Romeo Santos

Background

Romeo Santos was born Anthony Santos in the Bronx, New York, U.S. He is of mixed ethnicity with a Puerto Rican mother and a Dominican father. The singer had a humble upbringing — his mother stayed home and took care of her family and his father worked in construction. Exposed to Latin music at a young age by his parents, Santos began to sing in a church choir. His early influences ran the gamut from hip-hop to Juan Gabriel. He also credits his parents for instilling strong values, which helped him maintain his humility and navigate the industry’s choppy waters.

Santos started his professional career in 1996 by joining the bachata group Aventura, which he co-formed with brothers, Max and Lenny Santos, and cousin Henry Santos. The group first began as Los Tinellers and made a full-length debut with “Trampa de Amor” in 1995. Their first album as Aventura — “Generation Next” — was released in 1999. Fusing pop, R&B, and hip-hop with bachata, Aventura soon broke out into mainstream music in 2002 with their worldwide chart-topping track, ‘Obsession,’ from their third album titled “We Broke the Rules.” The group achieved massive fame from 2003 to 2009 with their subsequent albums “Love & Hate”, “God’s Project”, “K.O.B. Live” and “The Last.” Following the breakup of Aventura in 2011, Santos embarked on a solo career.

The artist made his solo debut in conjunction with Song Music, and his single, ‘You,’ was an instant hit. In fact, his first full-length album “Formula, Vol.1” was largely produced and written by Santos himself. In 2012, he created a live album from his performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden, which he sold out three nights in a row. In 2014, he became the first Latin artist to headline at the Yankee Stadium for his double-header show, which he sold out as well. Santos released his second album “Formula Vol. 2” in 2014 in collaboration with several top artists, such as Nicki Minaj, Kevin Hart, Drake, and Carlos Santana, among others. He dropped his third album “Golden” in 2017 and achieved multi-platinum status. His fourth album “Utopia” marked the reunion of Aventura, while becoming another milestone in his successful career.