English speakers may only just be getting to know Romeo Santos — thanks to his collaborations with artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj on his latest album The Formula, Vol. 2 — but his days outside of the U.S. mainstream limelight are numbered. Fresh off a performance at the White House and in advance of his performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santos is stopping by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night for a rare all-Spanish performance.
This is notable because a) it means a 1000% increase in the likelihood of white pants grinding on The Tonight Show, and b) we almost never see Latinos perform in Spanish on late night TV. In fact, José Feliciano’s 1986 performance of “Vamos A Bailar” and Juanes’ 2014 performance of “La Luz” might be the only other times this has happened on The Tonight Show.
It just goes to show how Romeo is redefining the way we conceive of “cross-over” artists. Whereas previous Latino performers have had success in the American mainstream by singing in English and adapting their sound, Romeo is growing an English-speaking fan base and major U.S. artist co-signs while still making bachata in Spanish. We expect nothing less from the man who was the first Latino to ever headline Yankee Stadium.
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on NBC.