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By Michael Lopez

Eli Jas likes to fashion herself as much more than a musician. This bachata up-and-comer prefers the term "storyteller" and hopes to open millions of listeners to her unique style of cinematic songwriting. This month, we've added her to our Descubre & Download list. Listen to her track "Tú Me Haces Volar" and it's easy to see why.

"I'm so grateful that I have the chance to show my talent," Eli told us in an exclusive interview. "I can't wait for more people to hear 'Tú Me Haces Volar.' I think of it like the beginning of a love story where everything is flourishing."

Jas confessed to us that "Tú Me Haces" is just a portion of what's to come on her debut album. Set to arrive this summer, the untitled record will be broken down into lyrical chapters.

"My album is basically a love story," she explained. "It will be different chapters of different moments in time of a relationship. I want my fans to picture this album as a movie."

And you can expect to hear quite a few musical influences in Eli's sound too. She told us she's incorporating elements of pop, hip-hop, techno, and rock into each of the tracks. And Jas is also delivering the story with a signature "Spanglish" touch.

"Every single you hear from this album will be in Spanglish," she said. "I'm hoping to record some English songs next, most likely in the genre of R&B, which is what I grew up with."

Born in New York, Eli’s proud to incorporate pieces of her Chilean, Dominican, and Panamanian heritage into her sound. She also received quite a bit of input from her producer Chris Hierro, who helped craft the "Tú Me Haces" single.

"Chris is an amazing collaborator," Jas said. "We wrote 'Tu Me Haces' together in less than an hour! I think we have a great musical connection."

And it seems like Eli has been connecting with her audience as well. She's already built a very sizable Twitter and Facebook follower base and, as she told us, it’s those fans that motivate her behind the mic.

"I've been getting a fantastic amount of positive feedback," she said. "All of this support just makes me want to push harder and reach out more."

You can keep up with all of Eli's happenings by checking in to her official website.

Are you looking forward to Eli's debut album? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags bachata, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chris Hierro, Descubre & Download, Eli Jas, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hot Stuff, Música, Tr3s Exclusives, Tu Me Haces Volar

By Sugey Palomares

Aventura may be assuring fans that they are still together, but all signs are pointing to a temporary split. While Romeo is busy launching his first solo single "You," Max and Lenny are working on premiering a new musical project D'Element.

The talented guitarist and bassist are joining forces with Dominican vocalists, Sammy Genao, a finalist from the Spanish-language "American Idol"  (called "Objetivo Fama"), and Aileen Rosario, a runner-up on P. Diddy's "Making the Band 2."

The group will pay homage to traditional bachata, but with a dance and techno twist. The brothers are wasting no time on this new project! They are already working on shooting the video for their first single, "You and Me."

Here is what Max and Lenny had to say about their new venture:

"We are starting fresh, but we are positioned high which for us is something marvelous!" - Max

"The sound is now more upbeat and energetic. We are try to put our part in on every song we are recording."-Lenny

We are super excited for the brothers, but we hope they don't forget about Aventura! We all know what happened to Destiny's Child when they started working on solo projects!

Do you think Aventura will stay together in the long run?

Tags Aventura, bachata, D'Element, Max and Lenny, Romeo

By Sandra Roldán

Que qué?  You heard us right.  The Kings of Bachata, Aventura, are expanding their kingdom to embrace new(er) technologies by launching a new iPhone app, called Aventura Open Mic.  The karaoke game, which is now available through iTunes for a cool $1.99, allows you to sing along con tus canciones favoritas de los bachateros.

Feeling brave?  The app allows you to turn off Romeo and the boys, and flex your own vocal muscle on "Su Veneno" y "Un Beso."  Y si necesitas un motivo para tener una fiesta, how about plugging your phone into your speakers, and competing with your closest amigos to see who can score the most difficulty points?  Listo, pass the Brugal con Coca-Cola y a cantar!

Will YOU be buying this app?  Tell us in the comments! [Billboard]

Photo via AppShopper

Tags Aventura, Aventura Open Mic, bachata, iPhone, Music, Su Veneno, tech, Un Beso

Many mainstream music listeners may not know about Aventura. However, this week the Bachata boys are making history by not only out selling the new avant garde sensation Lady Gaga, but they're also the first Latino group ever to snag four dates at New York City's Madison Square Garden with shows tonight, tomorrow and Feb. 1 and 2; putting them in a league with the likes of Madonna.

While Aventura toplines the 19,000-strong Madison Square Garden, Lady Gaga is performing down the street at Radio City Music hall, a 6,000 capacity venue, for an equal number of shows.  That puts Aventura on track to sell more than three times the number of tickets La Gaga can.

By that measure, it may seem odd that, of the two, it's Gaga who gets all the press. To that, Romeo had this to say:

"We don't mind that she's treated differently. We're in a different world. Artists (like Lady Gaga) have a major label and lots of marketing behind them. But it's even more exciting for us to know that we're accomplishing these things without having that machine."

For 21 weeks, Aventura's most recent CD, "The Last," has sat atop Billboard's Latin Music Chart, ­spawning three No. 1 singles while supporting a tour that ranks among the three top-grossing road shows of '09, right behind Miley Cyrus' and Britney Spears'. 

With this type of success, rumors of a crossover album plague the Bronx born Bachata crooners. Romeo weighed in on the ongoing controversy:

"Personally I would never separate Spanish and English. I don't want to say we don't care about a crossover. But we're not saying 'Oh, we got to do it.' We're doing things that, honestly, a lot of Anglos can't — like four Garden shows. For us, that's enough."  (NYDailyNews)

It's enough for us too! 

Photo via Getty Images

Tags Aventura, bachata, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, The LAst

Want to get up close and personal con tus bachateros favoritos?  We've got a special treat for all you Aventura fans este fin de semana!  No te pierdas 'Aventura: Past, Present and Future' on Saturday at 2pm and 10pm EST to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Bronx-born bachateros!

We'll be giving you the history on how the Latin Grammy-winning bachata super-grupo got started, from their New York origins and going through their old-school pictures to what they have coming up para el futuro.  Plus, we've got two exclusive performances by the K.O.B. themselves.

Make sure to tune-in este sábado a las 2pm EST and again at 10pm to watch 'Aventura: Past, Present and Future' - we guarantee que no to lo vas a querer perder!

Tags Aventura, bachata, entrevista, Exclusive, MTV TR3s shows, Past Present and Future, Performances

Y cual casa será? The White House of course!

Remember when we told you about how President Obama was going all Latino and invited Aventura to sing at the White House on October 13th? Well, it seems that in honor of Hispanic Heritage month, he's adding a few more Latinos to the guest list!

Reggaetonero Tito el Bambino will also be performing for the presidential family along with the kings of bachata, Aventura. El cantautor de "El Amor" is just fresh off singing at the Miss Venezuela pageant too. Tito si que se está quemando de caliente!

Maybe he can teach Michelle some perréo, no? Buena suerte Tito! [People en Español]

Photo via Getty Images

To see who else will be there, read more after the jump! Read more...

Tags Aventura, bachata, Hispanic Heritage Month, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, President Obama, Reggaeton, The White House, Tito El Bambino

In these tough times, it can’t be easy being the President of the U.S., but every once in a while… we think it must be nice, Señor Obama!

It's no secret that our Presidente loves him some música, but we're especially glad he's all about getting his Latino groove on! So far, he's had Shakira sing for him, and he's taken on the spotlight himself to sing for Marc Anthony at the CHCI 32nd Annual Awards Gala (it was only Happy Birthday, but it still counts!). We've also heard that Juanes and Olga Tañón will be paying him a visit soon, but the biggest news… drumroll please…

La Casa Blanca will be opening its doors for a special performance by el grupo Aventura, this October 13th! MTV News will be there to get the scoop, so look out for the exclusive coverage on MTV Tr3s!

Does President Obama know how to dance bachata? We can't wait to find out!

Photos via Getty Images

Tags Aventura, bachata, CHCI 32nd Annual Awards Gala, Juanes, Latin Music, Marc Anthony, Musica Latina, Olga Tanon, President Barack Obama, Shakira

Missed the spook-tacular premiere of Toby Love's nuevo video de "Tu y Yo" on Entertainment As A Second Language last night?

No te preocupes, we've got the bone-chillingly sexy video right here for your viewing pleasure! The video, which was directed by Edgar Marrera, features an A-list roster of haunting cameos by Aventura's Lenny, Henry y Max (aka Max Agenda), as well as Alexis y Fido, Magic Juan, and our very own E.S.L. host, Carlos Santos!  Sharing vocal duties with el Bronx-born bachatero are brand-new bachata girl group (believe it!), Girlz Talk and fellow newcomers, Del Blocke.  The video takes place in a seedy nightclub straight out of True Blood, complete with blood-sucking, scantily-clad dancers and lots of leather, spikes and sunglasses at night.  También hay un baile en la mitad del video that reminds us of a sexed-up vampire bachata version of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Cuéntanos, what do you think of Toby Love's walk on the dark side?  Is it una fantasía provocativa o una verdadera pesadilla?

Tags Alexis y Fido, Aventura, bachata, Carlos Santos, Del Blocke, Entertainment As A Second Languge, ESL, Girlz Talk, Latin Music, michael jackson, Music Video, Musica Latina, Thriller, Toby Love, True Blood, Tu y Yo, vampires, Video, Video Premiere

As if you even need a reminder...

Aventura drops their highly anticipated album "The Last" today! The "All Up To You" singers are returning to the streets of New York for a frenzy-packed album signing today and are participating in a series of in-store signings near you. We recently spoke to Romeo about what fans can expect on this senior album:

You know, more fusion and I don’t mean fusion with bachata, I mean like four bachatas in there and the rest for surprise; so, there’s a lot things behind that name.

Are you ready for los bachateros' musical sorpresa? [MTV TR3s Radio Noticias]

Photo via Premium Latin

Tags Akon, Aventura, bachata, Chisme, Gossip, Latinos, MTV, The LAst, Tr3s, Tres, Wisin y Yandel

Aventura is putting the ball on your court...

The bachateros latest single "All Up To You," featuring Akon and Wisin y Yandel, is a blunt and fella-proof response to a broken heart. Let's just say stressing a lady is not in their vocabulary. In fact, Romeo admits to seeing a couple of video models he was fond of during the video shoot in Miami last week! You know we had a front row seat with the smooth operating foursome to find out if a real life romance inspired this blazing track. Find out for yourself right below!

Tags All Up To You, Aventura, bachata, Free Music, Latin Music, Latinos, Miami, Musica Latina