Dominican Republic

Óptimo are a bachata trio from New York City whose style is a contemporary fusion of bachata with other styles including pop and rap. The Dominican-American trio is comprised of Romántico (lead vocals; born Roberto Sánchez), Neit (guitar; born Starling López), and EMJ (bass guitar; born Emmanuel Jiménez), all of whom were born in the Dominican Republic yet grew up in the United States. Óptimo made their full-length album debut with Óptimo FDL (2007) on Sony Norte. The album, whose title is an acronym for "Óptimo Foe da Ladies," features the hit single "Conéctate" along with both Spanish- and English-language covers of the Bee Gees' disco classic "How Deep Is Your Love?" A year later the trio released the follow-up album A World Tour. ~ Jason Birchmeier