Bruno Mars Earns 10th No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Chart with Lady Gaga-Collaboration “Die With a Smile”

Posted on November 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars has another reason to die with a smile…

The 39-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer’s Lady Gaga-collaboration “Die With a Smile” has risen four spots to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart dated November 23.

The ballad, on Streamline/Atlantic/Interscope/ICLG, reigns with Greatest Gainer honors, up 10% in plays at the format for the week of November 8-14, according to Luminate.

The song drew an average of 77 plays per reporter playing it in that span (translating to a play roughly every two hours).

The Pop Airplay chart ranks songs by weekly plays on over 150 mainstream top 40 radio stations monitored by Mediabase, with data provided to Billboard by Luminate.

Mars last led the Pop Airplay chart with “Finesse,” with Cardi B, in 2018.

Gaga now boasts eight career Pop Airplay No. 1s and Mars, 10 – tying him with Justin Bieber for the most among solo males.

Here’s a look at the acts with the most leaders since the chart began in October 1992:

13, Taylor Swift
11, Maroon 5
11, Katy Perry
11, Rihanna
10, Justin Bieber
10, Ariana Grande
10, Bruno Mars
9, P!nk
8, Doja Cat
8, Lady Gaga
8, Justin Timberlake
7, Beyoncé

“Die With a Smile” crowned the Billboard Global 200 chart for eight weeks in September-October, the most for any song this year. It drew 119.6 million streams worldwide November 1-7 and has tallied over 100 million streams globally in each of the last 10 weeks (through the November 16-dated chart), the longest such streak since the survey began in September 2020.

Bruno Mars Logs Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Charts with Lady Gaga-Collab “Die With a Smile”

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is still celebrating a global hit…

The 38-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning artist’s collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile,” has tallied a fifth total and consecutive week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts.

The song is a stand-alone single by Mars and Gaga.

“Die With a Smile” rules the Global 200 with 117.8 million streams (up less than 1% week-over-week) and 9,000 sold (down 2%) worldwide September 20-26. The song is Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the chart began.

Notably, the duet has drawn over 100 million streams globally in each of the last four weeks – the most such frames for a song this year; it one-ups Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” (three weeks, June-July) and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (three, May-July).

Plus, “Die With a Smile” has gained in streams in each of its six Global 200 chart weeks, having started (at No. 2) with 75.2 million worldwide on the Aug. 31 survey and rising, respectively each week, to 97.2 million, 105.8 million, 111.4 million, 117.4 million and 117.8 million. It’s the first non-holiday song to link as many as four consecutive weeks of 100 million streams with gains in each week since The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” did so for four frames in August-September 2021.

“Die With a Smile” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 93.9 million streams (up 1%) and 5,000 sold (down 2%) outside the U.S. September 20-26.

As on the Global 200, the team-up became Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the list launched.

The Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began 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.

Bruno Mars Scores Fourth Week at No. 1 on Billboard Global 200 & Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Charts with Lady Gaga-Collab “Die With a Smile”

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is still smiling at top the charts…

The 38-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning artist’s collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile,” has notched a fourth total and consecutive week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts.

“Die With a Smile” tops the Global 200 with 117.4 million streams (up 5% week-over-week) and 9,000 sold (up 1%) worldwide September 13-19. The ballad, released August 16, is Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the chart began in September 2020.

Notably, the duet has drawn over 100 million streams globally in each of the last three weeks. It joins only Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” (three weeks, June-July) and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (three, May-July) as the only songs to achieve three such weeks this year.

Plus, “Die With a Smile” has gained in each of its chart weeks, having started with 75.2 million on the August 31 survey and rising, respectively each week, to 97.2 million, 105.8 million, 111.4 million and 117.4 million; it’s the first non-holiday song to link at least three consecutive weeks of 100 million streams with gains in each week since The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” did so for four straight frames in August-September 2021.

“Die With a Smile” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 92.9 million streams (up 8%) and 6,000 sold (up 2%) outside the U.S. September 13-19. As on the Global 200, it became Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the survey started.

“Die With a Smile” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 92.9 million streams (up 8%) and 6,000 sold (up 2%) outside the U.S. Sept. 13-19. As on the Global 200, it became Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the survey started.

The Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts 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.

Luis Fonsi Earns 11th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay Chart with Carlos Vives-Collab “Santa Marta”

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Fonsi has returned to No. 1 on the Billboard music charts…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican Latin Grammy-winning singer is back at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart with “Santa Marta,” his first collaboration with Carlos Vives.

The track climbs 3-1 to lead the August 31-dated ranking.

It’s Fonsi’s 11th chart-topper and Vives’ seventh.

“It’s like an anniversary song,” Fonsi previously told Billboard of “Santa Marta,” which praises genuine love and empathy.

The song — released on May 17 as one of 12 songs on Fonsi’s 11th studio album El Viaje, which earned the Puerto Rican his 15th entry on Latin Pop Albums in June — was written by Fonsi alongside Mauricio Rengifo and Andres Torres, also producers of the album.

“Santa Marta” crowns Latin Pop Airplay after a 1% gain in audience impressions, to 3.3 million, earned in the U.S. in the tracking week of August 9-15, according to Luminate.

As the song lands at the summit, Fonsi manages his 11th No. 1 on Latin Pop Airplay and seventh through a collaboration.

His first collaboration to hit No. 1 was “Despacito” with Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, which ruled the tally for 18 weeks in 2017.

All of his No. 1s since have been collaborations. His first four leaders were all solo No. 1s, unaccompanied by any other artist, including his first No. 1, the five-week champ “Nada Es Para Siempre” in 2005.

Vives, however, raced to the No. 1 slot for the first time in 1995 when “La Tierra Del Olvido” ruled for two weeks.

The song, a core vallenato track, then made it to the pop radio ranking before it switched from a station-based tally to a genre-based survey.

Since then, Vives has crowned Latin Pop Airplay six more times, his last through “Mujeres,” a collab with fellow country singer Juanes, for one week on top in December 2023.

“Santa Marta” places Luis Fonsi back at the lead on Latin Pop Airplay after almost three years, as the Puerto Rican last occupied the No. 1 spot with “Bésame,” with Myke Towers, in November 2021.

He managed, though, three top 10s in between: “Vacaciones” with Manuel Turizo (No. 6 high in 2022), “Buenos Aires” (No. 10, September 2023) and “Pasa La Página” and “Panamá” (No. 6 high in January) The latter two (along with “Santa Marta”) are all from El Viaje.

Elsewhere, despite its 1% lift in audience impressions, “Santa Marta” dips to No. 32 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, after its No. 31 high (August 31-dated list) during its nine-week run so far.

Esperanza Spalding Among Recipients of 2024 Doris Duke Artist Awards

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Esperanza Spalding’s record of achievement has landed her a special prize…

The 39-year-old part-Mexican American Grammy-winning jazz artist is among the six recipients of the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Awards, which come with a significant monetary reward.

The Doris Duke Artist Award, established in 2012, recognizes artists for their record of achievement within the disciplines of contemporary dance, jazz and theater.

Each of the six honorees is being awarded $525,000 in unrestricted funds and up to $25,000 in retirement funds. It’s billed as the largest prize in the U.S. specifically dedicated to individual performing artists.

But Spalding isn’t the only Latin jazz artist to be honored.

Miguel Zenón, a 47-year-old Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, music producer and educator, has also been named as an award recipient.

This year’s four other honorees are Nataki Garrett and Chay Yew (both from theater) and Shamel Pitts and Acosia Red Elk (both from dance).

The unrestricted nature of the award allows artists to use the funds for either personal or professional needs and enjoy the freedom to pursue projects of their choosing. Last year, the foundation doubled the amount of the award. Including the 2024 recipients, the foundation to date has provided 135 artists with $38.8 million through the Doris Duke Artist Award program.

On Friday April 26, the Doris Duke Foundation will host a symposium in New York about the future of the performing arts entitled Creative Labor, Creative Conditions: A Symposium and Celebration of the Doris Duke Artist Awards.

The foundation will also inaugurate an annual retreat for Doris Duke Artist awardees at Duke Farms, its 2,700-acre environmental center. This year’s retreat runs from April 29 to May 2.

Spalding, who has won five Grammys, is a bassist and singer who famously won best new artist in 2011, prevailing over a red-hot field that also included Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence + the Machine and Mumford and Sons. She has since won three Grammys for best jazz vocal album for Radio Music Society, 12 Little Spells and Songwrights Apothecary Lab and one for arrangement accompanying vocalist(s) for “City of Roses.”

Zenón, 47, won his first Grammy this year for best Latin jazz album for El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2, a collaboration with Luis Perdomo. The alto saxophonist had previously gone 0-11 at the Grammys, so this year’s win was a breakthrough.

Duke, a tobacco heiress, socialite and philanthropist, died in 1993 at age 80. Her philanthropic work in AIDS research, medicine, and child welfare continued into her old age. Her estimated $1.3 billion fortune was largely left to charity.

The Doris Duke Foundation is one of only two foundations to have received the National Medal of the Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts. The foundation’s mission “is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future by investing in artists and the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, child well-being and greater mutual understanding among diverse communities,” according to a statement.

Visit www.dorisduke.org to learn more.

Kehlani Releases New Single “After Hours”

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Kehlani has after hours plans…

The 28-year-old part-Mexican American singer-songwriter and R&B superstar has released her latest single “After Hours,” her first new solo single since 2022.

The new single, produced by Khris Riddick and Alex Goldblatt, sees Kehlani embrace a bouncier, dance-inspired sound as she lets her lover know that she’s tired of beating around the bush — it’s time to make something happen.

Utilizing an expertly-placed sample of Cordel “Scatta” Burrell’s “Coolie Dance Rhythm,” Kehlani makes a persuasive case for spending some extra time with her “After Hours.”

Produced by Pop Wansel of production duo Pop & Oak and featuring contributions from Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, Syd, Blxst, Thundercat and Ambré.

Blue Water Road marked the follow-up to 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Rules First Holiday 100 Chart of 2023 Holiday Season

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey’s Christmas reign has resumed…

Billboard has brought its Holiday 100 back to it charts menu, with the 54-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer ruling the holiday’s first official ranking of the top seasonal songs of all eras.

Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – which surges from No. 17 to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 – rules the Holiday 100 for a 58th week of the chart’s 63 total weeks since the list launched in 2011.

The insta-classic has topped the seasonal survey for 43 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season.

Using the same formula used for the Billboard Hot 100, the Holiday 100 blends streaming, airplay and sales data.

The only other Holiday 100 No. 1s to date: Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” for a week in the 2011-12 holiday season; Pentatonix’s “Little Drummer Boy” (one, 2013-14) and “Mary, Did You Know?” (two, 2014-15); and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (one, 2014-15).

Carey’s 1994 carol reigns with 22 million streams (up 57%), 15.6 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 105%) and 3,000 sold (up 70%) in the United States Nov. 17-23, according to Luminate.

Carey performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on an awards show for the first time as part of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards (November 19). She was also honored with the Billboard Chart Achievement Award for the song, presented to her by her 12-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

The song also boasts top honors on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

“When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey marveled of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 2021. “I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”

Rounding out the Holiday 100’s top five are more classics, released between the 1950s and ‘80s: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 2); Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 3); Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (No. 4); and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (No. 5).

Meanwhile, two songs newly released this holiday season debut on the Holiday 100, both Amazon Music Original exclusives: Chloe’s version of “Winter Wonderland” (No. 57, led by 3.5 million streams, up 130%) and Stephen Sanchez’s “Silver Bells” (No. 85; 2.2 million, up 92%).

Ice Spice Earns Four Grammy Award Nominations, Including Best New Artist Nod

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ice Spice is celebrating her first-ever Grammy nominations…

The 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper/singer-songwriter has earned four Grammy Award nods, including one for the coveted Best New Artist award.

Ice Spice, the most nominated Latinx artist this year, is up for Best Rap Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media for her Barbie collaboration with Nicki Minaj featuring Aqua, “Barbie World,” which appears on Barbie The Album.

Her fourth nod comes in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the remix to Taylor Swift’s “Karma.”

Robert Trujillo is up for three Grammys.

The 59-year-old half-Mexican American musician and his Metallica band mates are up for Best Rock Performance for “Lux Æterna,” Best Metal Performance for “72 Seasons” and Best Rock Album for 72 Seasons.

Adrian Quesada and the 46-year-old Mexican American musician, producer and songwriter’s Black Pumas group mate, Eric Burton, have earned a nod in the Best Rock Performance for their single “More Than a Love Song.”

Mexican American Latin Grammy darling Edgar Barrera is nominated for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical. He’s the first Latino songwriter to earn a nod in the category, which was launched at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Peso Pluma, who was snubbed for Best New Artist, earned his first Grammy nod. The 24-year-old Mexican Regional Mexican Artist earned the nod in the Best Musica Mexicana Album (including Tejano) for Genesis.

Kirstin Maldonado and her Pentatonix a capella group mates, three-time Grammy winners, have earned a nod in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for their album Holidays Around the World.

Esperanza Spalding, who previously beat out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist, has earned a nod in the Best Jazz Performance category alongside Fred Hersch for “But Not for Me.”

Other Latinx nominees include Vince Mendoza, Pablo Alborán, Maluma, Pedro Capó, Karol G, Juanes and Lila Downs.

The ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, and will broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. The annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony precedes the event.

Here’s a look at the categories with Latinx artists.

Best New Artist
Coco Jones
Gracie Abrams
Fred Again…
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Justin Tranter
Shane McAnally
Theron Thomas

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Labrinth Featuring Billie Eilish – Never Felt So Alone
Lana Del Rey Featuring Jon Batiste – Candy Necklace
Miley Cyrus Featuring Brandi Carlile – Thousand Miles
SZA Featuring Phoebe Bridgers – Ghost in the Machine
Taylor Swift Featuring Ice Spice – Karma

Best Rock Performance
Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes
Black Pumas – More Than a Love Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Metallica – Lux Æterna

Best Metal Performance
Disturbed – Bad Man
Ghost – Phantom of the Opera
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Slipknot – Hive Mind
Spiritbox – Jaded

Best Rock Album
Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Paramore – This Is Why
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

Best Rap Song
Doja Cat – Attention
Drake & 21 Savage – Rich Flex
Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane – Scientists & Engineers
Lil Uzi Vert – Just Wanna Rock
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Featuring Aqua – Barbie World [From Barbie the Album]

Best Jazz Performance
Adam Blackstone Featuring The Baylor Project & Russell Ferranté – Vulnerable (Live)
Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding – But Not for Me
Jon Batiste – Movement 18’ (Heroes)
Lakecia Benjamin – Basquiat
Samara Joy – Tight

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
ADDA Simfònica, Josep Vicent, Emilio Solla – The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute – Ritmo
The Count Basie Orchestra Directed by Scotty Barnhart – Basie Swings the Blues
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Dynamic Maximum Tension
Mingus Big Band – The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions
Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest – Olympians

Best Latin Jazz Album
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band – Vox Humana
Eliane Elias – Quietude
Ivan Lins With the Tblisi Symphony Orchestra – My Heart Speaks
Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente – Cometa
Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo – El Arte del Bolero Vol. 2

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Bruce Springsteen – Only the Strong Survive
Laufey – Bewitched
Liz Callaway – To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
Pentatonix – Holidays Around the World
Rickie Lee Jones – Pieces of Treasure
Various – Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3

Best Latin Pop Album
AleMor – Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1
Gaby Moreno – X Mi (Vol. 1)
Maluma – Don Juan
Pablo Alborán – La Cuarta Hoja
Paula Arenas – A Ciegas
Pedro Capó – La Neta

Best Música Urbana Album
Karol G – Mañana Será Bonito
Rauw Alejandro – Saturno
Tainy – Data

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Cabra – Martínez
Diamante Eléctrico – Leche de Tigre
Fito Paez – EADDA9223
Juanes – Vida Cotidiana
Natalia Lafourcade – De Todas las Flores

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)
Ana Bárbara – Bordado a Mano
Flor de Toloache – Motherflower
Lila Downs – La Sánchez
Lupita Infante – Amor Como en las Películas de Antes
Peso Pluma – Génesis

Best Tropical Latin Album
Carlos Vives – Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así
Grupo Niche y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia – Niche Sinfónico
Luis Figueroa – Voy a Ti
Omara Portuondo – Vida
Rubén Blades con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Siembra: 45° Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 14 de Mayo 2022)
Tony Succar, Mimy Succar – Mimy & Tony

Best Global Music Performance
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily – Shadow Forces
Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia – Pashto
Burna Boy – Alone
Davido – Feel
Falu & Gaurav Shah (Featuring PM Narendra Modi) – Abundance in Millets
Ibrahim Maalouf Featuring Cimafunk & Tank and the Bangas – Todo Colores
Silvana Estrada – Milagro y Disastre

Best Global Music Album
Bokanté – History
Burna Boy – I Told Them…
Davido – Timeless
Shakti – This Moment
Susana Baca- Epifanías

Best Children’s Music Album
Andrew & Polly – Ahhhhh!
DJ Willy Wow! – Hip Hope for Kids!
Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon – Ancestars
Uncle Jumbo – Taste the Sky
123 Andrés – We Grow Together Preschool Songs

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora
Various Artists – Barbie The Album
Various Artists – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By
Various Artists – Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix, Vol. 3
“Weird Al” Yankovic – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Best Song Written for for Visual Media
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For? [From the Motion Picture “Barbie”]
Dua Lipa – Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Featuring Aqua – Barbie World [From Barbie the Album]
Rihanna – Lift Me Up (From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By)
Ryan Gosling – I’m Just Ken [From “Barbie the Album”]

Best Engineered Album, Classical
Gustavo Dudamel, Anne Akiko Meyers, Gustavo Castillo & Los Angeles Philharmonic – Fandango
Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, George Lernis & A Far Cry – Sanlikol: A Gentleman of Istanbul – Symphony for Strings, Percussion, Piano, Oud, Ney & Tenor
Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Contemporary American Composers
Shara Nova & A Far Cry – The Blue Hour

Best Remixed Recording
Depeche Mode – Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix)
Gorillaz Featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown – New Gold (Dom Dolla Remix)
Lane 8 – Reviver (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
Mariah Carey – Workin’ Hard (Terry Hunter Remix)
Turnstile & BadBadNotGood Featuring Blood Orange – Alien Love Call

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band Featuring Paquito D’Rivera – I Remember Mingus
Just 6 – Angels We Have Heard on High
Ludwig Göransson – Can You Hear the Music
The String Revolution Featuring Tommy Emmanuel – Folsom Prison Blues
Wednesday Addams – Paint It Black

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Fenestra
Maria Mendes Featuring John Beasley & Metropole Orkest – Com Que Voz (Live)
Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – April in Paris
Säje Featuring Jacob Collier – In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Samara Joy – Lush Life

Best Orchestral Performance
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra – Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem of Ecstasy
Los Angeles Philharmonic – Adès: Dante
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Four Pieces
The Philadelphia Orchestra – Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
San Francisco Symphony – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Bad Bunny Ties J Balvin on YouTube’s List of Artists with Most Videos on Billion Views Club with 14

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is a YouTube sensation…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar has logged his 14th music video with more than 1 billion views on YouTube as a lead, featured artist or collaborator with his collaboration on Nacho’s “Báilame (Remix),” also featuring Yandel.

Bad Bunny now ties J Balvin’s record as the artist with the most videos in the Billion Views Club.

The official music video of the infectious “Báilame (Remix)” came out on August 11, 2017, and features Nacho, Yandel and a then-rising Bad Bunny performing the song together. Nacho’s original track peaked at No. 5 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in October 20217.

Earlier this year, Bad Bunny earned his 13th title in the coveted video club with his collaboration on J Balvin’s “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola,” also released in 2017. Other of his titles on the list include “Te Bote (Remix),” “Mayores,” and “No Me Conoce (Remix)” — all of which have now surpassed 2 billion views.

Bad Bunny’s next five videos in line to enter the Billion Views Club are: Lunay, Daddy Yankee & Bad Bunny’s “Soltera (Remix)”; Prince Royce, J Balvin, Bad Bunny, DJ Luian & Mambo Kingz’s “Sensualidad”; Bad Bunny’s “Yonaguni”; Arcángel & Bad Bunny’s “Me Acostumbré”; and Farruko, Bad Bunny and Rvssian’s “Krippy Kush.”

J Balvin and Bad Bunny previously surpassed previous titleholders Ozuna and Justin Bieber.

Grupo Frontera to Perform in Mexico City’s Zócalo During This Year’s Grito de Independencia

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Grupo Frontera will be making a special visit to Mexico’s most iconic plaza…

The Regional Mexican group will perform at Mexico City’s Zócalo — the country’s most important public square — on September 15 for the annual Grito de Independencia event, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced.

“The members of Grupo Frontera will be there on September 15 at night in the Zócalo,” said the Mexican president at the end of his usual morning conference, where he played Frontera’s cover of “No Se Va,” originally by Colombian group Morat.

López Obrador reiterated his taste for the music of the Regional Mexican group, which he has included in his playlist to challenge corridos tumbados, a musical genre that although he has said he will not prohibit, he considers to glorify drug traffickers.

Grupo Frontera joins a long list of national and international artists who have set foot in the second-largest public square in the world, only behind Tiananmen in Beijing. Musicians such as Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Manu Chao, Shakira, Café Tacvba and the late icon of regional Mexican music Vicente Fernández, among many others, have performed at the Zócalo.

The attendance record for free concerts held in the so-called Primer Cuadro in the Mexican capital is held by the Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, which achieved the milestone of gathering 300,000 people on the night of June 3, beating Grupo Firme, who held the record after summoning 280,000 people in September 2022, according to figures from the government of Mexico City.

This week, the sextet scored their first top 10 hit on a Billboard album chart with El Comienzo, which jumped 39-4 on the Top Latin Albums chart on August 19 after its first full week of activity.

El Comienzo also jumped 12-2 on Regional Mexican Albums and debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart.

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