Romeo Santos continues to prove that he is the King of Bachata, as he makes history becoming the first Latin music artist to headline the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“I want to be able to establish a precedent, not for me, for Romeo, but for the genre of bachata,” the Bronx-born Dominican singer told NBC News during a press conference Tuesday in New York City.
Santos’ concert is set to take place Sept. 21 at the New York Giants home stadium, which can accommodate up to 80,000 fans.
This is not the first time Santos will be performing at an iconic stadium.
The King of Bachata first made history in 2014 after selling out shows at Yankee Stadium, a venue that can fit up to 50,000 people.
Such milestone made Santos the first Latino to have sold out two consecutive shows in the home stadium of the New York Yankees and the second Latin music artist to perform in the venue. The Fania All Stars were the first in 1973.
At least 25,000 tickets were sold during the first two days of the “Utopia The Concert” presale, which started during the first week of June, according to Live Nation Concerts, who is producing the live show.
Fans can expect the show to be full of surprises and “the best they’ve seen from me so far,” said the artist, who has sold more than 100 million singles and 40 million albums throughout his 20 year music career and has won more than 30 music awards, including 17 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Santos named his concert after his latest album, which had the biggest debut for a Latin album released in 2019.
The album “Utopia” is essentially a love letter to the new and traditional sounds of bachata that catapulted Santos into stardom during his time as the front man of the acclaimed Dominican group Aventura.
The production includes collaborations with some of the best old-school "bachateros" including Raulin Rodriguez, Frank Reyes and Antony "El Mayimbe" Santos, as well as a surprising comeback of the beloved duo Monchy & Alexandra. Collaborating with some of the artists he grew up admiring showcases the musician's love for his Dominican musical and cultural roots.
“I want to continue to introduce bachata to people that maybe don’t know about this style of music,” Santos said in Spanish, speaking about the iconic tropical music genre that characterizes the Dominican Republic.
Santos stunned fans back in April when he reunited with his Aventura bandmates, after almost a decade of being apart, for his album’s first single.
Aventura’s comeback single — “Inmortal” — has topped Billboard’s Tropical Songs charts for nine weeks and has racked nearly 120 million views on YouTube.
Santos’ 2018 “Golden Tour” became one of the highest grossing concerts of that year, crowning the singer as the No. 1 selling Latin artist in the nation, according to Pollstar’s top 200 North American tours.
“The success of The Golden Tour solidifies Romeo Santos as one of the most in-demand Latin acts, and that continues with his history-making show at the MetLife Stadium,” said Hans Schafer, head of Live Nation Latin. “Tickets for the performance are going at a record-breaking pace and this is going to be a truly epic show for everyone to be a part of.”
FOLLOW NBC LATINO ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM.
