"I want everyone to know Aventura, not just Latinos," 27-year-old lead singer Anthony "Romeo" Santos said in a Manhattan recording studio last week. "I want this group to become a mainstream phenomenon like Shakira and Ricky Martin, and I think that we're on the right track."
The quartet, which has found wild success with its mix of bachata, a relatively obscure traditional music, and contemporary Latin pop, begins a four-night stand at Madison Square Garden tonight. Its multi-platinum release, "The Last," was the biggest-selling Latin music album of 2009, and its ticket sales for Madison Sqaure Garden are six times what the trendy Lady Gaga will draw at Radio City Music Hall during the same week.
But will Main Street buy bachata, a quirky, guitar-driven polyrhythmic form of emotive balladry that, like Aventura, traces its roots to the Dominican Republic?
Aventura -- which comprises two cousins (lead singer Santos and second vocalist Henry Santos Jeter) and two brothers (guitarist Lenny Santos and bassist Max Santos) -- has at least one big endorsement to count on. Right before playing for Obama during a celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month last September, Anthony Santos asked the president if he knew about bachata.
"He said, "Why are you guys acting like I don't know about bachata?' I listen to you guys,' " said Santos Jeter.
Formed in the Bronx in the late 1990s, Aventura met resistance early on. (Although they share the surname, the pairs of brothers and cousins are unrelated.)
"We did a remix of our first single in English, and that was never heard in bachata," said Max. "It was like, what the heck is that?"
There was, of course, reason to be concerned that a group of young New Yorkers might not make an impact in the traditional genre of bachata.
"Before us, bachata was performed by older guys dressed in shiny suits," said Anthony.
But the group found that its sound, which appealed to a new bilingual generation of street-smart Latinos with hip-hop dress and attitude, won scores of new fans both at home and abroad.
Aventura took off when its hit single, "Obsesión," topped European pop charts in 2004. In Italy, it remained at No. 1 for a remarkable 16 weeks. The following year, the group was picked up by Sony for distribution. Before long, the Santoses were selling scores of copies of albums like "K.O.B." (Kings of Bachata) and "The Last." Suddenly, Aventura, like crossover stars Ricky Martin and Shakira, was broadening its appeal to audiences across the world -- not just from the Bronx or the Dominican Republic.
When the group released "The Last," coy references sprinkled throughout the album -- not to mention the title -- created a firestorm of speculation among Aventura's fan base that the band was on the verge of breaking up, prompting repeated denials on its website.
"The title was more like a farewell to the idea that we're doing just bachata music," said Anthony, who hopes to expand the quartet's sound into different genres.
The music notwithstanding, one reason for the album's huge popularity is the presence of guest collaborators like Wyclef Jean, reggaetón megastars Wisin & Yandel and rappers Ludacris and Akon. But despite the fact that they continue fusing bachata with styles as varied as hip-hop, flamenco, bolero, and R&B, the Santoses know where their home base is.
"The rule we can never break is the bachata rhythm," said Max. "We still have the same instruments -- the bongos, the güira (a percussion instrument), the guitars. You have to let the people enjoy the dancing; you have to let them understand the rhythm."
Aventura Where: Madison Square Garden, 32nd Street at Seventh Avenue, New York When: Today, tomorrow, Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. How much: $64-$129.50. Call (866) 448-7849 or visit ticketmaster.com.
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