Grupo Frontera Earns Second No. 1 on Billboard Latin Airplay Chart with Bad Bunny-Collab “Un x100to”

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Grupo Frontera have earned a place in music history…

The Regional Mexican group has achieved a feat unseen on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart in more than a decade, becoming the first act to place two Regional Mexican songs at No. 1 in a single year.

The group claims the first such double win since Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga in 2009.

Grupo Frontera’s “Un x100to,” with Bad Bunny, hits No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart dated May 20 due to a 20% boost in audience impressions, to 10.7 million, in the United States in the week ending May 11, according to Luminate.

The quintet secured its first champ on Latin Airplay as “Bebe Dame,” with Fuerza Regida, capped the March 25-dated ranking.

The last regional Mexican act to post two No. 1s on the tally in the same year was Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga, whose “Te Presumo” and “Me Gusta Todo de Ti” ruled for six and five weeks beginning the February 28 and December 26, 2009-dated lists, respectively.

Since Latin Airplay launched in November 1994, Grupo Frontera logs just the fifth instance of an act notching two regional Mexican No. 1s in a single year. Marco Antonio Solis first achieved the feat in 1996 and is the only artist to have earned the honor twice.

Here’s the full list below:

Acts With 2 Regional Mexican No. 1s on Latin Airplay in a Single Year:
Grupo Frontera, 2023: “Un x100to,” with Bad Bunny, “Bebe Dame,” with Fuerza Regida
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga, 2009: “Me Gusta Todo De Ti,” “Te Presumo”
Conjunto Primavera, 2007: “Basta Ya,” “Ese”
Marco Antonio Solis, 1997: “La Venia Bendita,” “Así Como Te Conocí”
Marco Antonio Solis, 1996: “Recuerdos, Tristeza Y Soledad,” “Que Pena Me Das”

Bad Bunny, meanwhile, captures his 21st Latin Airplay champ, the seventh-most among all acts since the chart’s inception in 1994. J Balvin leads with 35 No. 1s, followed by Enrique Iglesias and Ozuna (32 each), Daddy Yankee (28), Maluma and Wisin (22 each).

Expanding on the regional Mexican genre’s momentum, as Grupo Frontera reached the No. 1 slot with “Bebe Dame” in March, the quintet brought back the format to Latin Airplay’s top spot following a three-year gap, after La Adictiva Banda San José de Mesillas’ “Escondidos” crowned for one week on January 18, 2020.

This decade, so far, four regional Mexican songs have secured a spot at No. 1. “Escondidos” succeeded Alejandro Fernández’s “Caballero,” which began its two-week reign on the Jan. 4, 2020, chart, prior to Grupo Frontera’s two leaders this year.

Looking back to the Latin Airplay chart’s 1994 inception, the ’90s dispensed the most regional Mexican chart-toppers in a single decade: 18 (despite the chart debuting nearly halfway through the decade), led by the likes of Solis, Rocio Durcal, Alejandro Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Los Tigres del Norte and Selena. Almost as many – 17 – ruled during the 2000s, while nine led in the ‘10s, continuing a rich legacy for the genre.

The 2020s are on pace for around 12 regional Mexican No. 1s by the end of the decade, although the genre’s unprecedented heights on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Un x100to” and Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” – the first regional Mexican top 10s ever on the chart, where they currently rank at Nos. 7 and 4, respectively – suggest an even greater ceiling.

A new wave of acts is fusing mariachi, norteño, banda, sierreño and corridos, as well as collaborating with artists, such as Bad Bunny, generally outside the genre.

Cazzu Earns First No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay Chart with Santa Fe Klan & Los Ángeles Azules Single “Tú y Tú”

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a career first for Cazzu…

The 29-year-old Argentine rapper and singer and Santa Fe Klan have each scored their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Tú y Tú,” with Los Ángeles Azules, rises 3-1 to lead the May 20-dated survey.

The new leader yields both Cazzu and Santa Fe Klan’s first champ in their maiden chart appearance.

“Tú y Tú,” released via SeiTrack/Disa/UMLE on March 10, takes over Regional Mexican Airplay in its eighth week after a 28% boost in audience impressions, to 8.5 million, earned in the U.S. during the May 5-11 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As “Tú y Tú” rises to the top of the ranking, Cazzu and Santa Fe Klan become the first artists to claim a No. 1 in their maiden chart performance among the nine tracks that have crowned Regional Mexican Airplay in 2023.

The last artist to pick up a first No. 1 in a first attempt was Mario Bautista, as “Brindo” with Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga led for one week on June 11, 2022.

Previously, Eden Muñoz completed the deed with “Chale!” (May 21, 2022).

“Tú y Tú” ascends 3-1 and sends Grupo Marca Registrada and Grupo Frontera’s “Di Que Sí” to No. 6 after its three-week domination, with a 39% dip in audience (to 5.2 million).

“Tú” also brings Los Ángeles Azules back to No. 1. The cumbia sonidera ensemble last ranked first through the three-week ruler “Nunca Es Suficiente,” with Natalia Lafourcade, in early 2019. In between, the group collected five top 10s, including the No. 2-peaking “Amor a Primera Vista,” with Belinda and Lao Ebratt, featuring Horacio Palencia, in August 2019.

Elsewhere, “Tú” continues its progress on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart, reaching its No. 5 high.

Peso Pluma & Eslabon Armado’s “Ella Baila Sola” Becomes First-Ever No. 1 Regional Mexican Song on Billboard’s Streaming Songs Chart

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Life is but a stream for Peso Pluma…

The 23-year-old Mexican singer, wrapper and songwriter’s Eslabon Armado-collaboration “Ella Baila Sola” rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart dated May 13.

It’s the first regional Mexican song to top Streaming Songs in the tally’s 10-year history.

In the April 28-May 4 tracking week, “Ella Baila Sola” earned 34.6 million official U.S. streams, a 2% increase, according to Luminate.

The song is the first No. 1 on Streaming Songs for both acts.

For Peso Pluma, it’s his first in his premiere appearance on the ranking, while Eslabon Armado had charted once before with the No. 43-peaking “Jugaste y Sufri,” featuring DannyLux, in October 2021.

“Ella Baila Sola” marks the first Streaming Songs ruler either predominantly or completely in Spanish since Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone’s “Me Porto Bonito” crowned the survey for two weeks – July 30, 2022, and August 6, 2022.

Peso Pluma boasts two tunes in Streaming Songs’ top 10, with “Ella Baila Sola” joined by his Yng Lvcas collaboration “La Bebe” at No. 5 (21.6 million streams).

Concurrently, “Ella Baila Sola” reigns on Hot Latin Songs for a fifth week and remains at No. 4 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100.

The song’s parent album, Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado, also debuts at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with 44,000 equivalent album units earned.

Eslabon Armado’s “Desvelado” Makes History on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart with No. 1 Debut

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Eslabon Armado is making history…

The Regional Mexican group has earned a place in the Latin music history books with the No. 1 debut of their full-length album Desvelado on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart dated May 13.

With 44,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week, the set scores the largest week for a regional Mexican album since the survey started measuring titles by units in February 2017.

“It means a lot being No. 1 on Top Latin Albums,” Pedro Tovar tells Billboard. “It’s probably our favorite album, but we didn’t expect it to go that high! Mainly because I know that people don’t like something at first, but when four, five, six months or a whole year pass by, there’s always that one song that hits, and then everybody is like, ‘Oh, this is my favorite album!’”

Desvelado was released April 27 via DEL Records. The 16-track effort starts with 44,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the April 28-May 4 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As its predecessor (Nostalgia, 2022), nearly all of Desvelado’s first-week total was fueled by streaming-equivalent album units, with 43,000 stemming from the metric. In total, its songs drew 63.51 million official U.S. streams – the most in a week ever for a regional Mexican album.

The set also boasts the fifth biggest streaming opening week among Latin albums, after Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (365.55 million official streams, May 2022), YHLQMDLG (201.37 million, March 2020) and El Último Tour del Mundo (145.94 million, Dec. 2020), as well as Karol G’s Mañana Sera Bonito (118.73 million streams, March 11-dated list).

On the all-genre Billboard 200, Desvelado opens at No. 6, becoming the highest rank ever for a regional Mexican album, since the ranking started measuring by units in December 2014. It also becomes the second album to hit the top 10, surpassing Eslabon Armado’s No. 9-peaking Nostalgia in May 2022.

“The hardest challenge producing and recording this album was the timing,” Tovar remembers. “We wanted to release it on the 27th and we had such a short time to record everything. Plus, I didn’t really get much time to put in the final touches, so I put it on God’s hands. The result was amazing.”

As Desvelado arrives at the summit on Top Latin Albums, Eslabon Armado maintain their perfect run of six straight top 10s among six chart appearances. Out of those, one other album took the quartet up the penthouse: the one-week ruler VIbras de Noche in August 2020. Plus, Eslabon’s sixth studio effort sends Benito’s Un Verano Sin Ti to No. 2 after its 46-nonconsecutive-week domination. (Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito crowned for five weeks in between.)

Desvelado was preceded by the No. 1 viral hit “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma — in its fourth week in charge on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart. It concurrently reaches No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, with 34.6 million official U.S. streams, up 2%. It’s the first regional Mexican song to lead the list and the first No. 1 on the chart for both acts. Elsewhere, “Ella Baila Sola” rises 20-9 on the all-Latin-genre Latin Airplay tally with 6.7 million in audience impressions earned during the same tracking week, a first top 10 for Peso Pluma there.

Meanwhile, among the new recruits on Hot Latin Songs, “Así Lo Quiso Dios,” with Luis R. Conriquez, bows at No. 24. “Quédate Conmigo,” with Grupo Frontera, follows at No. 25, while “Quiés Es El?” starts at No. 33.

“Honestly, ‘Quédate Conmigo,’ with Grupo Frontera, is the song I relate to with the most,” Tovar muses. “It’s super romantic and it fits me perfectly because now I am in love. In a way, I am kind of dedicating that song to a special someone.”

About Desvelado’s eight collaborations, Tovar concludes: “I think the best one is with Peso Pluma, mainly because it’s the No. 1 song. Everywhere I go I hear it… everywhere! I don’t get tired of singing that song at all.”

Robert Trujillo & His Metallica Mates Tops Charts with Biggest Week for a Rock Album This Decade with “72 Seasons”

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Trujillo is celebrating a banner week…

The 58-year-old half-Mexican American bassist and his Metallica band mates’ latest album 72 Seasons has debuted atop multiple Billboard charts dated April 29, including the Top Rock & Alternative Albums survey.

In its first tracking week (April 14-20), Seasons 72 earned 146,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 134,000 units were via album sales.

It’s Metallica’s fifth No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, which began in 2006.

The rockers first ruled with Death Magnetic in 2008 and then with 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (the band’s last proper LP prior to Seasons 72) and 2020’s S&M2 with the San Francisco Symphony, along with a first week at No. 1 in 2021 for 1991’s Metallica upon its 30th anniversary.

The new set’s 146,000-unit start marks the best single-week sum on Top Rock & Alternative Albums this decade. It’s the biggest since Tool’s Fear Inoculum soared in with 270,000 units on the Sept. 14, 2019, ranking.

Seasons 72 is also Metallica’s fifth No. 1 on both Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums.

The set bows at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with its 134,000-unit sales count, becoming Metallica’s eighth leader dating to 1991’s self-titled album. On Vinyl Albums, it’s likewise No. 1 thanks to 43,000 first-week vinyl copies sold, marking the group’s sixth champ, tying the band with The Beatles and Jack White for the second-most, after Taylor Swift with nine.

On the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard 200, Seasons 72 debuts at No. 2, behind Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which earned 166,000 units. The band adds its 12th top 10 on the chart, a run that began with …And Justice for All in 1988.

Concurrently, multiple songs from Seasons 72 reach Billboard song charts, with the entire album’s track list infusing Hot Hard Rock Songs. It’s led by the title track and current radio single, which leaps 12-2 thanks to 2.7 million radio audience impressions, 2.4 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold. “Shadows Follow” is next at No. 6 (1.8 million streams).

Twelve songs at once on Hot Hard Rock Songs is the most since the chart’s 2020 inception, surpassing Deftones‘ 10 songs on the Oct. 10, 2020, ranking.

“72 Seasons” jumps 8-6 on the latest Mainstream Rock Airplay survey. It’s Metallica’s 26th top 10, placing the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers in a tie with Van Halen for the sixth-most since the chart began in 1981. Preceding single “Lux Æterna” reigned for 11 weeks beginning in December, while fellow teaser song “Screaming Suicide” (not promoted to radio) spent one week on the tally at No. 40 in February.

Bad Bunny Earns 60th Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with Grupo Frontera-Collab “un x100to”

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Make that an even 60 for Bad Bunny…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar’s Grupo Frontera-collaboration “un x100to” debuts at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, giving el Conejo Malo his 60th top 10 on the chart, extending his record among all acts.

It’s the highest debut on the chart for Grupo Frontera and the band’s fourth top 10 single.

“Un x100to” was released on April 17 via Rimas Entertainment, a surprise not only for fans, but for Grupo Frontera as well.

Bad Bunny’s vocals were incorporated as Edgar Barrera, composer of the song, revealed his participation as a surprise the day the norteño group shot the music video.

“We did not hear Bad Bunny’s part in the song until the day of the video,” Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, lead vocalist, shared during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “So when that part comes out and we were shooting the video, I froze. Having a song with Bad Bunny is just something that… It’s unexplainable.”

“Un x100to” starts at No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs, largely due to its surge in streams.

As mentioned, because the song came with the track’s music video on April 17, it joins the upper region of the multimetric ranking with only four days of activity for its chart debut. According to Luminate, it generated 20 million official U.S. streams during the April 14-20 tracking week.

That opening sum yields a No. 7 on the overall Streaming Songs chart, a first top 10 for Grupo Frontera there, and an equal No. 3 debut on Latin Streaming Songs.

“Un x100to” also registered 4,000 downloads in the same period, prompting a No. 1 launch on Latin Digital Song Sales. There, it becomes the third champ for Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s 13th chart topper.

Over on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, Grupo Frontera’s new single makes its top 20 debut, at No. 15, the highest ranking for the Rio Grande Valley-based group. For Bad Bunny, it becomes his highest chart appearance since “Moscow Mule” debuted and peaked at No. 4 in May 2022.

Back on Hot Latin Songs, “un x100to” marks Grupo Frontera’s fourth top 10. It follows “Bebe Dame,” with Fuerza Regida, which led for two weeks (January 21 and March 4-dated lists).

Elsewhere, Grupo Frontera also earns career highs on both global charts. “Un x100to” bows at No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200 with 67 million streams, while it shoots to a No. 4 start on the Global Excl. U.S. with 48 million earned during the same period.

The news of the collaboration’s debut across Billboard charts arrives on the heels of Grupo Frontera’s El Comienzo Tour, which kicked off in San Antonio, Texas, on April 20 and will take the sextet through the U.S. with its last stop on Nov. 25 in Los Angeles.

Melanie Martinez’s “Portals” Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums & Top Alternative Albums Charts

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melanie Martinez is back at the top of the album charts…

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican & Dominican American singer, a former The Voice contestant, has snagged the top debuts on Billboard’s rock and alternative album charts dated April 15.

Martinez’s Portals opens at No. 1 on both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums due to 142,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate.

Of that sum, 99,000 units are via album sales, while 42,000 come from streaming units, with the remaining 1,000 from track equivalent albums.

The sales and streaming counts are the best for any album on Top Rock & Alternative Albums in 2023.

Martinez notches her first No. 1 on the chart since it shifted to a model allowing for alternative-leaning albums not necessarily within the rock genre.

On Top Alternative Albums, Portals becomes her third ruler, following K-12 in 2019 and Cry Baby in 2015.

On the all-genre Billboard 200, Portals starts at No. 2, Martinez’s best rank, surpassing the No. 3 debut and peak of K-12. She also earns her first leader on Top Album Sales.

The album spurs multiple appearances on the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, paced by Martinez’s “Void,” which vaults 40-5 in its second week on the tally. In the March 31-April 6 tracking week, “Void” earned 8.7 million official U.S. streams and 100,000 radio audience impressions and sold 1,000 downloads.

The former count gets Martinez onto the all-format Streaming Songs list for the first time, at No. 42.

In all, 13 Martinez songs reach Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with the top debut of the group being “The Contortionist” at No. 10 (5.4 million streams).

Omar Apollo Notches First No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Omar Apollo has emerged…

The 25-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart dated April 8.

Apollo leads the chart for the first time due to his debut studio album, Ivory.

Originally released in April 2022 via Warner Records, the set re-enters the Billboard 200 chart at No. 74 with 13,000 equivalent album units earned (up 265%) March 24-30, according to Luminate, exceeding its original No. 128 peak. The album’s vinyl edition arrived March 24, sparking 9,000 sold on vinyl in the tracking week.

Ivory concurrently debuts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 12, a new best.

The set contains Apollo’s breakout single “Evergreen,” which reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October (becoming his first career entry), as well as No. 6 on Adult Alternative Airplay and No. 33 on Pop Airplay.

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

Anuel AA to Perform at This Year’s Latin American Music Awards

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anuel AA is heading to the Latin American Music Awards…

The first wave of performers has been announced for this year’s Latin AMAs, with the 30-year-old Puerto Rican rapper and singer among those set to take center stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

Anuel AA will perform “Más Rica Que Ayer” during the show.

Other performers include newlyweds Guaynaa and Lele Pons, who will perform a medley that includes their latest collaboration “Abajito”; Myke Towers, who will perform his newest track “Mi Droga”; and Prince Royce, who will surprise viewers with an unreleased song.

Additionally, Spanish newcomer Bad Gyal and Regional Mexican crooner Eden Muñoz will make their Latin AMAs debut. The former will deliver her single “Chulo,” and the latter will offer his viral solo hit “Chale!”

Nominations for the 2023 awards — based on streaming, sales, radio airplay, tours, and even social media interactions data provided by Billboard and Luminate during the eligibility period (February 12, 2022, through February 4, 2023) — are led by Bad Bunny with 11 nominations. He’s followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee, each with nine nominations; at eight nods each are Grupo Frontera, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, Romeo Santos, and Rosalía.

Meanwhile, Muñoz, Bizarrap, Blessd, Grupo Frontera, Los Lara, Luis Figueroa, Luis R Conriquez, Quevedo, Santa Fe Klan and Yahritza y Su Esencia are nominated in the best new artist category.

Carlos Vives and Pepe Aguilar will be recognized as 2023 Latin AMAs Legacy honorees. This year’s ceremony will be co-hosted by Galilea Montijo, Julián Gil and Natti Natasha.

For the first time since its debut on October 8, 2015, on Telemundo, the ceremony will be broadcast live simultaneously on Univision, UNIMÁS and Galavisión after TelevisaUnivision acquired the rights from dick clark productions in September.

Wisin & Yandel Scores 16th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart with Rosalia-Collab “Besos Moja2”

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Sweet Sixteen for Wisin & Yandel.

The Puerto Rican Grammy– and Latin Grammy-winning reggaeton duo have taken over Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the Rosalia-collaboration “Besos Moja2” rises 2-1 to lead the April 1-dated ranking.

The new champ hits the top after the song’s domination on Latin Rhythm Airplay, where it holds strong at No. 1 for a fourth week.

“Besos Moja2” is a contemporary reggaetón version of Wisin & Yandel’s “Besos Mojados” produced by Luny Tunes and originally released as part of the duo’s sixth studio album, La Revolución (No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, May 2009).

The new Rosalía-assisted version stems from the Puerto Rican’s 10th and farewell full-length set as a duo, La Última Misión, which debuted and peaked at No. 14 on Top Latin Albums and reached top 10 on Latin Rhythm Albums last October.

“Besos Moja2,” produced by the same team plus Los Legendarios and Noah Goldstein, stretches to No. 1 on Latin Airplay, after two weeks in the runner-up slot, with a 3% increase in audience impressions, to 12 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 23, according to Luminate.

The collaboration gives Wisin & Yandel their 16th No. 1. The duo extends its record for the most champs among groups, ahead of Maná’s 11 leaders, and Zion & Lennox’s eight No. 1s. Among all acts, J Balvin continues to lead with 35 No. 1s. “Besos Moja2” arrives atop of the chart following Wisin & Yandel’s one week command through “Mayor Que Usted,” with Natti Natasha and Daddy Yankee, in September 2022.

Rosalía, meanwhile, secures her seventh No. 1, and sixth consecutive, after conquering Latin Airplay also for one week with the bachata “El Pañuelo,” with Romeo Santos on the survey dated February 25.

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