WATCH: Usher & Romeo Santos Perform ‘Promise’ for the First Time in Over a Decade
Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla.
Usher brought out the King of Bachata last night (Dec. 5) during his concert in Brooklyn, NY. For the first time in over a decade, the pop icon and Romeo Santos performed their classic collaboration “Promise” together.
After stepping away from Aventura, Santos has collaborated with many stars in the English-language market throughout his solo career. His 2014 album Formula, Vol. 2 included “Animales” with Nicki Minaj and “Odio” with Drake. Justin Timberlake later got into the bachata groove with Santos on “Sin Fin” from 2022’s Formula, Vol. 3. Santos’ first crossover collaboration happened on 2011’s Formula, Vol. 1. Usher joined forces with him on their hit song “Promise.” Over a decade later, Usher brought Santos out as a surprise guest on his Past Present Future Tour.
Hailing from the Bronx, Santos joining Usher at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was a true New York moment. Usher took a detour from the usual setlist of his tour and started performing “Promises” unexpectedly. As soon as the bachata rhythms filled the arena, Santos stepped out to sing the sensual bilingual track with him. The crowd roared after Santos yelled, “I want to hear my Latinos tonight!” Seeing Usher and Santos together performing definitely had a lot of people swooning.
Over on X, many people expressed their excitement about Santos’ reunion with Usher. One person wrote, “Usher brought out Romeo Santos, the Hispanics lost their mind like it was the ghost of Selena.” Another person added, “Usher and Romeo performed Promise last night live… I woulda been crying if I was there.”
Santos’ surprise appearance at Usher’s concert comes on the heels of his new music video with Rauw Alejandro. Last night, the Puerto Rican superstar released the video for their hit collaboration “Khé?” Later today, Santos will rejoin Aventura for a concert at the UBS Arena in New York. Their Cerrando Ciclos reunion tour will come to a close on Dec. 29 in the Dominican Republic.