Aventura (band)

In 1993, Lenny Santos and his brother Max Santos formed a little band with a cousin of there's and call themselves Banda Sueño. They would play mostly as a hobby. It didn't last long as the cousin was a much older guy. They decided to look for a new singer around their age who could help them take their music career more seriously. Lenny didn't know anybody in their neighborhood who could sing. He was later introduced to Anthony Santos via one of the group's musicians named Roney Fernandez who attended the same school as Anthony. They clicked instantly, and the two started working on songs together. Anthony was a singer and composer who would sing with his cousin Henry at their local church choir. Anthony later introduces Lenny to his cousin Henry, who also joins the group. These four would form Los Tinellers, which is the word Teenagers but spelled in Spanish letters so non-English speaking Hispanics could pronounce it. The group would perform for their neighbors, at local stores and in the streets for free in the Bronx.[11]

In 1995, the group was discovered by Elvin Polanco when Lenny and Anthony asked him if they could perform at a local parade he was hosting.[12] Elvin, seeing potential in the group, became their manager. He helped them record their first studio album despite having no funds. They released their first album in 1995 titled Trampa De Amor under Elca Productions. The album included songs that later on would be remade for later Aventura albums. One of them was "Cuándo volverás", which would later become their debut single. Unfortunately, only Anthony and Lenny were on the cover because of Henry and Max being late do to train traffic. The album did not do well commercially, selling a total of five copies. Elvin Polanco ran into some health problems and the group was left without a manager at that time.[13]

In 1996, with the help of new manager Julio César García, the group created a new image. He re-invented the group to resemble popular American boy bands. He renamed the group Aventura, which is english for adventure. In 1998, they signed a record deal with Premium Latin Music, Inc.

On November 9, 1999, they released their debut album Generation Next along with its main single "Cuándo volverás" in hopes of breaking bachata music into the mainstream from its traditional base.[8] They slowly began to gather fans in Dominican Republic and in the east coast of the United States, especially in the cities of New York, Boston and Lancaster. The group was the first to experiment with fusing bachata with other genres like R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, Reggae and Rock. They were the first bachata act to sing a whole bachata song in English. Anthony innovated bachata with fresh lyrics that incorporated songs with different themes, instead of just singing about heartbreak.[11] Lenny innovated bachata guitar with his use of electric guitars. He also innovated the tone of bachata guitar by adding guitar effects such as wah, phaser, distortion, tremolo, and harmonizer.[14] Max innovated the bachata bass with his use of bass techniques such as slapping and bass slides. Max incorporated a lot of rock bass riffs into bachata.[11] This would eventually lead to the creation of what is now known as Urban Bachata. While the album did have some success, it didn't exactly expectation as the group was heavily criticized about the new style and the fact that they had added English in to the genre.

While at the beginning they didn't get the mainstream attention they were looking for with their debut album, the style they had introduced did help make the genre mainstream. In 2001 four songs were leaked to the public which were for their second studio album. The songs were "Todavía Me Amas", "Amor De Madre", "Enséñame A Olvidar", and "Obsesión" which featured Dominican-American singer Judy Santos. Thanks to the success of "Obsesión", the group got the big break they were waiting for and would eventually turn them into the icons that thay are today. The song achieved huge success in many countries. It peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart in the U.S. It also topped many European charts by peaking at number 1 in seven country, which made it peak at number 1 on the Eurochart Hot 100. This would expand bachata internationally as it reached countries where the genre was never heard before at the time. This would also be the start for Judy as a female vocalist for the group as she would eventually work for them in other songs.

Around this time, Anthony decided go under the name Romeo Santos. He created an alter ego to be a more romantic character on stage to help him with his shyness. He came up with the name Romeo because of the song "Todavía Me Amas" in which he mentions Romeo and Juliet.[15] This was also due to the fact there is another bachata artist by the name Antony Santos, who was the man that inspired him to become a bachata singer. Romeo would refer to himself as Anthony Santos from Aventura so to be specific. Even though both singers had their names spelled different, it was still pronounced the same way. This led to the group and the record label to make the decision to have Anthony go under the name he is known today, Romeo Santos.

On July 2, 2002, they would release their second album under the Aventura name title We Broke the Rules. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. It also peaked at number 1 in the French and Italian albums charts. The album would feature Judy Santos and Puerto Rican-American singer Toby Love, who worked for them as a back up vocalist until he left in 2005 to pursue a solo career. His voice was used for the songs "I Believe" and "Gone", a cover of an NSYNC song.

In the same year, they would released there first live album titled En Vivo. It was based on their 2002 show at the United Palace in New York City. It was re-released in Europe on August 30, 2004, and renamed Unplugged. On January 11, 2011, it was released to the world under the title Live! 2002.

In 2003, they released their first concert film, Aventura In Concert: Sold Out At The United Palace.

In 2003, the group released the main single for their third studio album titled "Hermanita". The song addressed issue like domestic violence, especially the mistreatment of women in the household. The song peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and at number 3 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.

On November 18, 2003, they released their third studio album, Love & Hate. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart and at number 3 in the Swiss Albums chart. It is their first album to get a Gold and Platinum certification in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2004, they released a special edition that was exclusively to Italy. It featured edited versions of the songs Cuándo volverás and Obsesión.[16] They released a 2005 edition as well that was released exclusively for Romania.[17]

In 2005, they released there second concert film, The Love & Hate Concert: Sold Out At The United Palace.[18] It is based on a concert for Love & Hate that took place at the United Palace in New York City.

In February 2005, they released their first single for their fourth studio album "La Boda". It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart.

On April 26, 2005, they released their fourth studio album, God's Project. This is their first album distributed by Sony Music Latin. On the Billboard charts, it peaked at number 133 on the Billboard 200, at number 5 on both Heatseekers Albums and Top Latin Albums charts, and at number 1 on the Tropical Albums chart making it the group's first number one album on that chart. It is considered the group's mainstream breakthrough album as they started to get more mainstream publicity in the United States. It was the best-selling tropical album of 2006 in the United States and was certified 4× Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album featured collaborations with Judy Santos, Anthony 'El Mayimbe' Santos, Nina Sky, Don Omar, and Tego Calderón who was featured in a hidden track. This album also featured the songs "Ella y Yo", "Un Beso", and "Angelito" which were released as singles later on.

On May 9, 2005, "Ella y Yo" was released as the album's second single. It featured Puerto Rican Reggaeton artist, Don Omar. It peaked at 97 on the Billboard 100, at number 2 on the Hot Latin Songs and at number 1 on both the Latin Rhythm and Tropical Airplay Billboard charts . The music video was released in the same year. It took place in a bar. The video is about Romeo Santos and Don Omar having a conversation about love.

On August 8, 2005, "Un Beso" was released as a single. The group paid tribute to Spanish musician, Manzanita in this song. It peaked at number 6 on the Hot Latin Songs and at number 2 on the Tropical Airplay Billboard charts.

Later that year, "Angelito" was released as the last single and peaked at 17 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. This would also be the last song to feature Judy Santos as she would embark in to her own music career.

On March 10, 2006, Aventura would perform a sold out show at The Theater at Madison Square Garden (now Hulu Theater) making it their first live performance at MSG.[19]

On October 19, 2006, they released the single "Los Infieles" and while it is a studio song, it was released as the first single for their second live album. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, at number 5 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart, and at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. Later on, a remix was made which featured Mexican singer Frankie J.

On December 19, 2006, they released their second live album, K.O.B. Live. It is a double-disc live album of Aventura's greatest hits from their first four studio albums. These live performances were recorded in the U.S. (New York City, Boston, Puerto Rico), Dominican Republic and Colombia along with audio skits of the band talking about the importance of performing in these places. It also featured a bonus DVD. The album peaked at 124 on the Billboard 200, at number 2 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, and at number 1 on both the Heatseekers Albums and Tropical Albums Billboard charts. Despite being a live album, it included 5 studio songs: "Los Infieles", "Mi Corazoncito", "El Perdedor", "Controversia", and "José", a song dedicaed to fallen soldiers.

On February 12, 2007, "Mi Corazoncito" is released as the second single for the live album. It peaked at number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and at number 1 on both the Latin Rhythm and Tropical Airplay Billboard charts. The music video was released on April 3, 2007. It featured the Miss Universe 2003 pageant winner Amelia Vega.

In the same year, Aventura were inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.[8]

On September 1, 2007, Aventura performed at Madison Square Garden as part of their K.O.B. Live Tour. This time they would perform at the 20,000 seat venue in front of a sold-out crowd. The concert featured artists like Don Omar, Anthony Santos, Wisin & Yandel, Miri Ben-Ari, Toby Love, and Héctor Acosta.

On November 13, 2007, they would released their third live album and third concert film, Kings of Bachata: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden. It based on the sold out MSG show from September 1.[20] The album peaked at 97 on the Billboard 200, at number 3 on the Top Latin Albums chart, and at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. It was certified 8× Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

On January 14, 2008, "El Perdedor" was released as the third single for K.O.B L ive. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and at number 1 on both the Latin Rhythm and Tropical Airplay Billboard charts. The music video was released in 2008 and it featured highlights from the group's 2007 show at MSG. Later on, a remix was made which featured Puerto Rican singer and rapper Ken-Y.

In December 2008, the band would sell out 5 night at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico from the 4th to the 7th, and the 10th of that month.[21][22]

On November 10, 2008, they released the first single for their fifth studio album, "Por un Segundo". It became the group's first number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It also peaked at number 1 on both the Latin Rhythm and Tropical Songs Billboard charts. The song was awarded "Tropical Song of the Year" at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2010 awards. The music video was released in 2009 and features the winner of Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model, Jaslene Gonzalez.

On April 27, 2009, they released the second single, "All Up 2 You". It featured Senegalese-Americans R&B singer Akon, and the Puerto Rican Reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, at number 2 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart, and at number 1 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay charts. On April 23, 2009, the song was performed live as the opening act at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards. The music video for the song was released on June 5, 2009.

On June 9, 2009, Aventura released their fifth and final studio album, The Last. It featured collaborations with Arturo Sandoval, Ludacris, Wyclef Jean, Akon and Wisin & Yandel. It peaked at number 4 on the Chilean Albums chart and at number 2 on the Recordland Venezuelan Albums chart. It is their best charting album on the U.S. Billboard charts as it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200, and at number 1 on both the Top Latin Albums chart, lasting 23 weeks on that spot and Tropical Albums chart, lasting 50 weeks on that spot. It also included the songs "Su Veneno", "Dile al Amor", and "El Malo" which were later released as singles.

On June 30, 2009, "Su Veneno" was released as the album's third single. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. A Bolero version was also released as a separate single. The music video for the Bachata version was released on July 20, 2009. The music video for the Bolero version was released the next day.

On October 13, 2009, "Dile al Amor" was released as the album's fourth single. It peaked at number at number 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, which became the group's second number one hit on that chart. It also peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart, lasting 15 weeks on that spot. The music video was released on November 4, 2009.

On the same day, Aventura was invited to perform their hit single "Su Veneno" at the White House for the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. They are the first bachata act to ever perform at the White House.[23] On October 15, 2009, it air on television as part of the "Fiesta Latina" episode of the tv series, In Performance at the White House.[24]

In early 2010, they sold out the Garden once again, but for a legendary four nights in a row at part of The Last Tour. They surpassed American artists such as Lady Gaga and Madonna in ticket sales, being one of the first Latin groups to do so.[11] At one of the concerts they paid homage to Juan Luis Guerra, and even sang some songs with the iconic Dominican singer. These concerts took place on the 20th and 21st of January and on the 1st and 2nd of February of 2010.

On March 11, 2010, "El Malo" was released as the final single. It didn't chart at first until It was re-released in mid-2010. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. The music video was released on June 29, 2010. Later on, a remix was made featuring Dominican rapper Sensato.

On February 13, 2010, the group would perform at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in front of a crowd of about 50,000 to 60,000 people.[25][26]

On April 29, 2010, Aventura were nominated for 12 awards at the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards. They won 9 of them, thus making them the top winners of that night.[27]

In December 2010, the group preformed 3 nights at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico from the 3rd to the 5th of that month. The very last concert of the tour took place on March 7, 2011 in Venezuela. This would also be the last concert as a group before they would eventually split up to have their own separate projects.

In 2011, the group announced that they would be taking a hiatus to work on individual musical projects.[28] Henry embarked on a respective solo career, looking to be accepted without the group. Romeo took the opportunity to sign with Sony Music Latin, and embarked on his solo career as well.[29] Although Max wanted to focus more on his rap career, he joined his brother Lenny and formed their new bachata group called "D'Element." under Lenny's record label Element Music Group. They then joined Steve Styles from the bachata group Xtreme and renamed the group to Vena.[30][31] During the hiatus, they did release a few compilation albums, 2 of them being greatest hits albums. At the same time, Max Santos worked alongside many dembow artists and also focused on his solo career, with his most recent projects being released titled "Contigo" and "El Trueno."[32]

On May 23, 2011, 14 + 14 was released as an audio and music video album. It contains every song that has a music video from 200 to 2010 along with the music videos as well with the exception of "All Up 2 You". The album features Judy Santos and Don Omar The audio version peaked at number 132 on the Billboard 200 and at number 1 on both the Top Latin and Tropical Albums Billboard charts.

On November 4, 2014, Sólo Para Mujeres was released. It is part of a series of compilation albums released by multiple artist with the same title that were released by Sony Music Latin. It features some of the group's most romantic songs. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart.

On February 4, 2016, they released Todavía Me Amas: Lo Mejor De Aventura. This greatest hits album was named after the 2002 single, "Todavía Me Amas". It features Judy Santos, Héctor Acosta, and Don Omar. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. It has also peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Albums weekly chart, lasting 183 weeks on that position. It peaked at number one on the year-end chart in the same category in which it became the number 1 tropical album for four years straight from 2019 to 2022. It was certified 3× Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[33]

The group reunited to close out the second night of Romeo's sold-out Yankee Stadium concert on July 12, 2014.[34]

On December 1, 2015, it was announced on the band's website and social media that they would have a reunion tour for the whole month of February at the United Palace theater in New York City. Their first concert since their split started with a sold-out crowd on February 4, 2016, with the final concert ending on February 28, 2016.[35] They would've continued on with the tour, but Romeo had to finish the second leg of his Formula Vol. 2 tour.

On April 1, 2019, the group posted an image on their Instagram account teasing a new Aventura single called "Inmortal" slated to be released at 9PM, captioning it "#UTOPIA".[36] At 9PM, Romeo uploaded a video saying that their new song would not be released at 9PM after all, and that it was intended to be an April Fool's joke which led the fans to become upset and lash out on social media. The following day, however, the group apologized and announced that the April Fool's joke was not the song, but was the release date. They then previewed the new single "Inmortal" and its music video, stating that it was being released Friday, as a part of Romeo's fourth upcoming studio album, Utopia.[37] It is their first single in 8 years.[38] It debuted at 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It also peaked at number 1 on both the Latin and Tropical Airplay Billboard charts.[39]

Aventura won for Tropical Duo/Group of the Year for the Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 25, 2019.[40] That same night they performed "Inmortal" alongside Raulin Rodriguez who perfomred "La Demanda" with Romeo prior to the other members apprearing on stage.[41]

On September 21, 2019, the group reunited for Romeo's Utopia concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. They performed hits such as "Dile al Amor", "Todavia Me Amas", and "Inmortal". The group performed "Obsesión" alongside Cardi B who would also performed her hit song "I Like It" at the concert.[42] On December 8, 2019, an announcement was made regarding the band's upcoming US tour, La Gira Inmortal. It was their first tour since splitting in 2011, and began in Los Angeles on February 5, 2020.[43] In March 2020, The group had announced that concerts were postpone due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[44] This included 5 shows at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City that was supposed to take place from March 16 to the 19, and March 22, 2020. It was eventually postpone for the dates July 9 to the 12. However, it was eventually canceled just like all the other scheduled or postpone shows.[45]

In June 2021, Aventura announced the return of the Inmortal Tour. But instead of doing the shows in the venues that were originally planned before their cancelation, they decided to play at stadiums and big arenas in certain cities.[46] Before the tour started, The group released the single Volví on August 3, 2021, featuring Bad Bunny. On August 14, the tour started in Miami, Florida at Hard Rock Stadium.[47] They became the first Latin act to ever sell out the stadium.[48] The tour ended on October 9, 2021, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium. This was the same venue Romeo Santos sold out 2 years prior.[49] They had a show for Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field scheduled on August 22, 2021. However it was postpone to October 14, 2021. This would have been the last concert but for some unknown reason the concert never happened. It was never mentioned. There was no news nor any announcements were made about why it was canceled.[50]

On November 4, 2021, Aventura announced their very last concert to be set for December 18, 2021, At the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. They sold out tickets 3 days after the day they went on sale.[51] A second concert was set for December 19, 2021, which would eventually be their final concert together.[52] Both shows were successful.

On May 10, 2022, Max "Agenda" Santos was interviewed by Mega Atlanta Radio. He mentioned a forthcoming album was in the works, but that he had no concrete announcement to make.[53]

• Anthony "Romeo" Santos – lead vocals, backing vocals, songwriter, composer, producer (1994-2011, 2019-2021)
• Henry Santos – lead vocals, backing vocals, songwriter, composer, producer (1994-2011, 2019-2021)
• Lenny Santos – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, arranger, producer, band director (1994-2011, 2019-2021)
• Max Santos – bass guitar, rapper (1994-2011, 2019-2021)

Although they weren't official members of Aventura, they held rather supporting roles.

• Toby Love – backing vocals, congas (2002, 2006, 2007)
• Judy Santos – female vocals (2002, 2003, 2005)

As Los Tinellers

• Trampa de Amor (1995)

As Aventura

• Generation Next (1999)
• We Broke the Rules (2002)
• Love & Hate (2003)
• God's Project (2005)
• The Last (2009)

• Unplugged (2004)
• K.O.B. Live (2006)
• Kings Of Bachata: Sold Out At Madison Square Garden (2007)

• 14 + 14 (2011)
• Sólo Para Mujeres (2014)
• Todavía Me Amas: Lo Mejor De Aventura (2016)

• Aventura In Concert: Sold Out At The United Palace (2003)[54]
• We Broke the Rules (DVD) (2004)[55]
• The Love & Hate Concert: Sold Out At The United Palace (2005)[56]
• Kings Of Bachata: Sold Out At Madison Square Garden (2007)
• 14 + 14 (2011)