AVENTURA BACHATA FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM

Aventura is one of the most unique and innovative artists on the scene today.  After more than ten years of sparring in the music business, these four young, dynamic guys with a seldom-seen chemistry continue to auto-produce soulful, original music that gleams with excellence.  They are the first “Bachata-boy band,” the first band to fuse the essence of bachata with R & B, hip hop and other American pop styles; the first Bachata band to perform in English, Spanish and “Spanglish.”  Aventura is also the first bachata group to feature songs that address serious life situations, delighting fans in the process, such as “Amor de madre,” “Hermanita”, “Papi dijo” and “La niña.”

When Aventura performs its songs, Dominican/Caribbean culture fuses with the vivid tapestry of New York’s dynamic melting pot.

Because the Santos boys are barely out of their teens, it seems incredible that they struggled for eight years before exploding on the scene in the summer of 2002.  Their struggle was not merely the physical one marked by years of sleepless nights on the road; perhaps a greater obstacle was the traditional bachata audience, which tends to be conservative and one-minded as to how their beloved folk-based music should sound; this audience either “booed” them off the stage or refused to acknowledge them.  After all, on a scene dominated by traditionalist stars such as Anthony Santos and rising romantic minstrels such as Zacarías Ferreira, Aventura’s music was truly radical.

However, when “Obsesión” exploded on street level with little or no airplay, Aventura was catapulted to the forefront.  The band’s unique style was soon embraced fanatically by young Latinos in New York, much in the way rock & roll captivated teenage audiences in generations past.  It also changed the face of Bachata forever.  Like a super-cell storm spawns tornadoes, Aventura spawned sound-alikes.  But there is only one Aventura!

If Aventura fever in the US and Latin America is a phenomena, the band’s impact in Europe has been utterly astounding.  For 16 straight weeks the single “Obsesion” charted number 1 in Italy; the album We Broke The Rules topped the charts for months as well. From there Aventura charted number one in Spain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Slovenia, Romania among others.  In France, 20 days after release 400,000 singles had been distributed with 139,000 CDs.  In Germany, “Obsesion” is currently at number 1 with 150,000 CDs shipped.  “Obsesion” was covered by a German pop group Third Wish, and this version also appears on the charts a few slots below Aventura.   In recent days, licenses have been entered into for the territories of Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Israel.  “Obsesion” has penetrated the mainstream European market to the point that the “Smurfs” in Germany and Spain have created a parody of the song for inclusion in a future “Smurfs” record release.

Aventura has appeared on Top of the Pops, European MTV, and their equivalents in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.  On three occasions they have taken the coveted Cassandra award in the Dominican Republic and Premio lo Nuestro in 2005.

In 2005 Aventura played a festival in Chicago for WOJO radio where it became clear that they are the new darlings of the Mexican audience, one of the largest constituents of Hispanic music.

In April, 2005 Aventura released GOD’S PROJECT, its 4th studio production.  It continues to be one of Sony’s most important sellers having reached nearly 500,000 units sold and going strong; it remains number one in sales on the Billboard Tropical Chart and in the top ten in Latin Albums; it continues to chart in Billboard General Heatseekers in the top 15.  This album is a successful experiment in blending world cultures, hip hop, R & B and bachata – it features UN CHI CHI which contains a sample of an Indian pop song performed by the Queen of Bollywood, Asha Bhosle; UN BESO which is flamenco-bachata;  YOUR LYING is an English language song featuring Nina Sky. Yuly Terrero of Goodfellas Enterprise produced an urban style video for UN BESO as well as for ELLA Y YO a reggaeton-bachata featuring the performances of Don Omar.  Dominican producer great Juan Basanta produced a mini-movie video for the hit single, LA BODA.    

On September 27th 2005, Aventura released the DVD THE LOVE & HATE CONCERT  “Live at the United Palace” which has sold over 40,000 units, striking numbers for a tropical-market DVD. This engaging production includes unique moments with Aventura fans, candid interviews, humor and great music. 

On March 10th, Aventura sold out again – this time at Madison Square Garden and a DVD of that concert is scheduled for release in August or September, 2006.  On March 25th the group sold out once again at Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic, one of the most revered ampitheatres in the hemisphere.  A DVD will also be released to document that landmark event.

Aventura’s fift album KOB Live (Kings of Bachata) was released on 12/19/2006 and has sold almost 300,000 units.  The album is an elegant three disc project – two audio discs (containing 5 new studio songs, the best-of international performances and comedic skits by Aventura’s members) and a video component with exerpts from the sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden and Altos de Chavon (La Romana, Dominican Republic) as well as the studio video “Los infieles” directed by Jessy Terrero and a pot-porri of B-roll footage to delight fans).   KOB features a number of industry personalities including Don Omar, a Miri Ben-Ari (The Hip Hop Violinist who has performed with artists such as Alicia Keyes, JayZ and many others) and Luis Jimenez from El Vacilon de la Mañana, to name a few.  The lead single, “Los infieles” is a number one hit across the country, soon to enjoy similar success in Europe where it debuts on 12/19 as well.  Aventura appeared at Premio lo Nuestro taking two awards – best duo and best traditional tropical act. In addition, Anthony was honored for “No no no,” where he composed the song and performed in duo with Thalia.   Aventura was nominated for 4 Billboard awards took 3 in 2007.

The members of Aventura are Anthony Santos (lead singer and featured composer), Lenny Santos (musical producer and guitarist), Max “Mikey” Santos (bassist and rap artist) and Henry Santos Jeter (singer and composer)

	Anthony “Romeo” Santos, lead singer and featured composer, was born on July 21st, 1981 in the Bronx, New York to a Puerto Rican mother and a Dominican father.  At twelve years of age Anthony became a member of the church choir.  Around the same time, he commenced his love affair with Bachata, long before the style became so explosively popular.  A natural songwriter, Anthony’s early compositions were steeped in the tradition of legendary artists such as Blas Duran.  Undoubtedly Anthony’s sweet, soulful voice has played a key role in the group’s success.  However, Anthony’s songwriting is exemplary – progressive, poetic and down-to-earth; he is a Bronx version of Juan Luis Guerra.  Spinning tales of the tough reality of growing up in the concrete jungle, Anthony’s tunes captivate audiences from all walks of life, young and old.  In 2006, Anthony took an ASCAP award in tropical music for his megahit song “OBSESION” and another yet in the American market in Pop – the first time a Hispanic writer has won an ASCAP award in the American market.
	Lenny Santos is the group’s guitarist and musical producer/arranger.  Born in the Bronx, New York on October 24th, 1979 Lenny fell in love with music at age 15.  Like most kids his age, his music of choice was hip hop.  However, with Dominican parents, Bachata was a permanent household staple - the soulful twang of the “requinto” always in the background, day and night.  It was only logical that Lenny would experiment by blending his two favorite musical styles – bachata and hip hop.  It is Lenny who created unique the Aventura sound; his excellence and creativity as a producer are evident from the first bar of any tune on Aventura’s albums.  Lenny’s approach to bachata has been imitated by young, aspiring guitarists, as well as professionals who have added elements of his signature style to their own productions.  Lenny is an active musical producer in his own right, having signed and produced his own group “Huellas de tiempo,” and others.
	Max “Mikey” Allende Santos, the band’s bass player, was born in 1982 in the South Bronx.  He started playing at 12 years of age, borrowing a bass at school.  At home he collaborated with his brother Lenny experimenting with rhythms in duo, bass and guitar.  Max was always a rock lover and thus brings elements of rock into Aventura’s sound.  Max is also an excellent rap artist and is featured on the album LOVE & HATE on a track entitled “Don’t Waste My Time” and with Nina Sky on the GOD’S PROJECT track “You’re Lying.”  Anthony and Lenny are preparing a solo hip hop project for Mikey and hope to arrange for its release later this year.
	Henry Santos Jeter, singer and composer, was born on December 15, 1979 in Moca, Dominican Republic.  As a youngster Henry was already a diehard music fanatic.  He moved with his family to New York at age 14, where he continued to develop his musical skills.  He subsequently joined a band called Los Teenagers with his cousin Anthony, a group which later morphed into Aventura.  Henry is the group’s comedian, delighting the audience with spontaneous antics on stage.  He is also a hard working business person with a myriad of creative projects on the front burner, including an excellent bachata group, The Hustlehearts.