Romeo Santos (b. 1981)

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Biography

Anthony "Romeo" Santos is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first rose to prominence as the lead vocalist and frontman of the bachata group Aventura, one of the most influential Latin music bands of the 2000s. Santos later established a successful solo career, achieving seven number-one songs on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and eighteen number-one hits on the Tropical Airplay chart. He has sold over 24 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time.

Timeline

The story of Romeo Santos, told in moments.

1981 Birth

Born Anthony Santos in the Bronx, New York. Dominican father, Puerto Rican mother. Grew up listening to salsa, merengue, and bachata in a working-class neighborhood. Started singing in church choir as a kid.

How did the Bronx mix of salsa, merengue, and bachata shape your ear? What was singing in the church choir like? Was being Dominican-Puerto Rican a double identity or a superpower?

1994 Event

Formed Aventura at age 13 with his cousin and two friends from the Bronx. They started as Los Tinellers, playing local gigs. The group would transform bachata from Dominican folk music into a global pop genre.

What made four teenagers from the Bronx think they could transform bachata? Did you always know 'Aventura' was the right name? Was playing local gigs at 13 exciting or terrifying?

2002 Event

Aventura's "Obsesion" became a massive international hit, reaching number one in multiple European countries. It brought bachata to mainstream audiences who'd never heard the genre before.

How did 'Obsesion' cross into countries that had never heard bachata? Did you feel like an ambassador for a genre? Was reaching number one in Europe surreal for a Bronx kid?

2014 Life

Sold out Yankee Stadium for a solo concert, the first Latin artist to do so. Over 50,000 attended. He'd already sold more than 24 million records worldwide by then.

What did selling out Yankee Stadium feel like? Was being the first Latin artist to do it a mission or a milestone? What would 13-year-old you think of 50,000 people singing along?

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