Anitta to Perform at This Year’s Latin American Music Awards

Anitta will be bringing the heat to the Latin AMAs

Telemundo has announced the second wave of performers to take center stage at the 2021 Latin American Music Awards next month, with the 27-year-old Brazilian singer/songwriter making the list.

Anitta

Anitta joins a roster of new additions to the lineup that includes Carrie Underwood, Juanes, Manuel Turizo, Pitbull, Ricky Martin, Wisin, Yandel, Ziggy Marley, Alaina Castillo, Cami, Carlos Rivera, Juhn, Mariah Angeliq, Natanael Cano, Sofía Reyes and Yendry.

Underwood will join David Bisbal for their first-ever television performance of “Tears of Gold,” Ricky and Carlos Vives, as well as Ziggy and Maluma, will present their upcoming collaborations, Juanes will serenade fans with a new song from his soon-to-be-released album, and Karol G will take the stage with Mariah Angeliq for an exclusive TV premiere, to name a few.

They join the first wave of performers, which included Ana Bárbara, Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga, Camilo, Carlos Vives, Bisbal, Eslabon Armado, Gerardo Ortiz, Joss Favela, Karol G, Los Dos Carnales, Maluma, Myke Towers, Nicky Jam, Piso 21 and a special tribute to the late Regional Mexican singer-songwriter Joan “El Poeta del Pueblo” Sebastian.

Following safety protocols to protect the health and safety of all involved, the 2021 awards show will honor some of the most influential Latin artists of today, as voted by fans in 25 categories including pop, urban, tropical, regional Mexican, and the newly added favorite virtual concert.

The 2021 Latin AMAs, hosted by actress Jacqueline Bracamontes, will air at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, April 15, from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, via Telemundo and will broadcast simultaneously on Universo and throughout the Americas on Telemundo Internacional.

Selena Gomez’s “Revelación” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart

Selena Gomez is No. 1 with a bullet…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with her first Spanish-language album Revelación on the March 27-dated survey.

Selena Gomez

Her album arrives with 23,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 18, according to MRC Data — marking the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman since 2017.

“I never go into anything expecting a No. 1 so I do not take it for granted,” Gomez tells Billboard. “It’s always a bit nerve racking before releasing any music because as artists we put so much of ourselves out there. For this EP specifically, I was the most nervous I have been in a long time because my heritage means so much to me and I have been talking about doing this for over 10 years. I wanted it to be perfect. I am thrilled to see the response from my fans and also from people who might not have listened to my other music.”

The Top Latin Albums chart ranks the most popular Latin albums of the week in the U.S. based on multimetric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

The seven-track Revelación was released March 12 via Interscope/IGA. Of its starting sum of 23,000 equivalent album units, album sales comprise 14,000 and the bulk of the remainder are SEA units (equaling 12.21 million on-demand streams of the set’s songs). Gomez’s debut Latin project boasts the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman in nearly four years, since Shakira’s El Dorado started with 29,000 units in its first week (chart dated June 17, 2017).

“Without a doubt the most challenging aspect was having to do all of the sessions over Zoom,” Gomez adds. “We started recording the EP right before COVID-19 shut everything down. In the beginning there were times I ended up canceling sessions because I found it so uninspiring not to be in the same room with everyone. I eventually was able to get past it and am extremely happy with how the music came together. [Producer] Tainy was very patient with me while I worked through my frustrations.”

Revelación is the first album by a female act at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums since Shakira’s El Dorado spent its fifth and final nonconsecutive week atop the list dated Aug. 5, 2017.

Gomez also notches the highest debut by a female solo act since Jenni Rivera’s Paloma Negra Desde Monterrey likewise debuted atop the list in November 2016. In between Rivera and Gomez, a collaborative set by two women launched at No. 1: Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzman’s Versus in July 2017.

As Gomez’s “Baila Conmigo,” with Rauw Alejandro, concurrently takes over the top spot on the new Latin Airplay chart, she becomes the first female act in over a decade to rule both charts simultaneously. The last woman to achieve the feat was Shakira when Sale el Sol and “Loca,” featuring El Cata, ruled both Top Latin Albums and Latin Airplay, respectively in November 2010.

Elsewhere, Gomez places a total of four tracks on Hot Latin Songs, all from Revelación — one of which debuts in the top 20: “Baila Conmigo” with Rauw Alejandro lifts 8-5, “Selfish Love,” with DJ Snake, is at No. 18, “Dámelo To’,” featuring Myke Towers, starts at No. 20, and “De Una Vez,” re-enters at No. 50.

“Releasing ‘De Una Vez’ as the first song was the perfect way to introduce the new music,” Gomez says. “It’s a song I really related to and I think it’s beautiful with a message of hope and healing. I think all of the collaborators bring different elements to the table. With Snake it was great because we have a history together so on a mere comfort level that was nice to have. On ‘Dámelo Tó’ Myke brings this smooth rap and it makes you crave for it to be summer because it has the kind of vibe. When we were recording ‘Baila Conmigo’ I  knew we needed a male voice on it and Rauw has the ideal sexy, soulful voice that really complements the song perfectly.”

Revelación concurrently bows at No. 1 on Latin Pop Albums and at No. 22 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

Cardi B’s “Up” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, A Historic Fifth Chart-Topper on the Chart

Things are still up for Cardi B

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar’s latest single “Up” rises from No. 6 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 to spend its first week at the top of the chart.

Cardi B

The song, which becomes Cardi B’s fifth Hot 100 No. 1, debuted at No. 2 five weeks earlier and tallied three weeks at the runner-up spot before reaching the summit.

Cardi B performed “Up” as part of a medley, with Megan Thee Stallion, of their four-week 2020 Hot 100 No. 1 “WAP” on the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, broadcast on CBS, on March 14, which helped power the song’s ascent.

“Up” drew 22.7 million U.S. streams (down 5%) and 18,000 downloads sold (up 96%, good for the Hot 100’s top Sales Gainer award) in the week ending March 18, according to MRC Data. It also attracted 34.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 7%) in the week ending March 21.

The track rises 5-3 on the Streaming Songs chart, which it led for two weeks; 7-3 on Digital Song Sales, where it spent a week in the lead; and 17-14 on Radio Songs.

Here’s an updated look at Cardi B’s Hot 100 No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” three, Oct. 7, 2017
“I Like It,” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one, April 21, 2018
“Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, seven, Sept. 29, 2018
“WAP,” feat. Megan Thee Stallion, four, Aug. 22, 2020
“Up,” one (to date) March 27, 2021

Cardi B extends her record for the most Hot 100 No. 1s among female rappers. (Of her five leaders, four have also topped the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart, all except Maroon 5‘s “Girls Like You,” on which she’s featured.)

Meanwhile, “Up” is Cardi B’s first Hot 100 No. 1 with no accompanying acts since “Bodak Yellow.” Thanks to the two leaders, Cardi B is the first female rapper with two Hot 100 No. 1s with no accompanying artists.

Dating to her first week atop the Hot 100 with “Bodak Yellow” (Oct. 7, 2017), Cardi B ties for the most No. 1s among all acts in the span since, matching the five each earned in that stretch by Drake and Ariana Grande.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data.

“Up” concurrently rebounds 5-1 and 4-1, respectively, for a fourth week each atop the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100.

“Up” is the first song by a solo female and no accompanying artists to top the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs since Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts” in 2019. Before that, Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” last earned the honor.

Marc Anthony’s “Un Amor Eterno” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart

Marc Anthony has another No. 1 single…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s “Un Amor Eterno” shoots to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with a 9-1 burst on the list dated March 20.

Marc-Anthony

The new achievement breaks him out of a tie with Prince Royce (Juanes and Yandel) to become the tropical act with the third most No. 1s, standing behind Romeo Santos (17) and Carlos Vives (15).

“Un Amor Eterno” rallied to the top with a 58% increase in audience impressions, to 10 million, earned in the week ending March 14.

The song scored its biggest gains in the tracking week on New York’s WSKQ (up 854,000 in audience) and WPAT (up 626,000), as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico’s WZNT (up 610,000) and Los Angeles’ KLVE, the latter of which put the song in prominent rotation for the first time (up 387,000).

 

Kid Cudi to Make Musical Guest Debut on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”

Kid Cudi is ready for a Saturday night first…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American singer/songwriter and actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, will make his debut as a musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live next month.

Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi will appear on the April 10 episode, alongside the night’s host, Oscar-nominated Promising Young Woman actress Carey Mulligan.

Kid Cudi previously made his one-and-only musical cameo during Kanye West‘s star-studded run through “Ghost Town” from ye when West was the musical guest in 2018.

Kid Cudi’s last album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, landed the rapper his fifth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 in December. He tweeted the happy news and emphasized it was a “dream come true” on his Instagram Story.

https://twitter.com/KidCudi/status/1371891717905944578

Bruno Mars Earns Third No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs Chart with Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open”

Bruno Mars is celebrating an a-door-ed new single…

The 35-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer has earned his third chart-topper on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart.

Bruno Mars, Ricky Regal, Lacoste

Mars earns the new No. 1 with “Leave the Door Open,” the debut single from Silk Sonic, a new duo comprised of Mars and Anderson .Paak.

The single races 21-1 on the list dated March 20 with their insta-classic single after the input of its first week of sales and streams.

The single, released March 5, debuted a week prior to strong initial radio play in the week ending Sunday, March 7.

Mars collects his third No. 1 on the chart following “That’s What I Like,” a 20-week chart-topper in 2017 and ”Finesse,” his 2018 collaboration with Cardi B that ruled for 12 weeks.

Alex & David Pastor to Write & Direct Spanish-Language Spinoff of Netflix’s “Bird Box”

Alex and David Pastor are flying high…

The Spanish sibling screenwriters/filmmakers will pen and direct a Spanish-language spinoff of Netflix’s Bird Box.

Alex Pastor & David Pastor

The film will reunite Netflix with Bird Box producers Dylan Clark and Chris Morgan, but it will also have a distinctly Spanish flavor.

The Pastor brothers are best known for 2020 Netflix thriller The Occupant and 2009 pandemic thriller Carriers, as well as Syfy series Incorporated and recent HBO Max series The Head, both of which they created.

The yet to be titled film, which will sit within David Kosse’s local-language slate at the streamer, is due to start production towards the end of this year in Spain. Cast has yet to be set.

This could be the first of multiple local-language Bird Box spinoffs.

Post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box was a massive hit for Netflix in 2018. Sandra Bullock starred as a mother who tries to protect herself and two children from entities which push people who look at them to suicide. According to the streamer, the film was watched by 89 million households over its first four weeks of release, the second-most ever for one of their original films.

Vita Ayala Developing Stories for DC’s Pride Month Anthology Comic Featuring LGBTQIA+ Characters

Vita Ayala is bringing a little pride to the comic book world…

The queer Afro-Latinx writer has joined the DC Pride creative time for DC’s June Pride Month, which included the launch of an 80-page anthology comic featuring LGBTQIA+ characters from across the DC Universe.

Vita Ayala

The anthology DC Pride #1 will feature cameos by Batwoman, Renee Montoya, Alan Scott, Midnighter, Apollo, Extraño, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Constantine, and more.

The DC Pride creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, are:

  • Renee Montoya by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge
  • Batwoman (Kate Kane) by James Tynion IV & Trung Le Nguyen
  • Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn by Mariko Tamaki & Amy Reeder
  • Midnighter by Steve Orlando & Stephen Byrne
  • Flash of Earth-11 (Jess Chambers) by Danny Lore & Lisa Sterle
  • Green Lantern (Alan Scott) & Obsidian by Sam Johns & Klaus Janson
  • Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) by Andrew Wheeler & Luciano Vecchio
  • Dreamer by Nicole Maines & Rachel Stott
  • Pied Piper by Sina Grace, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt

The anthology will include full-page profiles of DCTV’s LGBTQIA+ characters and the actors who play them. A special bonus for fans of The CW’s Supergirl will be the introduction of the first comic book appearance of Dreamer, a trans woman superhero, in a story written by actor Nicole Maines, who plays Nia Nal/Dreamer on Supergirl.

Rounding out the DC Pride anthology is a forward by Marc Andreyko (Love is Love), and single-page pin-ups by artists Kris Anka, Sophie Campbell, Mildred Louis, Travis Moore, Nick Robles and Kevin Wada.

The DC Pride #1 cover is by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Tamra Bonvillain.

DC will also release a series of Pride theed variant covers showcasing DC’s leading characters through the month of June, giving fans the opportunity to purchase comics featuring covers with Batman, Harley, Ivy, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more. These include:

  • Batman#109 Pride variant cover by Jen Bartel
  • Crush & Lobo#1 Pride variant cover by Yoshi Yoshitani
  • DC Pride#1 Pride variant cover by Jen Bartel
  • Harley Quinn#4 Pride variant cover by Kris Anka
  • Nightwing #81 Pride variant cover by Travis G. Moore
  • Superman#32 Pride variant cover by David Talaski
  • Teen Titans Academy#4 Pride variant cover by Stephen Byrne
  • Wonder Girl #2 Pride variant cover by Kevin Wada
  • Wonder Woman #773 Pride variant cover by Paulina Ganucheau

DC will also present an eight-issue miniseries, Crush & Lobo, by Tamaki and Nahuelpan, spinning out of the pages of Teen Titans Academy. The book will debut with a cover by Kris Anka, a Pride variant cover by Yoshi Yoshitani, a 1:25 ratio variant by Christian Ward, plus a Dan Hipp team variant for participating retailers. The book will be published between June and January 2022.

DC will also publish GLAAD Media Award-nominated Suicide Squad: Bad Blood by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo (Nightwing) on April 27, DC’s gothic LGBTQIA+ romance Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger and Sara Kipin on June 1, and Mariko Tamaki and Yoshi Yoshitani’s YA graphic novel, I Am Not Starfirewill publish on July 27 as part of the publisher’s overall Pride plans in 2021.

Lois Lane by Greg Rucka and Mike PerkinsFar Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell and You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sánchez and Julie Maroh have also been nominated for GLAAD Media Awards in 2021.

Karol G Ties J Balvin for Most Latin American Music Awards Nominations with Nine

Karol G is on Cloud Nine

The 30-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer/songwriter leads the pack of 2021 Latin American Music Awards alongside J Balvin, with nine nods each.

Karol G

Karol G and J Balvin are both up for artist of the year, sharing the category with Anuel AA, Bad Bunny, Christian Nodal, Eslabon Armado, Maluma, Ozuna and Sech.

Bad Bunny follows with eight nominations — including artist, song, album and social collaboration of the year — while Ozuna is recognized with seven nominations, including artist and collaboration of the year, favorite video and virtual concert.

In a sign of the times, the Latin AMAs have added the brand new category favorite virtual concert of the year, as most concerts have gone virtual due to the ongoing global pandemic. As with all Latin AMAs categories, winners will be determined by fan voting.

Nominees are based on key fan interactions with music, including streaming, sales, airplay and social activity tracked by Billboard through its data partners MRC Data and Next Big Sound for data covering the periods of January 17, 2020, through January 21, 2021.

The 2021 Latin AMAs will take place on April 15 live from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Latin AMAs return after the show went on hiatus in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The sixth annual ceremony will be broadcast on Telemundo starting at 7:00 pm ET with the red-carpet pre-show followed at 8:00 pm ET by the awards show.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Artist of the Year
• Anuel AA
• Bad Bunny
• Christian Nodal
• Daddy Yankee
• Eslabon Armado
• J Balvin
• Karol G
• Maluma
• Ozuna
• Sech

New Artist of the Year
• Camilo
• Eslabon Armado
• Los Dos Carnales
• Myke Towers
• Natanael Cano
• Rauw Alejandro

Song of the Year
• Bad Bunny – “Yo Perreo Sola”
• Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin – “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
• Karol G, Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
• Maluma & The Weeknd – “Hawái”

Album of the Year
• Anuel AA – Emmanuel
• Bad Bunny – YHLQMDLG
• J Balvin – Colores
• Natanael Cano – Corridos Tumbados

Favorite Artist – Female
• Anitta
• Becky G
• Karol G
• Natti Natasha
• Shakira

Favorite Artist – Male
• Anuel AA
• Bad Bunny
• Christian Nodal
• J Balvin
• Maluma
• Ozuna

Favorite Duo or Group
• Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
• Eslabon Armado
• Jowell & Randy
• Reik

Favorite Artist – Pop
• Camilo
• Enrique Iglesias
• Luis Fonsi
• Ricky Martin
• Shakira

Favorite Album – Pop
• Camilo – Por Primera Vez
• Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)
• Pedro Capó – Munay
• Reik – Ahora

Favorite Song – Pop
• Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna + J.Rey Soul – “Mamacita”
• Camilo – “Favorito”
• Reik, Farruko, Camilo – “Si Me Dices Que Sí”
• Ricky Martin – “Tiburones”
• Shakira & Anuel AA – “Me Gusta”

Favorite Solo Artist – Regional Mexican
• Carin Leon
• Christian Nodal
• El Fantasma
• Junior H
• Lenin Ramírez
• Natanael Cano

Regional Mexican, Favorite Duo or Group
• Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
• Eslabon Armado
• Los Ángeles Azules
• Los Dos Carnales

Favorite Album – Regional Mexican
• Christian Nodal – Ayayay!
• Eslabon Armado – Tu Veneno Mortal
• Junior H – Atrapado En Un Sueño
• Natanael Cano – Corridos Tumbados

Favorite Song – Regional Mexican
• Banda Los Sebastianes de Mazatlán, Sinaloa – “En Eso No Quedamos”
• Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga & Snoop Dogg – “Qué Maldición”
• Lenin Ramírez featuring Grupo Firme – “Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo”
• Los Dos Carnales – “El Envidioso”
• Natanael Cano – “Amor Tumbado”

Favorite Artist – Urban
• Anuel AA
• Bad Bunny
• J Balvin
• Karol G

Favorite Album – Urban
• Anuel AA – Emmanuel
• Bad Bunny – Las Que No Iban a Salir
• J Balvin – Colores

Favorite Song – Urban
• Bad Bunny – “Yo Perreo Sola”
• Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin – “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
• Karol G & Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
• Maluma & The Weeknd – “Hawái”
• Ozuna x Karol G x Myke Towers – “Caramelo”

Favorite Artist – Tropical
• Marc Anthony
• Prince Royce
• Romeo Santos
• Silvestre Dangond

Favorite Album – Tropical
• Carlos Vives – Cumbiana
• Gloria Estefan – Brazil305
• Prince Royce – Alter Ego

Favorite Song – Tropical
• Alex Bueno & Romeo Santos – “Nuestro Amor”
• Carlos Vives – “No Te Vayas”
• Kyen?Es? – “El Carnaval de Celia: A Tribute”
• Prince Royce – “Carita de Inocente”
• Víctor Manuelle & Wisin – “Boogaloo

Favorite Artist – Crossover
• Black Eyed Peas
• Dua Lipa
• Ne-Yo
• Snoop Dogg
• The Weeknd

Collaboration of the Year
• Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga & Snoop Dogg– “Qué Maldición”
• Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin – “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
• Karol G, Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
• Lenin Ramírez featuring Grupo Firme – “Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo”
• Ozuna x Karol G x Myke Towers – “Caramelo”
• Reik, Farruko, Camilo – “Si Me Dices Que Sí”

Social Artist of the Year
• Anitta
• Bad Bunny
• Cardi B
• Daddy Yankee
• J Balvin
• Jennifer Lopez
• Karol G
• Lali
• Selena Gomez
• Shakira

Favorite Video
• Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga & Snoop Dogg– “Qué Maldición”
• Christian Nodal & Ángela Aguilar – “Dime Cómo Quieres”
• David Bisbal & Carrie Underwood – “Tears Of Gold”
• Ozuna, Doja Cat & Sia – “Del Mar”
• Rosalía & Travis Scott – “TKN”
• Selena Gomez – “De Una Vez”

Favorite Virtual Concert
• Alejandro Sanz y Juanes – “#LaGiraSeQuedaEnCasa”
• Carlos Vives – “#NoTeVayasDeTuCasa”
• Juan Luis Guerra – “Privé”
• Juanes & La Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá – “Concierto Sinfónico Virtual – #VolverteAVer”
• Marco Antonio Solís – “Serenata a las Madres MÁS En-Cantadoras”
• Ozuna – “#Latinosunidos”
• Pepe Aguilar, Ángela Aguilar, Leonardo Aguilar – “Mexicano Hasta Los Huesos”
• RBD – “Ser o Parecer 2020”
• Sebastián Yatra – “SOSFest”
• Yandel – “Goodbye 2020”

Cardi B Makes History as “Bodak Yellow” Receives RIAA Diamond Certification

Cardi B isn’t just makin’ money moves… She’s also making history.

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar’s major-label debut single “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Cardi B

Cardi B is the first female rapper to achieve a diamond single award, according to the RIAA, meaning “Bodak Yellow” has moved 10 million units. According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams. Cardi B reached the milestone on Monday, and her hit collaboration “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, is halfway there with its 5x multi-platinum status as of March 3, according to the RIAA website.

Cardi B posted a video explaining how her label Atlantic Records surprised her with the plaque at a restaurant after a long, exhausting day of rehearsal.

“I just want to say thank you guys so much because without you guys, it wouldn’t have happened,” she told the Bardi Gang. “It really made my day. And it really uplifted me.”