This Won’t Be The Last You Hear From Aventura

Their success has been well documented on the Billboard Charts and also by Sound scan, their album “The Last” has been certified triple platinum and their tour by the same name recently ranked #2 on Alternative Press’ Top 20 Concert Tour List beating out Lady Gaga and John Mayer. At last night’s Billboard Latin Music Awards they nabbed 9 awards for their achievements on both the Top Latin Albums sales chart and Hot Latin Songs airplay chart. It is without a doubt that Aventura are the Kings of Bachata.

The day before the ceremony the urban Bachata group partook in a panel discussion during the Billboard Latin Music Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They opened up about the early years, their rise to the top, upcoming hiatus and future, will Aventura regroup? The answer is yes.

Although their multi-platinum album is titled “The Last” this album will not be the last for the Bronx natives. However, it will mark the last “fully Bachata album” for the group, but more on that later.

“This group sounded awful at first,” admitted singer-songwriter Anthony “Romeo” Santos. Their first couple of shows wasn’t well received; the group was criticized for their choice in music and the singer’s unique voice.

“I remember this sound guy taking the microphone away from Anthony and yelling, ‘Stop singing like that, sing deeper, louder so that people can hear you,” recalled back up singer, composer Henry Santos Jeter. “I was so embarrassed,” said Henry.

“You were embarrassed? Imagine how I felt,” added Romeo.

They regrouped and began tinkering with their own sound incorporating bilingual lyrics and urban elements to their songs. Their break would come with the release of their 2002 single, “Obsesión” (Obsession) and would spawn numerous remakes and remixes including Frankie J’s take titled “Obsession (No Es Amor).”

“For two years people on the streets would call me ‘Obsesion’,” said Romeo.

“People even thought that was the name of the group,” said Henry.

“That’s when I said, ‘I gotta write another song,” said Romeo.

The songs that followed surpassed the success of their break-through single, songs like “Hermanita” (Little Sister), “Llorar” (Cry), “Angelito” (Little Angel), “La Boda” (The Wedding) and “Un Beso” (A Kiss) became instant classics and fan favorites, but it wasn’t until “Ella y Yo” (“Her and I”) the collaboration with reggaetón superstar Don Omar that they’d have their first taste of cross-over success. Till then they were mainly popular with Dominican audiences.

“When the song with Don Omar came out people started to take notice, they’d come up to me and say ‘I didn’t know you did reggaetón’ and ‘you’re the ones that sing those [other] songs?’” said Romeo. Their audience had expanded and they began to win over Puerto Rican audiences.

In 2007, brothers Lenny Santos (guitarists/arranger/producer) and Max ‘Mickey’ Santos (Bassist) along with Henry and Romeo embarked on the Kings of Bachata Tour and became the first Bachata act to sell out Madison Square Garden. The concert DVD would eventually be certified 8x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA.

Lenny recalls looking into the screaming crowd and getting choked up. He said, “In the [early years of the group’s formation] we use to walk downtown and we’d pass the Garden. I remember looking over at Anthony and going ‘think we’ll ever get to sell out that place someday?’ and Anthony would say, ‘yea’ but I’m sure he didn’t really believe it at the time.”

Nor could they believe that they could duplicate the success and sell out four consecutive shows at Madison Square garden something they recently achieved with ‘The Last Tour’ earlier this year. “That’s something only someone like Madonna has ever done,” said Romeo.

“After those shows we looked at each other and went ‘what’s next? Yankee Stadium?’” said Henry. The group hopes to someday fulfill that dream but once they do they’ll have to look even further, “I don’t know, Mars maybe?” joked Romeo.

Their success has translated overseas countries like Russia, Mexico, Venezuela and other parts of Europe and South America have welcomed the group with open arms, performing to sold out crowds in countries with little or no comprehension of Spanish, which is why fans were flabbergasted when rumors that the group was calling it quits surfaced. They assured that another Aventura album will be released but once their current world tour wraps up the members will work on individual projects. Lenny promises to stay behind the scenes and work closely with other artists as a producer. His brother Max will be working behind the scenes as well with up and comers and is set to release a compilation album, “Max Music, Vol 1. Coming soon,” he promised and also plans to work on a solo rap album at some point. Henry will debut his solo project some time next year while Romeo has his sights set on acting and writing for other artists. Romeo is currently composing songs for Marc Anthony for a future project and admits he’d love to collaborate with, “Juan Luis Guerra.”