[Exclusive] "We Represent Our Culture With Pride": How SANTOS BRAVOS Carry Latin America With Them

"We never lose our Latin essence. That's where our spark comes from, and it's what brings everything together."

For SANTOS BRAVOS, being trained through the K-POP system was never about becoming just a K-POP group. Bringing together five members from five different countries, HYBE's first Latin American group has taken the discipline, precision and performance-driven methodology of the industry and begun molding it into something distinctly their own.

Less than a year after debut, that identity is already being tested on a global scale as the group has gone from daily training sessions to performing before tens of thousands of people. Promoting across Latin America, North America and Korea, Drew, Kauê, Gabi, Alejandro and Kenneth say the cultures and experiences they brought into the group are becoming more important, not less.

Speaking exclusively with K-POPIT, SANTOS BRAVOS opened up about what happens when five Latin American identities collide with a system originally built in Korea. From their growing creative involvement to the slang they have picked up from one another, the members reflected on how their individual backgrounds are shaping the group and what it means to carry those identities onto a global stage.

"We want to highlight what each of us brings to the group and how we express ourselves through music," Puerto Rican member Gabi (21) said. "SANTOS BRAVOS can be anything."

That openness is particularly significant for a group whose members differ not only in age and nationality, but also in the experiences they had before entering the music industry.

For some, adapting to the K-POP training system came more naturally than expected. Brazilian member Kauê (19), who had followed K-POP from a young age and had a strong background in musical theater, said, "Those experiences taught me dedication, commitment, and how to approach my craft with a professional mindset from an early age."

Mexican member Kenneth (16), however, remembers the adjustment happening more gradually, with precision being one of his biggest challenges. "From showing up on time for every activity, to keeping up with our training sessions every day, little by little, both my body and my mind adapted, and I kept improving throughout the process," he said.

Rather than replacing the skills the members already had, the training gave them new ways to use them. Kauê, for example, has become increasingly interested in harmonies and vocal arrangements, an instinct that stretches back long before SANTOS BRAVOS.

"My mother used to teach me harmonies, and that helped me develop my skills and understand how to create music," he said.

"I believe it's important for an artist to be involved in their own musical process," he added. "I would love to be deeply involved and share not only my past, but also my culture through my music."

That desire to bring more of themselves and their cultures into the group is also reflected in SANTOS BRAVOS' approach to genre. Their music moves between influences including Brazilian funk, reggaeton and Latin pop, but the members are reluctant to define a single sound as their destination. While Kauê said they are constantly learning from the artists around them, Gabi sees the members' different nationalities as one of their greatest creative advantages

"We don't want to limit ourselves to just one style, whether it's funk, reggaeton, or anything else," Gabi said. "We want to explore all kinds of genres."

While those five cultures can be heard in their musical ambitions, living and working together has also created something less deliberate: a culture belonging specifically to SANTOS BRAVOS.

Despite the differences between their countries, Peruvian member Alejandro (22) said the members have gradually begun absorbing one another's expressions, accents and habits. Some words have even become part of their shared vocabulary.

"We're like a family. We're always laughing, joking around, and teasing each other," Alejandro said. Gabi's accent has become particularly easy for the others to imitate, while regional slang has made its way into their everyday conversations.

"Kenneth and I sometimes say chavo instead of dinero because that's how they say ‘money' in Puerto Rico," Alejandro said. "It's become part of SANTOS BRAVOS' own culture, we've adopted little phrases and expressions from each other's countries."

That cultural exchange comes with a larger responsibility. As HYBE's first Latin American group, SANTOS BRAVOS are not only representing themselves but introducing a relatively new model for Latin artists working within a system associated with K-POP. Gabi said the group feels that responsibility, but approaches it with pride rather than pressure. "We want to represent our culture with pride, responsibility, and, above all, respect," he said.

Mexican-American member and leader Drew's (26) years spent on the other side of the stage have also shaped how he approaches his role today. Before joining SANTOS BRAVOS, he worked as a choreographer and backup dancer for established artists, experiences that showed him how much work goes into a performance audiences ultimately see for only a few minutes.

"Now that I'm the artist, I get to experience things from a completely different perspective," he said. "I'd say the biggest adjustment has been finding my own voice and identity as an artist."

Kenneth faced a different adjustment as the group's youngest member, navigating an intensive training environment while still growing up himself.

"I've learned that making mistakes is okay," Kenneth said. "I have people around me who motivate me, support me, and help me keep moving forward."

For Alejandro, the distance between life before SANTOS BRAVOS and the group's current reality is clearest whenever he steps onto a stage. Before joining the group, he would busk on the streets of Peru, sometimes becoming so immersed in singing that he would close his eyes and only realize afterward that people had gathered to watch.

Today, those crowds number in the tens of thousands, but the memory has never completely disappeared as he shared, "Sometimes, during shows, I still close my eyes and, when I open them, I almost expect to see people watching me perform on the street instead of a crowd of thousands of people."

He particularly thinks about those beginnings while performing "FE," when choreography takes a backseat and the members focus on connecting directly with the audience. "It's a very emotional moment, and that's when I always think about my beginnings and the journey that brought me here."

Gabi's journey has produced a similarly striking moment. Growing up, he was fascinated by performers such as Chayanne and their ability to connect with audiences from a distance. Now in that position himself, he wants SANTOS BRAVOS' performances to give fans the same feeling.

One of Gabi's earliest performances was Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It" at a school talent show. It led his family to enroll him in singing and performance classes and helped him realize he wanted to become an artist.

Years later, he found himself performing that same song alongside Iglesias. "Getting to perform that same song on stage with Enrique Iglesias felt like everything had come full circle," Gabi said. "It was a full-circle moment I'll never forget."

Those moments have continued as the group's audiences have grown. At the FIFA Fan Festival in Monterrey, Alejandro remembers looking into a crowd so large he could not see where it ended and thinking, "Okay... this isn't normal."

For Kenneth, it was seeing more than 22,000 people singing along at Tecate Emblema in his home country of Mexico. However Kauê pointed instead to Korea, where finding an audience waiting for SANTOS BRAVOS on the other side of the world made him realize their connection with listeners was no longer limited by geography.

The group has already shared songs and stages with HYBE artists including LE SSERAFIM, &TEAM and BOYNEXTDOOR. When asked who they would collaborate with next, Drew immediately pointed to KATSEYE by saying, "I'd love to see us collaborate with KATSEYE," he said. "Blending our Latin essence with their spark would be amazing."

Kenneth agreed, adding, "KATSEYE are like sisters to us, and we love them. Personally, I'd also love to collaborate with CORTIS. I think our vibes and styles match really well, and since they're around our age, I feel like we'd have a lot of fun working together in the studio."

While they cannot reveal much about what comes next, the five members are certain about what they want to carry with them. They began with five different countries, accents, musical influences and experiences, but living and training together has brought those backgrounds closer, creating an identity that is distinctly SANTOS BRAVOS while still staying true to where each member comes from.

That identity has become increasingly important as the group's reach has grown. As HYBE's first Latin American group, the members know they are representing more than themselves. For young fans and aspiring artists across Latin America, seeing SANTOS BRAVOS on increasingly bigger stages can also show what may be possible.

Asked what advice they would give young Latin American artists hoping to follow a similar path, Drew and Kauê reflected on the uncertainty they faced while pursuing their own dreams. "Sometimes you may have to put that dream on pause so you can focus on what you need to do to eventually achieve it," Drew said. "Just make sure that when the opportunity comes, you're ready for it, and never look back."

Kauê put it more simply: "Sometimes, when you feel like you're the farthest away from your dreams, you're actually the closest to achieving them."

For SANTOS BRAVOS, their own journey is proof of that. Five artists who began pursuing music separately across Latin America are now performing together for audiences around the world. Wherever they go next, they want to continue growing without losing the cultures and identities that brought them there in the first place.