
Anthony Santos (born July 21, 1981), artistically known as Romeo Santos, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer of Dominican-Puerto Rican descent.
He is widely known for being the lead singer of the bachata group Aventura, which gained a lot of notoriety for several of their songs, before they separated, which led him to embark on a solo career, with the public and critics alike dubbing him as "The King of Bachata".
Discography
Studio albums
- Formula, Vol. 1 (2011)
- Formula, Vol. 2 (2014)
- Golden (2017)
- Utopia (2019)
- Formula, Vol. 3 (2022)
Live albums
- The King Stays King: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden (2012)
- Utopía Live from MetLife Stadium (2021)
Filmography
- Sanky Panky (2007) as himself with Aventura
- Sesame Street (2013) as himself
- Furious 7 (2015) as Armando (Mando)
- The Angry Birds Movie (2016) as The Early Bird
These tropes are so nasty:
- Age-Gap Romance: The song "Que Se Mueran" revolves around a couple that faces severe criticism due to their age differences and social statuses, to the point that those people who do not approve the relationship want them apart. Santos sings about how those traits should not define the validity of said relationship. The expression "que se mueran", exaggerated as it may sound, serves as an hyperbolic way of silencing the negative voices. Even the phrase below highlights the meaninglessness of the age difference as the couple grows old.
- All Love Is Unrequited:
- "Necio" is about a man who is obsessed with a woman despite knowing that she is dating someone else, but the guilt it's eating him alive. Said man calls himself a "fool", acting in a very irrational way while being impulsed by "the little devil" on his shoulder that incites him into breaking the rules.
- "Fui a Jamaica", in which the protagonist becomes so desperate to earn the love of a woman that he is willing to do whatever it takes, even resorting to the use of sorcery, regardless of it being a sin. However, a Christian reminds him that only God has the power to decide whom we end up with. They lyrics reflect the intensity of his emotions and how he is being in denial to accept the reality that she is already with another man.
- Anti-Love Song: In "Cancioncitas de Amor", he talks about how he is so sick of everything related to love, such as Valentine's Day celebrations and love songs. In addition, he declares that he had given up hope in love and envies those who are in happier and healthier relationships, even criticizing the idealization of love through soap operas or romantic songs that often represent an unrealistic view of love.
- A Wild Rapper Appears!:
- Mala Rodríguez in "Magia Negra".
- Lil Wayne in "All Aboard".
- Pitbull in ''Aleluya".
- Drake in "Odio".
- Nicki Minaj in "Animales".
- Tego Calderón in "Trust".
- Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam in "Bella y Sensual".
- Subverted in "Sin Filtro", where Romeo does the rapping himself.
- Lapiz Conciente in "Culpable".
- Beast and Beauty: The song "La Bella y la Bestia" is a modern exploration of the classic fairy tale. However, Romeo describes himself as a "beast", not necessarily due to his apperance, but with physical imperfections and character flaws. Despite his mistakes, his partner always forgives him and loves him unconditionally.
- Break-Up Song: "Llévame Contigo", "Rival" and "Hilito".
- The Cameo: The music video of "Yo También" features film actor Manny Perez as an FBI agent.
- Clear My Name: "Inocente" is a courtroom drama in which he is trying to defend himself from accusations of infidelity, insisting to the judge and the jury his faithfulness and unconditional love to the woman he loves despite some evidence that incriminates him. The reiteration of the chorus "Me declaro inocente" highlights his insistence of his loyalty, while the saying "El que nada debe, nada teme" suggests that he has a clean conscience no matter how compromising the situation seems.
- Concept Video: "All Aboard" features Romeo feeling attracted to a woman (Sandra Kubicka) he encounters at a train terminal. Just as they start making love, the music video ends with the woman parting ways, revealing that the events were an Imagine Spot.
- Destructive Romance: "Magia Negra", playing with the metaphors of witchcraft and voodoo, is about a man who has an irresistible attraction for his lover, feeling completely bewitched by her charms. Despite knowing how hurtful the relationship is, the desire is so strong that he completely enjoys the pain she inflicts on him.
- Drowning Their Sorrows: "Bebo" relates a story about a man seeking solace in alcohol to dull the pain of being betrayed by his partner.
- Entitled to Have You: "Eres Mía" is about a man pursuing a woman whom he considers his in spite of being in a relationship. But it's presented in a controversial way given the man's possessive and selfish attitude to the woman whom he sees as a mere property rather than a person.
- Femme Fatale: "La Diabla" is an expert woman manipulating and controlling love situations to her advantage without showing any compassion for the man's feelings. He admits that even though he was defeated, he is still willing to face the woman in another duel knowing that he would lose his heart again. The lyrics of the song use metaphors of games and gambling to highlight how this "devil woman" means business, and serve as criticism towards shallow relationships where love is treated as a power game rather than a genuine connection.
- Gayngst: "No Tiene La Culpa" it's a sob story about Manuel, a young man who is shunned and mocked for his sexuality and gender identity by the entire neighborhood, even his own sexist and homophobic father, who feels disappointment and humiliation upon learning that his son wants to be a barber instead of a baseball player. On the other hand, his mother is more supportive and accepts him just the way he is. It ends with Romeo pointing out the importance of respecting other people's lives and choices. Hence, it's not our place to judge them.
- "I Hate" Song: "Odio" focuses on someone who can't help but feel envious and hateful about a new man his ex-girlfriend is dating, however perfect he is for her, being torn between wishing the best for them and the inability to accept they are happy with said person.
- Hidden Track: "Gone Forever", from Formula, Vol. 2, was only available in Google Play Musicnote , listed between "Trust" and "Mami". The song was leaked online and eventually uploaded in Romeo's official YouTube account.
- Intercourse with You:
- "All Aboard" uses the train analogy to describe a night of passion as a one-way travel, with the man persuading the woman to make the most of this experience as if it were the last time. Romeo's repetition of "The train is leaving" makes it clear that time is limited and that they should act faster before the opportunity is lost.
- "Propuesta Indecente" talks about a man meeting and propositioning a married woman in a questionable way that defies morals and rules, even blaming his reckless moves on the alcohol.
- "Animales" is a wild and undomitable sexual encounter between two lovers.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: "Suegra" is about Romeo's frustration over his mother-in-law, who is always meddling in his relationship with her daughter, to the point that he mulls over the idea of giving her poisoned coffee as a "gift".
- One-Word Title: The songs "Promise", "Rival", "You", "Inocente", "Necio", "Amigo", "Odio", "Hilito", "Tuyo", "Perjurio", "Carmín", "Centavito" "Sobredosis", "Imitadora", "Canalla", "Payasos", "Millonario", "ileso", "Bebo", "Boomerang".
- Shout-Out:
- In the music video of "Heroe Favorito", he flies like Superman, runs limitlessly like Flash, wall-crawls like Spider-Man and has the Hulk's superhuman strength. At the end, he and his love interest (Genesis Rodriguez) recreate the iconic upside-down kiss from the first Spider-Man film.
- The music video of "Suegra" sees Romeo portraying the iconic Balbuena from Nueba Yol, paying homage to the late comedian Luisito Marti.
- Silly Love Songs: "7 Dias". The protagonist becomes determined to marry the woman he loves in a week with a specific planification for each day. The marriage proposal and honeymoon are presented as the climax of this fast-paced love story, suggesting that true love doesn't need long periods of time to be genuine and profound.
- Title 1: Three of his albums are Formula, Vol. 1, Formula, Vol. 2 and Formula, Vol. 3.
- Undying Loyalty: "Amigo" depicts the narrator witnessing his friend's wife cheating on him with another man, providing solid evidence through photos of her using disguises to conceal her identity. The "cousins don't kiss on the mouth" metaphor reiterates that what the narrator had seen was not an innocent act, but a clear sign of betrayal. At the end of the song, the friend is urged not to forgive the woman's infidelity, as he deserves better.
