Aventura is an American bachata group formed in The Bronx, New York. With the lineup always consisting of the members Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos, and Max Santos, they are regarded as one of the most influential Latin groups of all time. All of the members are of Dominican descent, although Romeo is also half Puerto Rican on his mother's side. They were the first major bachata act to have originated in the United States instead of the Dominican Republic. The group was integral to the evolution of bachata music and are the pioneers of the modern bachata sound.
Raulín Marte Rodríguez is a Dominican bachata artist. He is one of the first major bachata artists to have international success. As a pioneer of the bachata genre, he helped grow the genre's popularity in the 1990s. While traditional bachata songs were often risque and suggestive, Raulín Rodríguez's idealized romantic lyrics widened the appeal of the genre of bachata, helping it get regular radio play. Rodriguez is known as "El Cacique" and is one of the most established musicians to ever come from the Dominican Republic. He has many international hits, including the songs: "Nereyda", "Medicina de Amor", "Soledad", Esta Noche, and many more. Three of them have been certified Platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Domingo Antonio Santos Muñoz, known professionally as Antony Santos, is a Dominican musician and singer. One of the top-selling bachata artists of all time, he is known as one of the pioneers of modern bachata in the early 1990s, with his role in redefining the genre to include romantic lyrics, poppy guitar licks, and implementation of new instruments, such as the piano and saxophone. He became the first rural bachatero to reach a mainstream audience with his hit single, "Voy Pa'lla". He has had success with other hits like "Por Mi Timidez", "No Te Puedo Olvidar", "Me Quiero Morir", "Lloro", "Solo Te Amo", "Se Acabó El Abuso", among others. Today, Santos is unanimously considered the greatest bachata artist of all time. He is known as "El Mayimbe" of Bachata, and is the second Dominican musician to acquire this moniker, after Fernando Villalona. He is also known as El Bachatú, the nickname he originally started with.
Frank Reyes is a Dominican singer. Known as the Prince of Bachata, he is regarded as one of the best known bachata artists of all time and famous throughout Latin America. He is a 7 time Bachata Artist of the Year winner at the Soberano Awards, making him the most awarded artist in that category. He is known for hits like "Vine a Decirte Adios", "Con el Amor No Se Juega", "Tu Eres Ajena", "Nada De Nada", "Quién Eres Tu", "Princesa", "Amor a Distancia", "Decidí", among others.
Generation Next is an album by bachata group Aventura, released in 1999 through Premium Latin Music. It is their first album under the name Aventura, after their 1996 debut album when they were called Los Tinellers. Generation Next marked the start of a new generation in the genre of bachata, as the group mixed bachata with other genres like hip hop and R&B. This album included six songs from Trampa de Amor, their original first album during their time as Los Tinellers. These six songs were modernized for Generation Next. This included the lead single, "Cuando Volverás". The album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. A vinyl was released on August 14, 2020, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album.
We Broke the Rules is the second studio album by the American band Aventura, released on July 2, 2002, by Premium Latin music. On the album, Aventura incorporated elements of pop, hip hop, and R&B into bachata, giving what critics thought was a new flavor to the genre and extending its appeal to those who preferred urban music styles. The album introduces to the mainstream a new style of bachata known as "the New York school", or "urban bachata", characterized by the inclusion of electric guitars instead of acoustic, and lyrics in Spanish and English instead of just Spanish. In addition, the singing style takes after R&B melodies. The album's themes mainly included heartbreak and melancholy, although it also included social themes like in "Amor de Madre", or "Mother's Love", which is a song describing the lifelong struggle of a prostitute and her son.
Lenny Santos a.k.a. Len Melody is an American guitarist, composer, producer and entrepreneur. He rose to global fame as the co-founder of the bachata group Aventura where he served as producer, lead guitarist, vocalist, composer and musical director. Lenny is responsible for the group's distinctive sound. He is the one who dared to experiment with bachata, adding fusions of R&B, hip hop and pop. He added electric guitars and effects like tremolo, phaser and wah. Lenny is considered the pioneer and creator of urban bachata, and is one of the most sought out music producers in the Latin music industry to this day. Aside from being a musician and producer, he owns multiple businesses such as restaurants and lounges in the New York City area.
Max "Mikey" Santos, known professionally as Max Agende, is an American bass guitarist, musical arranger and rapper. He rose to global fame as the co-founder of the bachata group Aventura. Max is considered a bass guitar legend in the bachata world and is responsible for the modernization of bachata bass playing. He brought bass techniques from rock songs he would play as a kid.
Toby Love is an American singer, rapper and songwriter of Puerto Rican descent. Based on The Bronx, New York, he is best known for being a former member of Aventura before pursuing a solo career, mostly known for their 2002 album We Broke the Rules, later performing a style of bachata music that combines traditional and urban singing and production. In 2006, he embarked on a solo career, thus gaining success. His debut single, "Tengo Un Amor", helped him rise to fame in mainstream Latin music. Since then, he became one of the most successful bachata artists of the 2000s and 2010s with hits like "Llorar Lloviendo", "Te Parece Poco", "Lejos", "Vestida De Blanco", among others.
Elvis Martínez a.k.a. El Camarón is a Dominican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is a well known Bachata artist from the Dominican Republic. He is known for hits such as "Maestra", "La Luz De Mis Ojos", "Asi Te Amo", "Yo Te Voy Amar", "Laudano", "Directo al Corazon", "El Profesor","Aventura", among others.
The Last is the fifth and final studio album by the bachata group Aventura, released on June 9, 2009. In the "Intro" of this album, Anthony "Romeo" Santos states that this could possibly be their last album; his prediction came true in July 2011 when the group publicly confirmed it was breaking up for good.
"Cuándo Volverás" is a song recorded by bachata group Aventura. It served as the group's debut single from their debut album Generation Next (1999). The song reached big recognition in many Spanish-speaking countries and among the Latin community in the United States, reaching number six in Italy, after its release in 2004. There is a fully Spanish version and a Spanglish version of this song.
Anthony "Romeo" Santos is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who is best known as the frontman and lead vocalist of the bachata group Aventura. In 2002, the song "Obsesión" was number one in Italy for 16 consecutive weeks. He released several albums with Aventura before the group broke up. Since then, Santos has embarked on a solo career which has created seven number one songs on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and seventeen number ones on the Tropical Airplay chart. He has sold over 24 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time.
Carlos & Alejandra were an American music duo that focused on the genre of bachata. The duo is composed of members Carlos Vargas Franco Jr. and Bianca Alejandra Feliz. Despite the success of the duo, they split in 2016, with each following their own separate paths as solo artists.
Henry Santos Jeter is a Dominican singer, songwriter, and producer. Best known for his tenure as a singer and songwriter in the bachata group Aventura. During his time with the group, he produced, wrote and was the lead singer in the songs "9:15", "Déjà Vu", "Voy Malacostumbrado", and Princesita as well as being the background vocalist in most tracks. He made his debut as a solo artist in 2011. Since then, he has released hit singles like "Poquito A Poquito", "Por Nada", "My Way", "La Vida", among others. Santos has released 5 studio albums and 1 live album. He has been featured in other songs with other artist, including Bad Bunny, Anthony Santos & Pavel Núñez. He is also a dancer, actor and art designer.
Fórmula, Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by American singer Romeo Santos, released on November 8, 2011, by Sony Music Latin. It is Santos's first album as a solo artist following the break-up of American bachata group Aventura, of which he was the lead singer. The record contains fifteen tracks, most of which were composed by Santos and co-produced with Ivan Chevere. The album experiments with the sound of bachata and other genres including R&B and flamenco. It features several Anglophone and Hispanophone guest artists including Usher, Tomatito, Mario Domm, and Lil Wayne. Recording for the album took place in 2011 at The Castle, Fight Klub, and EMG Studios in New York City. A deluxe edition of the album containing five extra tracks was released exclusively in Walmart retail stores in the United States.
Bachata #1's is a compilation album released by Machete Music on July 3, 2007. The album features several artists from the bachata genre, such as Xtreme, Aventura, Monchy & Alexandra, Alex Bueno, Frank Reyes, and Los Toros Band with production being handled by Anthony Santos, Lenny Santos, Sergio George and Franklin Romero among others. Musically, the album features musical arrangements combining bachata and R&B.
Fórmula, Vol. 2 is the second studio album by American singer Romeo Santos, released on February 25, 2014, by Sony Music Latin. The album was pushed by the success of its first two anticipation singles, "Propuesta Indecente," and "Odio", featuring Drake, which combined spent seventeen non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot Latin Songs charts and have remained in the top 5 of the chart for 98 of its 100 weeks.
Vena, was an American bachata group formed by members Lenny Santos and Max Santos from Aventura alongside Steven Tejada from Xtreme. They are known for their hits such as "Sangre De Mis Venas", "Corazón De Hierro", "Señora", "Dile A El", "Por Mentiras", among others. VENA alongside Larry Hernandez were nominated for a Billboard Mexican Music Award in 2012.
Utopía is the fourth studio album by American singer Romeo Santos, released on April 5, 2019, by Sony Music Latin. This album featured collaborations with some of the greatest artist in the history of bachata. It also included the reunion of Aventura as Romeo along with Henry, Lenny, and Max would release their first single as a group in 10 years.
