Karol G & Shakira Earn First No. 1 on Billboard Global 200 & Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Charts with “TQG”

Karol G is a global sensation…

The 32-year-old Colombian singer’s Shakira-collab “TQG” has launched as the biggest song in the world, debuting at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts dated March 11.

Shakira & Karol GThe song is Karol G and Shakira’s first No. 1 on the rankings.

Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 158.4 million streams and 10,000 sold worldwide in the February 24-March 2 tracking week. The collaboration is from Karol G’s new album Mañana Será Bonito, which debuts at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200, becoming the first all-Spanish-language leader by a woman in the chart’s history.

Notably, the song starts with the ninth-best streaming week since the Global 200 began (with seven of the top 10 such frames by female acts).

Biggest Worldwide Streaming Weeks in Global 200 History:
289.2 million, “Butter,” BTS, June 5, 2021
217.1 million, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 4, 2023
212.1 million, “Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK, Sept. 3, 2022
185.6 million, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 11, 2023
179.1 million, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Jan. 28, 2023
178.2 million, “Easy on Me,” Adele, Oct. 30, 2021
170.8 million, “Permission To Dance,” BTS, July 24, 2021
169.8 million, “Butter,” BTS, June 12, 2021
158.4 million, “TQG,” Karol G & Shakira, March 11, 2023
152.8 million, “Shut Down,” BLACKPINK, Oct. 1, 2022

Karol G claims her first Global 200 No. 1 among four top 10s, following “Provenza” (No. 6, May 2022); “MAMIII,” with Becky G (No. 4, March 2022); and “Bichota” (No. 7, January 2021).

Shakira also scores her first Global 200 leader since the list began, after her and Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” debuted at its No. 2 peak (where it ranked for three weeks) in January, marking her first top 10; it slips 5-7 on the latest list.

Karol G and Shakira are the third and fourth artists from Colombia to top the Global 200; Carolina Gaitán and Mauro Castillo are among the seven credited acts on Disney’s Encanto smash “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which led for three weeks beginning in February 2022.

As on the Global 200, Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 129.7 million streams and 3,000 sold outside the U.S. Feb. 24-March 2. It’s likewise each act’s first Global Excl. U.S. leader, among five and three top 10s, respectively.

Karol G and Shakira are the second and third acts from Colombia to command Global Excl. U.S.; Maluma led, with The Weeknd, on “Hawái,” the week that the chart began in 2020.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. surveys, which launched in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

Ice Spice Earns First No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs List

Ice Spice is a lyin’ queen…

In its third week on the chart, the 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper and PinkPantheress’ single “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” has risen to No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs list dated March 4.

Ice SpiceIn the February 17-23 tracking week, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” earned 33.7 million official U.S. streams, an 8% gain, according to Luminate.

It’s the first non-holiday song to rise to No. 1, rather than debuting there, since Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” which spent its first week at No. 1 on the tally dated August 13, 2022, its fourth frame.

Between “Habit” and “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reached No. 1 for the first time on the January 7 survey, and all other rulers during that span were either returning No. 1s or debuted atop the list.

“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” started at No. 4 on the February 18 ranking (20.2 million streams) and rose to No. 3 on February 25 (31.1 million) before its coronation.

It’s both PinkPantheress’ and Ice Spice’s first No. 1s on Streaming Songs, coming in both’s first appearance on the chart. They’re the first to reach No. 1 with their first song to appear since Kim Petras, whose “Unholy,” a co-lead with Sam Smith, debuted at No. 1 in October 2022.

“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” is the first No. 1 by multiple acts all achieving their first leader with an initial entry since “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Encanto, credited to Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast.

Concurrently, “Liar” rises 4-3 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, a new peak.

Released February 3, the new edition of “Liar,” which adds Ice Spice on vocals, follows the original’s November 30 premiere.

Stephanie Beatriz & Her Fellow Cast Mates Reuniting for “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl”

Stephanie Beatriz is bringing her magical casa to the Hollywood Bowl

The 41-year-old Colombian/Bolivian Argentine actress, model and singer and her fellow Encanto cast mates will take over the Hollywood Bowl for an unforgettable concert spectacular streaming only on Disney+ on Wednesday, December 28.

Stephanie BeatrizAudiences will step into the world of Casa Madrigal as the original cast reunites for Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl featuring Beatriz (as Mirabel), Adassa (as Dolores), Carolina Gaitán (as Pepa), Jessica Darrow (as Luisa), Diane Guerrero (as Isabela), Mauro Castillo (as Félix), Angie Cepeda (as Julieta) and Olga Merediz (as Abuela Alma).

The special will feature other special guests, including legendary Colombian superstars and Latin Grammy winners, Carlos Vives and Andrés Cepeda, and an introduction from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Encanto at the Hollywood BowlEncanto at the Hollywood Bowl will premiere exclusively on Disney+. The live-to-film concert experience streams at no additional costs to subscribers and will feature an 80-person orchestra, 50 dancers and captivating special effects giving viewers a spectacular, front-row seat to the musical extravaganza celebrating the world, characters and songs of the Oscar-winning animated film.

Those who are already subscribed can begin streaming Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl as soon as it hits the platform.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Tops Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Songwriters Chart

Lin-Manuel Miranda is this year’s songwriter of the year…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker leads Billboard’s 2022 year-end Hot 100 Songwriters chart.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Miranda, a Pulitzer Prize, Grammys, Tonys and Emmys, finishes the year at No. 1 due to his work on Disney’s Encanto soundtrack, including its five-week Billboard Hot 100 leader “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” credited to Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast.

Miranda is credited as the sole songwriter on the track, helping boost his chart points (as he does not split chart points with multiple writers).

During its 20-week run on the chart, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” earned the distinction as the biggest Disney song of all time, based on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time methodology.

In total, Miranda earned eight songwriting credits on the Hot 100 in the 2022 chart year, all from Encanto, which all contributed to his placement on the year-end ranking.

Here’s a look at where each song peaked on the Hot 100—Miranda is the only credited writer on each song:

Peak Position, Artist Billing, Title
No. 1, Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
No. 8, Jessica Darrow, “Surface Pressure”
No 20, Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz & Encanto Cast, “The Family Madrigal”
No. 27, Diane Guerrero & Stephanie Beatriz, “What Else Can I Do?”
No. 36, Sebastian Yatra, “Dos Oruguitas”
No. 48, Stephanie Beatriz, “Waiting On A Miracle”
No. 71, Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, John Leguizamo, Adassa, Maluma & Encanto Cast, “All of You”
No. 100, Carlos Vives, “Colombia, Mi Encanto”

Prior to 2022, Miranda had only landed seven songs on the Hot 100 as a songwriter (he’s billed as an artist on four of them). He first charted in July 2016 with “Love Make The World Go Round” with Jennifer Lopez (No. 72 peak), and then with four songs from Moana soon after: Opetaia Foa’l and Miranda’s “We Know The Way” (No. 93 peak), Alessia Cara’s “How Far I’ll Go” (No. 56), Dwayne Johnson’s “You’re Welcome” (No. 65) and Auli’I Cravalho’s “How Far I’ll Go” (No. 41). After that, he charted with “Almost Like Praying,” featuring Artists for Puerto Rico (No. 20) and “Found / Tonight” with Ben Platt (No. 49)

His work on the Moana songs helped Miranda finish as the No. 28 Hot 100 Songwriter of 2017.

Miranda is also credited as a producer on all eight of his Encanto chart hits.

“Colombia, Mi Encanto” was produced by Miranda and Carlos Vives, while the other seven entries were produced by Miranda and Mike Elizondo.

Miranda’s production work enables his finish as the No. 12 Hot 100 Producer of 2022, while Elizondo finishes just behind him at No. 13.

Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated November 20, 2021 through November 12, 2022. The rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology details, and the November-November time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.

Carolina Gaitán & Her “Encanto” Cast Mates Rank No. 1 on YouTube’s Top 10 Songs of the Year List

Carolina Gaitán is celebrating a charming success…

YouTube has revealed its top 10 songs of the year, with the 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer’s single with her Encanto cast mates, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” topping the list.

Carolina GaitànThe song, by Gaitán, Mauro CastilloAdassaRhenzy FelizDiane GuerreroStephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast (all singing as the characters that they voice in the movie), topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks back in February.

Jessica Darrow, Gaitan’s cast mate, comes in at No. 3 with another hit Encanto track.

The 27-year-old Cuban American actress/singer’s “Surface Pressure,” which she performed as her character (Luisa Madrigal) in the animated film, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the charts in the UK.

It was a big year for Latin music on YouTube, as both Bad Bunny and Karol G had two songs each on YouTube’s top 10 list.

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar’s “Tití Me Preguntó” came in at No. 4 while his Chencho Corleone collaboration “Me Porto Bonito” was No. 6.

The 31-year-old Colombian singer’s Becky G duet “Mamiii” came in at No. 7 while her sultry “Provenza” hit No. 9.

The songs that appear on the annual YouTube include streams from the official music video, lyric videos and user-generated content that uses the full official song, and cover the period from January 1, 2022 to November 15, 2022. Its lists are restricted to two songs for each artist or album.

YouTube’s rankings don’t end there. The streaming giant also shares its lists for top trending videos, top shorts, top creators, breakout creators, ads, and more.

See the full list of YouTube’s top songs in the United States below and click here for more:

  1. Encanto Cast – “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
  2. Kodak Black – “Super Gremlin”
  3. Jessica Darrow – “Surface Pressure”
  4. Bad Bunny – “Tití Me Preguntó”
  5. Future – “Wait for U” feat. Drake, Tems
  6. Bad Bunny, Chencho Corleone – “Me Porto Bonito”
  7. Karol G, Becky G – “Mamiii”
  8. Imagine Dragons x JID – “Enemy”
  9. Karol G – “Provenza”
  10. Lil Baby – “In a Minute”

Carolina Gaitàn to Star in the Female-Led Drama Thriller Series “Second Chance”

Carolina Gaitàn is getting her second chance

The 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer will star in the drama thriller series, Second Chance.

Carolina GaitànGaitàn will star opposite Denise Richards and AnnaLynne McCord in the female-led series.

Alexis Ren and Tiffany Hines will also star.

Set to debut worldwide later this year, Second Chance is a 10-part series that tells the story of three domestic cleaning workers and their clients as they struggle to overcome their pasts and grapple with the challenge of creating a better future.

Gaitàn plays service worker Marianna in the series, who finds herself navigating “extraordinary and dangerous situations” alongside her two friends Shira (played by Ren) and Jackie (played by Hines).

The series will grapple with topics including diversity, xrights, immigration, women’s equality and organized crime as well as focusing on themes such as perseverance, identity and love, with the three female lead characters drawing on their innate strength as well as each other’s support to get through hard times.

Luke Goss, Hannah Ware, Jake Manley and Jerry Ferrara round out the cast.

USATV Productions are executive producing the series.

Gaitàn, who played Pepa Madrigal in Disney’s smash-hit animated musical, will next be seen in Andres Beltran’s Quicksand and Ileana D. Vasquez’s Perfidious.

Altitude Film Sales Acquires Worldwide Sales Rights to Carolina Gaitán’s Survival Thriller “Quicksand”

Carolina Gaitán could be heading to a theater near you…

Altitude Film Sales has boarded worldwide sales rights to the high-concept survival thriller Quicksand, starring the 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer, and will introduce first footage to buyers at Cannes next week.

Carolina Gaitán, QuicksandThe U.S.-Colombia co-production recently completed shooting in Bogota and is now in post-production.

The contained thriller, which is reportedly in the vein of The Shallows and 127 Hours, follows an American couple, on the brink of divorce, who travel to Colombia for a work conference. While on a hike through the rainforest, a storm causes them to become trapped in a pit of quicksand. Unable to move, it becomes a struggle for survival as they battle the elements of the jungle and a venomous snake, in order to escape.

Andrés Beltrán directed the film, which was written by Matt Pitts. The project is produced by Las Vegas-based production company Sangre Films, which is a joint venture between Colombian outfit Elemental Stories and U.S. companies 222 Pictures and Dawn’s Light Movies.

Mike Runagall of genre specialist Altitude noted: “We are thrilled to be bringing this fiendishly entertaining thrill ride to buyers and look forward to sharing the impressive first footage with them in Cannes.”

Gaitán, who voiced Pepa in Disney’s Encanto, leadsthe cast. Gaitán, whose credits also include Narcos, stars alongside Allan Hawco in the English-language movie.

Gaitán recently performed We Don’t Talk About Bruno live at the Academy Awards alongside her Encanto cast.

Adassa to Perform “Encanto” Hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” at Academy Awards Show

It’s official… Adassa has a date with Oscar.

The 35-year-old urban singer is set to perform the chart-topping single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” alongside her Encanto voice cast mates.

Encanto

The 94th annual Academy Awards, another key movie song not mentioned in their release.

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will be performed on the awards show even though it wasn’t even submitted by Disney and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda for consideration in the category.

Miranda is a nominee for another tune from the same film, “Dos Oruguitas,” which will be performed by Sebastian Yatra.

The performance is reportedly planned to be a major highlight of the awards show and is being advertised as the first live performance of the smash hit song.

In addition to Adassa, other Encanto cast members set to take the stage to perform the song include Stephanie Beatriz, Mauro Castillo, Carolina Gaitan, and Diane Guerrero, along with Becky G and Luis Fonsi performing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

“If there is a song that unites people this year [it is this one], and that is kind of the epitome to me of what movies can do, because people of all stripes, ethnicities, ages, color, background, around the world [are singing it] ad nauseum, and we are going to help them out so they sing it a little bit more. Our apologies to the parents,” Packer laughed.

The 94th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre and will be televised live on ABC at 8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

American Sign Language (ASL) provided by Certified Deaf Interpreters, and live closed captioning and audio description will be available during the live broadcast.

Carolina Gaitán & Her “Encanto” Cast Mates May Perform “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” at Academy Awards

Carolina Gaitán could have a date with Oscar

The Academy Awards are heralding the “first live performance of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’” a song performed by the 37-year-old Colombian actress and singer and her Encanto cast mates, for the awards show on Sunday, March 27.

Encanto“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s chart-topping Disney animated film Encanto topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, an astonishing showing for a multi-character theatrical piece.

The song is performed by Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the cast of Encanto on the soundtrack, which is currently in its ninth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Another of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs from Encanto,Dos Oruguitas,” is competing for best original song at the Oscars.

The Academy hasn’t officially announced that all five best original song nominees will be performed on the show, but that is widely expected. If they are, on top of the performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the show will have a strong music focus.

If the Oscars are able to book all of the original performers, Sebastián Yatra would perform “Dos Oruguitas,” Beyoncé would perform “Be Alive” from King RichardVan Morrison would perform “Down to Joy” from Belfast, Billie Eilish would perform No Time to Die from the film of the same name, and Reba McEntire would perform “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days.

Carolina Gaitán & Her “Encanto” Cast Mates Log Seventh Week at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”

Carolina Gaitán is still making a splash across the pond…

The 37-year-old Colombian actress and singer and her fellow Encanto cast mates are celebrating a seventh week at No. 1 in the United Kingdom with their hit single from the Disney animated film, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

Encanto“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the longest-running No. 1 this year so far, became the first original Disney cut to lead the Official U.K. Singles Chart.

The song, by Gaitán, Mauro CastilloAdassaRhenzy FelizDiane GuerreroStephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast (all singing as the characters that they voice in the movie), was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The track was recently named Best Song Written for a Film by the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA).

Encanto continues to make a big impression on the chart with “Surface Pressure” down 3-5 this week, and “The Family Madrigal” down 8-10.