Santos Bravos marked its first anniversary on Oct. 19, and the group spent it on a Billboard Latin Music Week 2026 panel at Miami Beach’s Faena Theater, moderated by Billboard’s Leila Cobo. The HYBE Latin America quintet — Kenneth Lavíll, Drew Venegas, Gabi Bermúdez, Kauê Penna and Alejandro Aramburú — formed in 2025 and has packed a lot into twelve months, including a Tecate Emblema festival set in Mexico City.
The breakout moment came when the group opened for Enrique Iglesias at a FIFA Fam Fest in Monterrey before 87,000 people. That performance led to their collaboration“Ooh Laka Laka La.”For Aramburú, the moment hit differently: he said he went from playing in the streets of Lima to performing with them, and summed up the year simply as“a crazy year.”
The night closed with a showcase of songs from their debut EP, Dual, including the single“0%.”The EP is built around the band’s two sides: the melodic“santo”Latin pop sound and the reggaetón-forward“bravo”side. With a milestone year behind them, which side of Dual are you playing first? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.