Rivera’s Sales Increase by 1,014% on Billboard’s Latin Albums Chart

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

La Diva de la Banda may have had her celestial graduation this week, but Jenni Rivera‘s presence is still being felt on Billboard’s music charts this week.

With the most recent Nielsen SoundScan tracking week ending on Sunday, December 16, the new Billboard charts reflect the first full week since her passing in a plane crash on Sunday, December 9.

On the Top Latin Albums chart, the late Mexican American banda singer holds the first three spots, with her new hits compilation La Misma Gran Señora debuting at No. 1 with 27,000 — the best sales week of the year for any Latin album. It surpasses the 23,000 racked by the bow of Prince Royce‘s Phase II in April. It’s also Rivera’s best sales frame for an album, beating the 16,000 racked up by Jenni in its debut week in 2008.

At Nos. 2 and 3 on the Latin Albums chart this week, Rivera’s two 2011 releases Joyas Prestadas: Pop and Joyas Prestadas: Banda sell 14,000 (up 532%) and 13,000 (up 578%), respectively. The albums were Nos. 2 and 4 last week.

La Misma Gran Señora is Rivera’s second No. 1 on the Latin Albums chart, following Jenni.

Rivera is only the third act to control the entire top three on the Latin Albums chart since it became a weekly, SoundScan-driven tally in 1993. She joins two other leading ladies, who also achieved the feat only in death: Celia Cruz and Selena. The last time it happened was on the Latin Albums chart dated August 23, 2003, when Cruz’s Regalo Del Alma, Exitos Eternos and Hits Mix were Nos. 1-3, respectively, following her death on July 16. Cruz controlled the top three in two separate weeks, while Selena did it in five frames in April and May of 1995.

On the Billboard 200 this week, La Misma Gran Señora bows at No. 38 — Rivera’s second-highest charting set. Only Jenni went higher, when it launched at No. 31.

Rivera’s overall catalog of albums sold 64,000 last week — up 1,014% from 6,000 the week previous.

Rivera’s Memorial Service Draws Thousands

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

La Diva de La Banda’s family, friends and fans have bid her el último adios at an emotional memorial in Los Angeles…

Thousands on Wednesday morning attended Jenni Rivera’s memorial service, which her family dubbed a celestial graduation, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, which hosted a memorial for an artist for the first time ever, to celebrate the Mexican-American singer’s life.

The memorial, a mixture of laughter, tears and celebration, featured Rivera’s fans often singing loudly along to her videos and the live performances by her friends and family.

During the service, Rivera’s five children, her parents and brothers each took the stage to eulogize the singer, including Rivera’s daughter Jacquie Melina Campos, who said, “My mother was perfectly imperfect.” Rivera’s youngest son, 11-year-old Johnny Lopez, spoke in what he called “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Pedro Rivera, the family patriarch and the man who helped Rivera launch her career as an artist and a businesswoman, fought hard to keep tears at bay during the two-hour service, but still managed to perform a corrido in his daughter’s honor, accompanied by a full banda.

The event was hosted by the Rivera’s family, including brother and fellow banda Lupillo Rivera; and brother Juan Rivera, a pastor and singer who often opened Jenni’s shows and who welcomed those in attendance.

“She has many plans,” said Juan Rivera, speaking of his sister in the present tense and hinting at possibilities for the Jenni Rivera brand and name. “So we have a lot of work to do. So many times I introduced her in her shows: The queen of queens, the Diva of Banda, La Gran Señora and, because you made it this way, I will proudly say, No. 1: Jenni!”

Although the theater was packed mostly by fans who paid $1 on Ticketmaster to purchase refundable tickets (arranged that way to avoid scalping), there was also a number of executives and celebrities, including Marco Antonio Solís; Joan Sebastian, who performed “Más Allá del Sol;” Ana Gabriel, who performed the ranchera hit “Paloma Negra;” Olga Tañón, who performed “Mirame” and Gloria Trevi.

The ceremony included an impassioned sermon by Juan Rivera, who quoted from Ecclesiastes: “There is a time to be born and a time to die… Jenni passed through many tough situations in her life, and she was able to stand up after each one of them, because she had the power of God and the power in herself. She lived a victorious life. She never gave up.”

The service culminated with the band gathered around the coffin and fans filing past, leaving white roses.

Rivera, who will be laid to rest later in a private ceremony, was traveling on a private Learjet the morning of December 9 when her plane crashed in the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico.

Rivera’s Memorial Service to Be Held in LA on Wednesday

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’ll be a celestial graduation for la Diva de la Banda…

Jenni Rivera’s family has arranged for a special memorial service at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk to give her fans the chance to the late Mexican-American singer.

The ceremony, called a “Celestial Graduation” by Rivera’s family, will take place from 10:00 am to noon this Wednesday, December 19 and will be led by Rivera’s brother, minister Pedro Rivera Jr.

“We will celebrate the graduation into heaven, with honors, of our beloved mother, daughter and sister Jenni Rivera,” the family said in a statement obtained by The Los Angeles Times. “The Rivera Family appreciates all the love given to our beloved Jenni Rivera who graduated on Dec. 9 and now rests in the arms of our Lord.”

The family also requested privacy and discretion for a private burial that will be held separately.

In lieu of flowers, Rivera’s children asked that donations be made to the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, as well as a single white rose.

Rivera, 48, died when the aircraft she was aboard plummeted from 28,000 feet into a mountainous area in northern Mexico. Six others accompanied her on the plane, including her stylist and attorney. There were no survivors.

At the time of the crash, Rivera was on her way to a performance in the city of Toluca, 40 miles southwest of Mexico City, following a concert in Monterrey on Saturday evening. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Rivera Funeral Arrangements Revealed as Her Music Rocks the Charts…

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s been a little over a week sinceJenni Rivera’s tragic death in a plane crash… And la Diva de la Banda’s family, friends and fans will get the chance to say their último adios this week.

The 43-year-old Mexican American singer died in a small plane crash, along with six others passengers, in Mexico last Sunday.

“Jenni had very specific plans for how she wanted her funeral to go down. She wanted Vendela roses at the service, Bella Rosa roses to be buried with her, and she requested butterflies to be released at the end of the service. A public memorial will take place on Tuesday [Dec. 18] in Long Beach and a more private one on Wednesday [Dec. 19],” Rivera’s team told TMZ.

Rivera’s invitation-only service on Wednesday will reportedly be attended by Gloria Estefan, Edward James Olmos and Snoop Dogg, who was reportedly in the process of working on a duet with the singer.

Rivera, 43, She is expected to be buried in an invitation-only service Wednesday.

Rivera’s brothers landed at Long Beach Municipal Airport last Thursday night with their sister’s remains after Mexican authorities confirmed she’d been on the plane. The remains were later taken to All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary in Long Beach, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Her brother Lupillo Rivera on tweeted on Friday, “Jenni mission accomplished, you’re home.”

Rivera’s funeral arrangements could reportedly include a memorial tribute concert for her fans, as well as public memorials in Los Angeles and Mexico.

Meantime, sales of Rivera’s music have increased substantially as her fans mourn her passing.

Even though news of her death broke on December 9, the last day of the SoundScan tracking week, her passing still managed to rock the charts.

In the single day, even before Rivera was officially declared dead, her album sales rose 334% to 6,000 copies. Among those, sales of Joyas Prestadas: Pop, almost quadrupled, going 28-2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart while sales of Joyas Prestadas: Banda went 39-4 on the chart. Each album sold around 2,000 copies.

The singer’s downloads also increased 1,096% to 12,000, with 11 debuts or re-entries on the Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart.

The big sales impact of Rivera’s death, however, is expected next week, compounded with the release of her new album, La Misma Gran Señora, which coincidentally had been slated for December 11 and for which re-orders have been coming in, as well as wall-to-wall coverage of Rivera in all major Latin media, including Univision and Telemundo.

“This Was The Way Jenni Had To Go,” Says Rivera’s Brother

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

While crews continue the search for Jenni Rivera‘s remains amid the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in the remote, mountainous area in northern Mexico on Sunday, her family members are expressing their overwhelming grief over the loss of a loved one.

“We are feeling devastated. It’s a devastation to the family,” the brother of the Mexican American singer, Pedro Rivera Jr., told E! News outside the Rivera family’s Lakewood, California home.

Despite their sadness, Rivera’s father, Pedro Rivera Sr. told Telemundo and NBC News that the family is grateful for the support La Diva de la Banda’s fans have demonstrated throughout the years.

“We were having a beautiful morning, and then we received the news from my brother [Gustavo]. ‘Go see mom because we can’t find Jenni’s plane, we don’t know what’s happened to her,'” said Rivera’s brother recalling the nightmare of Sunday.

Pedro Jr. continued, “That’s when it started, really early at 9 in the morning. I came to my mom’s house. We started getting the news. Then at around 5 p.m., we got confirmation that she was gone. It was so painful.”

The family, which will be joined soon by brother Lupillo, who was reportedly in North Carolina, is still awaiting further details on what happened, Pedro Jr. said.

Collecting evidence at the scene could take up to 10 days, according to aviation authorities in Mexico. The wreckage, which includes personal items that belonged to the singer, was spread out over an area that spans up to 300 meters, officials said.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that it was dispatching a team to help with the investigation.

The Learjet carrying Rivera and six others lost contact with air traffic controllers after it took off for Toluca, outside Mexico City, from Monterrey at 3:15 a.m. Sunday. Mexican authorities confirmed that evening that wreckage had been found in Nuevo Leon state with no survivors.

“When we do find out what has happened with the body, because they have to get it out of the woods there,” said Pedro Jr. “As soon as they get the bodies out and we receive the news that they’re there, all the family is going to fly over there and bring our sister back.”

Pedro Jr., a Senior Pastor at Iglesia Primer Amor in Rivera’s home town of Long Beach, California, then went on to say, “We may be sad, but when God has the last word for all of us in our last days, it’s time to go. And this was the way Jenni had to go.”

Rivera’s Last Image Emerges as Stars React to Her Death

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a sad day in the Latin American community as the music industry loses a prima diva…

Mexican officials have now confirmed the remains of the airplane carrying Jenni Rivera have been found with no evidence of survivors. Rivera’s father and brother also confirmed the news on Telemundo, accoridng to NBC News.

Rivera’s makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, posted what was probably the last photo taken of the singer on Instagram with the message: “We getting Back To Mexico City…..jenni Rivera ,Arturo , Gigi and Me.. Los Amooo! at Aeropuerto Internacional de Monterrey General Mariano Escobedo (MTY)”

mun2, the home to Rivera’s popular docuseries I Love Jenni, and Telemundo issued a statement saying “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Rivera family and the families of her team, as we await details”.

Meanwhile, celebrities like Pitbull, Ricky Martin and Eva Longoria have taken to Twitter to pay their respects to Rivera’s family and offering prayers for the friends and families of the plane’s passengers.

“I highly respected #JenniRivera 4 being a gr8 performer but more then tht being real & gr8 example 4 us all que dios la bendiga &may she RIP,” wrote Pitbull.

“Esto es triste. Un poco en shock. Mucha paz para su familia. RT @ElNuevoDia: Desaparece avión en q viajaba Jenni Rivera,” wrote Ricky Martin.

“OMG! Just heard about @jennirivera Praying for her and her family during this difficult & uncertain time!” wrote Gloria Estefan.

“Dios mío! Me acabo de enterar de la terrible noticia sobre Jenny Rivera! Rezando por un milagro!Cadena de oración por Jenny y su familia!” wrote Thalia.

“Feeling so heartbroken right now. @jennirivera has been a close family friend for the last 10 years. She has supported me so much throughout my career and is really an incredible woman. I pray and I’m going to ask for all of you to pray with me that she is alive. Her plane crashed a few hours ago and no bodies have been found. Please pray for her and her family. #prayforjenni,” wrote actress Francia Rasia.

Eva Longoria wrote on Twitter: “My prayers go out to her family. We lost a legend today. She was a great lady, and did a lot for the Latino community. She will be missed.”

To commemorate Rivera’s life and influence, Telemundo will broadcast a two-hour primetime special at 7:00 pm EST, and mun2 will re-broadcast it at 9:00 pm EST. Mun2 will also air two previously produced I Love Jenni specials at 11:00 pm EST and midnight EST.

Rivera Feared Dead in Mexico Plane Crash

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The wreckage of the small plane believed to be carrying Banda and ranchera diva Jenni Rivera has been found in northern Mexico with no apparent survivors, according to authorities.

Transportation and Communications Minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said that “everything points toward” it being the U.S.-registered Learjet 25 carrying the 43-year-old Mexican-American singer and six other people from Monterrey en route to Toluca, Mexico.

The plane had gone missing after takeoff early Sunday. The plane left Monterrey at about 3:30 am after Rivera performed a concert there and aviation authorities lost contact with the craft about 10 minutes later. It had been scheduled to arrive outside Mexico City, in Toluca, about an hour later.

“There is nothing recognizable, neither material nor human” in the wreckage,” Ruiz Esparza told Televisa.

Authorities had not confirmed that Rivera was among the dead.

Jorge Domene, spokesman for Nuevo Leon’s government, said also aboard the plane were her publicist, lawyer, makeup artist and the flight crew.

Rivera, born and raised in Long Beach, California, is one of the biggest stars of grupero music, which is influenced by the norteno, cumbia and ranchera styles.

Know as la “Diva de la Banda,” Rivera was beloved by fans on both sides of the border for such songs as “De contrabando” and “La Gran Señora.”

She recently won two Billboard Mexican Music Awards: Female Artist of the Year and Banda Album of the Year for Joyas prestadas: Banda.

The successful singer, businesswoman and actress appeared in the indie film Filly Brown, as the title character’s incarcerated mother, and was the star of the mun2 reality show I Love Jenni. And ABC Studios had just announced plans this week to put in development Jenni, a multi-camera family comedy starring Rivera.

Rivera had given a concert before thousands of fans in Monterrey on Saturday night. After the concert she gave a press conference during which she spoke of her emotional state following her recent divorce from former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who played for teams including the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I can’t get caught up in the negative because that destroys you. Perhaps trying to move away from my problems and focus on the positive is the best I can do. I am a woman like any other and ugly things happen to me like any other woman,” Rivera said Saturday night. “The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up.”

The mother of five children and grandmother of two had announced in October that she was divorcing Loaiza after two years of marriage. It was her third marriage. Rivera is the sister of Mexican singer Lupillo Rivera.

Rivera Headlining ABC’s “Jenni” Comedy Project…

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s already a mega superstar on mun2… And now Jenni Rivera’s ready to shine on ABC.

The network has put in development Jenni, a multi-camera family comedy starring the 43-year-old Mexican-American singer–songwriter.

The project hails from leading Broadway producer Robert L. Boyett – marking his return to television, where he was one of the top comedy series producers in the 1980s and 1990s — and Designing Women’s Robert Horn.

Boyett and Horn will write the project, which stars Rivera as a strong, middle-class, single Latina working to raise a family using unique parenting skills, while struggling to run a family business and navigate her extended, co-dependent relatives — all while fighting the cultural perception that she needs a man to do it.

Boyett and Horn will executive produce, with Rivera and her manager Pete Salgado serving as producers for ABC Studios.

Rivera has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. She’s also the star mun2′s docu-reality series I Love Jenni, now filming its third season.

In addition, Rivera made her big screen acting debut in the critically acclaimed Filly Brown.

Prince Royce Ties Romeo Santos for Most Premio Lo Nuestro Nods

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Call it a “battle of the bachateros”

Romeo Santos and Prince Royce will battle it out for top honors at Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro during the show’s 25th anniversary on February 21, 2013.

The 31-year-old Dominican/Puerto Rican singer, the former front man for Aventura, and the 23-year-old Dominican singer tied for most nods, at seven each. Santos and Prince Royce will battle it ou for Tropical Album of the Year, Tropical Male Artist of the Year, and Tropical Song of the Year.

Reggaeton superstar Don Omar, meantime, received six nods, including Artist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year for his mega duet with Natti Natasha, “Dutty Love,” and Album of the Year for his Don Omar Presents Meet The Orphans 2: New Generation.

Barcelona-raised urban artist Juan Magan is up for Best New Artist, along with four other awards. He faces stiff competition from 3Ball MTY, who cleaned up at this year’s Billboard’s Mexican Music Awards.

Mexican rock group Maná earned six nominations, and will compete against with Don Omar, Jenni Rivera, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho and Santos in the Artist of the Year category.

Sibling duo Jesse & Joy, the big winners at the Latin Grammys, are up for five awards, including Song of the Year and Video of the Year for “¡Corre!” as well as Album of the Year for ¿Con Quién Se Queda el Perro?.

Juanes was recognized for his critically acclaimed MTV Unplugged album with four nods, tied with Beto Cuevas and Victor Manuelle.

Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Paulina Rubio, Ricardo Arjona, Chino y Nacho, Gerardo Ortiz, La Original Banda El Limón, La Banda El Recodo and Wisin y Yandel each earned three nods.

View the full list of 130 nominations in 33 different categories here and cast your vote until December 23, then tune into Univision on February 21 for the awards show.

3BallMTY: This Year’s Billboard Mexican Music Awards MVP

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The members of 3BallMTY proved to be the beaus of the ball at this year’s Billboard Mexican Music Awards.

The Mexican tribal music troupe – comprised of Erick Rincon, Sergio Zavala (Dj Sheeqo Beat) and Alberto Presenda (Dj Otto) – earned the most awards of any artist/act during Thursday night’s nationally televised awards show, which honors regional Mexican music.

This year’s 12-time nominee 3BallMTY picked up nine awards, including New Artist of the Year, Artist of the Year, Duo or Group; Song Artist of the Year and Digital Download Artist of the Year.

The awards show was broadcast live on Telemundo from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and featured genre-breaking performances from 3BallMTY together with reggaetón duo J King & Maximán, as well as more traditional fare from Conjunto Primavera and Los Huracanes del Norte.

3BallMTY’s wins helped to shine a spotlight on the dynamic nature of regional Mexican music, the top-selling Latin sub-genre in the United States. The trio of DJs, who only released their debut album last year – and who had their network performance premiere on the first Billboard Mexican Music Awards – also won Songs Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for the single “Inténtalo,” featuring El Bebeto and América Sierra.

“In Mexico there have always been new waves,” said 3Ball MTY’s Zavala on the red carpet outside of Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. “We brought something fresh with the electronic sound [and] tribal is really growing.”

Meanwhile, last year’s big winner, norteño star Gerardo Ortiz, picked up seven awards, including Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year, Male. Ortiz’s album Entre Dios y el Diablo also won the Album of the Year Award.

A special award for the evening was given to ranchera singer/songwriter Pepe Aguilar, who received Billboard‘s Legacy Award in recognition of his lengthy and rich musical trajectory that has influenced the genre and its artists.

Legendary ranchera singer Vicente Fernández, currently on a farewell tour, swept the ranchero/mariachi category, winning Ranchero/Mariachi Album of the Year for Otra Vez, Song of the Year with “El Vestido Blanco” and overall Ranchero/Mariachi Artist of the Year.

Jenni Rivera won Artist of the Year, Female and Banda Album of the Year for her album Joyas Prestadas.

Billboard Mexican Music Awards finalists and winners are determined by chart performance as chronicled in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com during the eligibility period of August 27, 2011 through August 18, 2012. Award categories are based on album and digital track sales data provided by Nielsen SoundScan and radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS.

For a full list of winners, click here.

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