The Puerto Rican artist is starting off the new year with a new career success as “Gatúbela,” with Karol G, captures first place on Billboard’s Latin Rhythm Airplay chart dated January 7.
The song gives the reggaetón singer his first champ as a soloist on any airplay chart.
“Gatúbela,” produced by DJ Maff, reaches the summit with a 3-1 jump, generating 7 million in audience impressions, up 1%, earned in the U.S. in week ending December 29, according to Luminate.
The track was released on August 26 via Universal Music/UMLE and reaches a No. 1 in its 18th week.
Maldy, one-half of veteran reggaetón duo Plan B, scores his first chart-topper on any airplay ranking a decade after he earned a first Latin Rhythm Airplay entry. He reached a No. 21 high prior with “La Formula Sigue,” with Zion, Arcangel, Lennox, Chencho, and RKM & Ken-Y, in 2012.
During his Plan B era, Maldy went as high as No. 4 with “Mi Vecinita” in 2014.
Karol G, meanwhile, enters a tie for the eighth-most No. 1s on Latin Rhythm Airplay.
She matches Don Omar, Nicky Jam and Yandel, all with 14 leaders.
Here’s the scoreboard since the list begun in 2005:
34, Daddy Yankee
34, J Balvin
28, Ozuna
19, Bad Bunny
19, Maluma
19, Wisin
19, Wisin & Yandel
14, Don Omar
14, Karol G
14, Nicky Jam
14, Yandel
The Regional Mexican band headlined the halftime show at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City during the Monday Night Football game in which the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-10.
The return of the NFL to Mexico featured a week-long celebration of pride that transcends borders, as well as the nexus between Mexican culture and American football with activities focused on art, fashion, music, and youth football.
As part of the League’s “Por la Cultura” campaign, music has been a focal point of the NFL’s marketing strategy, kicking off the season with a J Balvin concert and releasing a Por La Cultura mixtape featuring Yandel, El Alfa, and Snow Tha Product among others. Latino football fans are the fastest-growing demographic for the NFL and an important audience the league is hoping to grow in the coming years.
Grupo Firme, formed in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana, arrived at the so-called “Coloso de Santa Úrsula,” as the Estadio Azteca is also known, after a massively successful touring year, including their concert at the Zócalo of Mexico City last September that garnered an audience of 280,000, a series of presentations at Foro Sol, a major arena also located in the Mexican capital, and their main stage set at Coachella.
“This is an achievement in our career, we are going ‘at a steady pace’ as we say it. The truth is that we were not thinking to be part of an event as important as this beautiful night,” singer Eduin Caz toldBillboard Español. “It will be something historic, a different audience will know us. They will listen to us and we will give our best.”
The Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard Music Awards winners performed their hits “Ya supérame”, “El amor no fue para mi” and “Gracias,” for the 78,000 NFL fans in attendance.
This was the first Monday Night Football game played in Mexico City since 2019, after a forced two-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the musicians, the presence of the NFL in Mexico is a good opportunity for two communities to honor sports and music without language barriers.
“Something that we have realized and that we are very grateful for is that the public and the people who listen to Grupo Firme are increasingly bicultural. We have already seen people who do not speak Spanish singing at our concerts. It is a blessing for us that this is growing and that opens the door to be at events like this”, said singer Jhonny Caz.
Mexican singer Sofía Reyes was chosen this year to perform the national anthem of Mexico. She electrified the stadium as soon as she started singing the first verse.
“For me it is an honor to sing the Mexican national anthem and above all to sing it here in my country at an event like this. It’s crazy! I am happy and very grateful,” Reyes told Billboard Español prior to the game.
On the American side, the Mexican-American singer Marisol Hernández “La Marisoul”, from the musical group La Santa Cecilia, performed The Star-Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem.
“This is my first time at the Estadio Azteca, singing the national anthem of the United States. I feel that my two worlds, my two countries, come together in a beautiful way and I can’t hide my feelings from this experience. For years at La Santa Cecilia we have tried to build musical bridges and I feel that tonight is a great example of this,” said Hernández.
The match in Mexico was the fifth and final of the 2022 International Series, which included three games in London and, for the first time, a game in Munich, Germany. Musical performances from the game at Estadio Azteca on November 21st can be viewed on Mundo NFL’s YouTube channel.
Wisin y Yandel have released a kisstastic new single with Rosalia…
In 2009, the Puerto Rican duo released their album La Revolución, home to 15 tracks including “Besos Mojados.” Despite not being released as a single, it would go on to become an emblematic number in the duo’s career.
Now, 13 years later, Wisin y Yandel have reeled in the Spanish star for a new version, cleverly dubbed “Besos Moja2.”
The new track is a mid-tempo futuristic reggaetón single fused with flamenco rhythms, where Rosalía’s sugary vocals beautifully lace with Wisin’s commanding verses and Yandel’s melodious voice.
Feid is preparing to trek across the United States for the first time with top billing…
The 30-year-old Colombian singer and songwriter will headline his first-ever U.S. tour.
Dubbed U.S. Trip, the Live Nation-produced stint is set to kick off Oct. 13 in Atlanta and will make stops in key Latin markets such as Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and Orlando before wrapping up in Los Angeles on November 25.
Last year, Feid toured the U.S. as the opening act for Karol G’s entire Bichota Tour.
“For me, it is going to be a huge door that is going to open. Ever since I began making music, for me, it is a dream to be able to tour in the USA and that Karol has given me the opportunity to accompany her by opening the shows is super important,” Feid told Billboard at the time. “I am very grateful to her and her entire team for the great opportunity they are giving me. We are preparing a very special show for this occasion and we are already dreaming of our own tour.”
The U.S. Trip tour announcement comes on the heels of the singer-songwriter’s newly released studio album, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS FERXXO TE PIRATEAMOS EL ALBUM.
While Feid has released a handful of collaborations throughout his career, this time around, it’s an almost completely solo album with no collaborations (the only special guest is Yandel on “XQ Te Pones Asi”) to solidify has brand as a singer.
The 15-track set — which thrives on hard-hitting perreos and chill house beats — includes previously released singles such as “Castigo” and the title track.
Here are Feid’s complete U.S. Trip tour dates:
Oct. 13 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Oct. 16 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
Oct. 20 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Oct. 25 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
Oct. 26 – New York City, NY – Irving Plaza
Oct. 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Oct. 30 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Nov. 1 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Nov. 8 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Nov. 10 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
Nov. 13 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Nov. 14 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Nov. 20 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
Nov. 25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
Yandel is helping kick-off a special initiative with the National Football League…
The NFL is set to release its first-ever Por La Cultura Mixtape in partnership with NEON16 that features music by the 45-year-old Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, the half member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel.
The mixtape, led by creative One Six and hitmaker Tainy, features Yandel’s collaboration with El Alfa and Will.i.Am, “Rómpela.”
Natti Natasha is making time for another hot collaboration…
The 35-year-old Dominican singer has teamed up with Wisin and Los Legendarios to release the new single “Tiempo.”
It’s the second collab for Natti Natasha and Wisin, following their
“Mayor Que Usted” collaboration alongside Daddy Yankee and Yandel, which currently sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart.
In true Wisin fashion, the track, produced by Stivenz Beats, is an infectious reggaetón banger with alt-funk elements.
In the lyrics, Wisin and Natti sing about losing track of time when they are together. A pink and black music video directed by Nuno Gomes shows both artists and a group of dancers portraying a real-life chess game.
“Working with Natti Natasha is always an honor, and she was the one I always thought of for this song, because she brings that combination of sensuality and energy that her voice has,” Wisin says in a statement.
The 41-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer will take part in this year’s Billboard Latin Music Week, taking place September 26-October 1 at the Faena Forum in Miami.
During the conference, Xtina will be hosting the “Premiere Party with Christina Aguilera,” where she’ll be debut never-before-heard music and answer fan questions in an intimate setting.
But Aguilera isn’t the only new addition to the lineup…
Justin Quiles will take part in an engaging panel about connecting people with music through technology, while Wisin y Yandel will join Nicky Jam for a compelling conversation during The Nicky Jam Rockstar Show Live from Billboard Latin Music Week.
The artists join a star-studded lineup that already includes: Bizarrap, Blessd, Camilo, Chayanne, Cris Chil, Dannylux, Dimelo Flow, Eladio Carrion, Elena Rose, Foreign Teck, Grupo Firme, The Children of Jenni Rivera, Kuinvi, Kunno, Lili Zetina, Luis R Conriquez, Eslabón Armado, Ivy Queen, Maluma, Mariah Angeliq, Ovy On The Drums, Subelo Neo, Tini, Tokischa, Ugly Primo and The King of BachataRomeo Santos.
More participants will be announced in the weeks leading up to the 2022 Latin Music Week.
Rauw Alejandro is on the hunt for new urban talent…
The 29-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper, known as the “King of Modern Reggaeton,” and fellow reggaeton star Yandel are among the Latin artists helping Netflix in their search for the next Latin urban music star in the reality competition series, La Firma.
The duo will be joined by Nicki Nicole and Lex Borrero as judges of the competition, while super-producer Tainy will serve as mentor and music producer/supervisor.
The search will take place across Latin America, the United States, and Spain.
In the series, viewers will follow the journeys of the selected artists as they head to Miami for the competition.
The winner will sign with talent incubator NEON16.
La Firma was created by Borrero, developed by Howard T. Owens and showrunner Nikki Boella, and produced by Propagate and NTERTAIN, which was founded by Borrero, Tommy Mottola, and Range Media Partners.
The 36-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter has unveiled the track list for his forthcoming album, JOSE, which features collaborations with Yandel, Myke Towers, Jhay Cortez and Ozuna, among others.
The 24-track set will also include previously released songs like the Bad Bunny– and Dua Lipa-assisted “Un Día” and “Qué Más Pues?” with Maria Becerra.
Balvin had previously revealed the title, release date, and the cover art of his next production via his social media accounts last week.
“‘JOSE made by J BALVIN‘ will be available on all platforms on September 10,” he captioned a photo of him all smiles, wearing flashy grills and colorful sunglasses.
Following the big news, Balvin even dropped his new single “Perra” in collaboration with Dominican newcomer Tokischa. Fusing the best of both worlds, the track fuses Balvin’s edgy reggaeton beats with Tokischa’s witty dembow. With its flirtatious and street slang lyrics, “Perra” is a raunchy track about two people who desire each other.
JOSE is Balvin’s fifth studio album following La Familia (2013), Energia(2016), Vibras(2018), and Colores (2020), which peaked No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albumschart.
Prior to Colores, Balvin joined forces with Bad Bunny on the eight-track Oasis, which debuted and peaked at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums dated July 13, 2019, where it led for eight weeks. The set also debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.
JOSE Hecho por J BALVIN Disponible en todas las plataformas desde Septiembre 10 ⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/wNstUIC45a
Sofia Reyes is bringing some Latin flair to Sia’s latest single…
The 25-year-old Mexican singer has joined voices with Sia and Puerto Rican artist Yandel for a Latin remix of her “1+1” single.
The remix was helmed by Banx & Ranx.
Reyes first gave Billboard the exclusive of this major collaboration at the 2021 Premios Juventud carpet.
“They just gave me the news and it makes me want to cry every time I think about it,” she said. “I’ll be part of a new song with Sia and Yandel. This is very powerful and I’m very excited.”
This isn’t the first time Sia teams up with Latin artists to drop bilingual tracks. Previously, she joined forces with Ozuna and Doja Cat on “Del Mar.”
The song gives the reggaetón singer his first champ as a soloist on any airplay chart.
