Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Growing up, I was always trying to catch a great show. And that's where I learned an artist gets respect. That's what makes people talk.
I never think about any of my accomplishments and I always get butterflies in my stomach and I never get too comfortable with the status.
I've been so private. That's part of the reason they've said, 'Is Romeo gay?' No. I just don't want to show you my girl - if I got a girl.
I try to transmit emotion and soul in my voice, but my true passion has always been writing. I feel more like a writer than anything else.
That's my goal: to get the world to know who Romeo Santos is. His music. My music. Even if they don't like it, I want them to know who I am.
I make them all my girlfriends. I just express to each and every one of them every chance I get that I have millions of girlfriends, my fans.
I'm not just selling out Yankee Stadium; I'm selling out stadiums in Mexico, in Argentina - with my bachata. I try to stay true to what I do.
I'm not taking for granted being managed by Roc Nation. They have a lot of relations, and they have a reach that I clearly could benefit from.
If you think of any strange fusion with bachata, most likely, we've done it. It's bachata mixed with different elements. We don't follow any style.
You see a lot of talented people, but you usually don't see talented people who, behind the scenes, know how to conduct themselves on a higher level.
When Aventura began, there was a lot of salsa and merengue, and we said, 'Let's just do what we do.' Then Aventura blew up, but urban was in its prime.
There's a misconception in my opinion... and it's that we Latinos have to go do an American album, an English album, an Anglo production, to cross over.
I'm reaching a huge audience. I'm doing what artists like Beyonce are doing in terms of selling out stadiums. The difference is my audience speaks Spanish.
I grew up listening to bachata, to some of the greats of the genre. But it was very natural for me to create this type of fusion and to incorporate new beats.
I started singing one day along with my cousin, and I didn't take it too seriously. The people started telling me, 'Hey, you have a nice voice.' and I was like, 'Really?'
You have to be confident about the product you're putting out. It's just like when a boxer is promoting a fight. You can't go out there and be like, 'This guy might beat me.'
You can have the best product, but if you don't have a plan - a label pushing it, the support of a network - you can't make it big with a product. It's all about distribution.
The way Aventura became successful was so weird. We didn't have a major label. They say everything has a reason, but it's not easy to find. The only thing that was right was the music.
I want to try different things but, most importantly, always be true to my roots and keep it organic. I'm never going to leave bachata behind. I'm always going to be a bachatero first.
It's really sad for me that in the United States the Latino community is losing its culture and language, especially among kids born here - a lot of them can't even speak our language.
I always want people to expect the unexpected, to hear me in records that have nothing to do with bachata. 'Golden' is the golden opportunity for them to appreciate me on other records.
This song 'All Aboard,' that tune allowed me to expand and kind of offer my audience something totally different because it's not bachata - I'm singing English, and that was really fun.
When we started Aventura, I think a lot of - the reason why we became so successful besides, you know, doing good music, was also the fact that it was unique and different and never done.
My fans love me; they've made me this sex symbol. I don't feel I am, but they feel that way. They find me attractive, like I'm a sexy dude. I try my best to make them believe the illusion.
This Romeo character is something I decided to create, like my alter ego. So the name Romeo was invented from the original Romeo and Juliet. I wanted to show people I'm like a modern Romeo.
I joined the church choir because there were these two hot chicks. Then people started giving me compliments. 'You really have a good voice.' Really? I just joined the choir for these girls.
'Despacito' is phenomenal; you can't really chase that type of success. I'm a huge fan of the record, the original, and then when the remix came out, I said, 'Oh my God, it just got greater!'
Part of my success with urban bachata is reinventing yourself as an artist and continuing to give people different kind of fusions, mixing up the elements and concepts without changing the beat.
Boxing is a really difficult sport! So I don't want to tell you I wouldn't try it, but I guess everybody that does know about it, my friends, they tell me how difficult it is, and I'm like, 'Eh.'
Many artists would want a major label. But, if someone made you big, it doesn't mean they're no longer good enough when you get big. If you want to add, add. But don't get rid of your original team.
I've learned that you can do something great, but you have to continue reinventing yourself as an artist. So by the time someone else is copying your style, you have something else to offer your audience.
I've got a superstar like Usher singing bachata, a tune featuring Lil Wayne. I'm offering people more than just bachata. That captures a new audience that would listen to bachata because Usher is singing.
In bachata, you had these guys that used to wear suits and had a really traditional style. We looked different. Baggy jeans. We had the Spanglish going on, and I knew that was going to work to our advantage.
I would always talk with my friends in English and Spanglish, but it was more like slang. It was more like, 'Yo, what's up, dog?' But in Spanish, I know what's proper, and what's ghetto. I know the difference.
If I'm performing in the United States, I'm able to speak Spanglish, and the crowd comprehends. If I'm in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, then I'm completely Spanish. I feel like a New Yorker that represents all Latinos.
One day, my father brings a cassette. He's showing me this, and he's like, 'Look at this guy, his name is Anthony Santos, like you.' I popped it on and started hearing the songs, the music, and I was like, 'Wow, this sounds great.'
When I was producing 'Formula Vol. 2,' I knew I needed to come hard with the features and do something I hadn't done with Aventura. Collaborating with Drake was definitely one of those big steps that helped bachata go to the next level.
I don't tweet very much. I still believe in the mystery of an artist. I believe in going out when I'm ready to sell my product. A lot of artists are out there every day. But I remember the Julio Iglesiases, the Jose Joses - and it was about the music.
I was born and raised in the Bronx, and growing up here, you would go down the block, and on one corner you would hear bachata, on another corner some salsa, and of course there was hip-hop and R&B all over the place. So for me, it is very organic to have these combinations.
I think you have a crossover when you are known to a wider audience and a different market. I've been able to sell out stadiums all over the world by doing my music. I'm lucky to be in that list without having done an official crossover. Now, will you hear me doing a little bit of R&B? Sure.
My dad is Dominican, my mother's Puerto Rican, and I got into bachata at the age of 10 or 11. When I started listening, it had a reputation for being music for hick people. I thought that had to be changed. I was born and raised in the Bronx, and I knew you make something cool if you're cool.
I believe that if each one of us have successful solo careers, it can only help the group's growth. It will allow the fans to see individual talent and make them appreciate us more. After all, we are in this for the long run and have every intention of returning with another album as Aventura.
My mother at a young age put me in bilingual, so my strength is really more in Spanish. Even though I live and I was born and raised in the States, you know, in the Bronx, in Spanish I get my point across. And when I'm writing music, when I'm doing music, it's easier for me, and I know exactly how to express myself.
I do proclaim myself king of bachata because I have to represent my genre. I have to always come out and put on the Superman cape. I'm pretty much representing my culture. I'm not going to change that. But I definitely don't want there to be a misconception where people are like, 'The only thing he likes to do is bachata.'
I grew up in my neighborhood with salsa, of course bachata, but also hip-hop, Nirvana - it was just like a mixed culture. It was a beautiful thing for me because at the moment I started creating music, having all these different sounds and elements, it was very organic because I grew up with all these types different music.
What happened with reggaeton is that many artists kept recycling the same sound. But there are a lot of reggaeton artists that are still in their prime - like Daddy Yankee - because they've chosen to continue growing, to offer people more than just reggaeton. That's where I learned to always be able to try something new and not be afraid.