With Me Now3:32" in the trailer, The Claptrap Trailer, and WWE also used this song as the theme for their 2014 pay-per-view event Extreme Rules. It is also the theme song for the Australian version of reality television series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! since 2015. It was used in the soundtrack to the movie The Expendables 3 and for the trailer to the automotive show The Grand Tour. The song was also used in an advertisement for Universal Studios Florida, as well as an advertisement for Strongbow
Heartland Radio 2.0, presented by The Pat McAfee Show, used their song "I Want to Know" for a recurring Q&A segment.