Tag Archives: Spotify

Sessi’s “2C” Surpasses One Million Streams Mark on Spotify

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Sessi has a million reasons to smile…

Following its release in March, the Puerto Rican and Cuban American singer’s single “2C” has surpassed the one million streams mark on Spotify, becoming the emerging artist’s first single to join the millions club.

Sessi

The track was produced by Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer Gavriel “Vein” Rafael.

“The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately,” Sessi tells Billboard. “Hitting a million streams is a major milestone for me. As an emerging artist, and ‘2C’ being only my third single, it means my hustle and talent is not going unnoticed. I’m thankful to God, my team, and my supporters for never giving up on me.”

Daddy Yankee’s “Con Calma” Surpasses One Billion Streams on Spotify

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Daddy Yankee has another billion reasons to smile…

This week, the 45-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton icon surpassed more than one billion streams on Spotify with his 2019 Snow-assisted hit single “Con Calma.”

Daddy Yankee

According to a press statement, Daddy Yankee is the “only Latin artist to tally over one billion Spotify streams on three tracks.”

He previously surpassed the one billion streams mark with “Despacito” with Luis Fonsi and “Despacito (Remix)” featuring Justin Bieber.

“Con Calma,” which is an energetic, bilingual remake of Snow’s 1992 hit “Informer,” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart dated May 4, 2019, where it reigned for 14 consecutive weeks.

https://twitter.com/daddy_yankee/status/1430648878961922048

J Balvin Lands Two Singles on Spotify’s “Billions Club” Playlist

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J Balvin is officially in special company…

Spotify has launched its “Billions Club” playlist to highlight the music of the members of its Billion Streams Club, including two of the 36-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter’s most iconic singles.

J Balvin

According to Spotify, the new playlist — which currently features more than 150 songs — highlights the megahits that have surpassed the one billion streams mark. Included on the new playlist are J Balvin’s “Mi Gente” with Willy William and his collaboration with Cardi B and Bad Bunny, “I Like It.”

In all Cardi B has three singles on the playlist. Along with “I Like It,” the other singles are “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5, and “Taki Taki,” her collaboration with Selena Gomez, Ozuna and DJ Snake.

Selena Gomez has three singles. Along with “Taki Taki,” her other singles on the playlist include “We Don’t Talk Anymore” with Charlie Puth, and “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo.

Bruno Mars has three singles on the playlist “That’s What I Like” and “Just the Way You Are,” as well as “Uptown Funk” with Mark Ronson.

Other Latin artists appearing on the playlist include Karol G, Danny Ocean, Fifth Harmony, Camila Cabello and Luis Fonsi.

“Spotify has long celebrated artist milestones and we wanted to find a unique way to honor the artists and songs fans can’t stop listening to,” Ashley Graver, Global Head of Creative Artist Partnerships, tells Billboard. “The Billions Club playlist is a natural evolution of the plaques you have seen from multiple artists, and we are excited to give fans a one-stop destination to enjoy some of the most streamed songs in the world.”

Also in celebration of the newly rounded up collection of songs, Spotify created a video sharing how various artists have reveled when learning of the milestone and receiving their One Billion Streams plaque from the streamer.

Prior to the launch of the “Billions Club” playlist, some artists have marked hitting the billion streams achievement by doing more than just showing off their shiny new plaques on social media. Several have literally eaten off the platter-shaped badge of honor: Halsey dug into some Cheetos and candy, Joe Jonas dined on some McDonald’s, and Quavo ate some scrambled eggs and waffles with plenty of syrup, for example. (See Billboard’s gallery.)

Spotify has been busy this year launching new features beyond the just announced “Billions Club” playlist.

In April, the streaming service started adding some livestream events to artist pages, and in late May, partnered with Driift for tickets to a virtual concert series.

Cardi B, “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Cardi B, “Girls Like Me,” with Maroon 5
Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
Bruno Mars, “Just the Way You Are”
Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk,” with Mark Ronson
Fifth Harmony, “Work From Home,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Karol G, “Tusa,” featuring Nicki Minaj
Selena Gomez, “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” with Charlie Puth
Selena Gomez, “Taki Taki,” with DJ Snake, Cardi B & Ozuna
Selena Gomez, “It Ain’t Me,” with Kygo
Camila Cabello, “Senorita,” with Shawn Mendes
Camila Cabello, “Havana,” featuring Young Thug
Luis Fonsi, “Despacito – Remix,” with Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber
Luis Fonsi, “Despacity,” with Daddy Yankee
J Balvin, “Mi Gente,” with Willy William
Danny Ocean, “Me Rehuso”

Georgel Releases Spotify’s First-Ever Pride Latin Exclusive Single “No Putx,” Featuring Molotov’s Tito Fuentes

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Georgel is commemorating Pride Month through music…

The 36-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter, whose real name is Julio Arevalo Reyes-Rosas, has released the empowering anthem “No Putx” featuring Molotov‘s Tito Fuentes.

Georgel

In the neo hip-hop satirical track, Georgel – who’s at the forefront of ushering the Latin R&B renaissance – doesn’t hold back singing about the machista Latin culture and its efforts to oppress the LGBTQIA+ community with homophobic slurs such as p—.

But in “No Putx,” the rising artist also reaffirms the empowerment of a community that demands equality and justice.

“No te confundas que ese no soy yo,” Georgel sings defiantly. “No somos machos pero somos muchos … Ahora dime quien es el [puto].”

“No Putx,” which becomes the first Pride Latin Spotify Exclusive Single, is a new take on Molotov’s 1997 rock anthem “Puto,” in which they use the infamous “p–o” chants to critique Mexican politicians. The new track is Georgel’s gift to his fans for Pride Month, which he tells Billboard he’ll sing “fiercely and loudly!”

Jeronimo Folgueira Named New Deezer CEO

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Jeronimo Folgueira is ready to lead…

Global audio streaming service Deezer has hired the Spanish executive to be its new CEO, the company has annouced.

Jeronimo Folgueira

Hans-Holger Albrecht, who has led Deezer since 2015, will step down and join Deezer’s board of directors. Albrecht will remain CEO through the end of June, with Folgueira taking over the position on July 1.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Deezer,” Folgueira said in a statement. “They hold a unique place in our hearts and Deezer’s team has built a service that is the perfect companion to people’s daily lives. Deezer is a key player and contributor to the fast growth of music streaming around the world. We have a highly competitive platform with unique features that listeners love. That means we’re in a great place to accelerate our growth and capture many new opportunities, which will benefit both artists and music fans. I look forward to getting to know the team and writing the next chapter in the company’s history together.”

From 2015 to 2019, Folgueira was the CEO of Spark Networks, the online dating conglomerate that owns Christian Mingle, Jdate, and Zoosk among others. During his tenure, Folgueira quadrupled the Berlin-based company’s annual revenue to 250 million euros ($304 million) in 2019, before stepping down.

Albrecht says Deezer has grown its revenue by more than 300% in the last five years, and the platform now averages over 600 monthly streams per active user. “With the support of all shareholders and partners, a passionate team of 600 people have built the fourth largest global audio streaming service in the world,” Albrecht said in a statement. “We have a clear strategy in place to deliver long-term, sustainable growth and value for shareholders, artists and users.”

The French streaming service, largely popular in Europe, has 16 million monthly active users and is available in 180 countries around the world. Owned by Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries (which also owns Warner Music Group), Deezer was one of the earliest services to embrace high-fidelity streaming, launching its high-fidelity tier in September 2014, long before the current rush to promote better sound quality began.

Deezer cut the price of its hi-fi tier from $20 a month to $15 after Amazon Music HD launched at the lower price in September 2019, but with the recent price decreases to $10 a month for hi-fi streaming by Amazon and Apple Music, Folgueira will have to determine whether to match the rate offered by a pair of trillion-dollar companies and aim for scale or attempt to maintain Deezer’s margins at a less competitive price point.

With Spotify preparing its own hi-definition service that will arrive in the coming months, an era of increased competition among music streaming services awaits Folgueira in his new role.

Bad Bunny Graces Cover of W Magazine’s Music Issue

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It’s Bad Bunny for the W… W magazine cover, that is…

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer and songwriter graces the cover of W Magazine’s Music Issue.

Bad Bunny W Magazine Cover

 

“@badbunnypr is no stranger to playing different characters, in fact it’s one of the (many) things that keeps the world watching him,” writes the magazine in its Instagram post about their cover subject. “Last year, the rapper made waves for performing drag in his music video for ‘Yo Perreo Sola,’ in which he dressed in head-to-toe red latex, complete with dripping jewelry and stiletto boots. But underneath it all, the artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio remains a country boy from Puerto Rico’s northern coast, a laid-back beach kid who will roll into an industry party in board shorts and flip-flops.”

Bad Bunny W Magazine Cover

The Grammy winner, who worked overtime during the coronavirus pandemic to release three new albums and become 2020’s most streamed artist on Spotify, spoke with Abby Aguirre about optimism, his creative process and his upcoming acting roles, including his role in the highly anticipated film, Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt.

Bad Bunny W Magazine Cover

Read the full cover story here.

Cardi B Rewrites Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Triller U.S. Chart

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Cardi B is trill standing tall…

The 28-year-old half-Dominican rap superstar has rewritten the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Triller U.S. chart, as “Up” spends its fifth week at No. 1 via the April 10-dated tally.

Cardi B

The Top Triller U.S. and Top Triller Global charts highlight the biggest songs on Triller based on a formula blending the amount of views of videos containing a respective songs, the level of engagement with those videos and the raw total of videos uploaded featuring each song, according to Triller.

Data for the charts is represented on a Friday-Thursday tracking week, with the latest period running March 25-April 1.

With its fifth week atop the tally, “Up” breaks out of a tie with Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cry Baby,” featuring DaBaby, and Dixie D’Amelio’s “Be Happy” for the most weeks at No. 1 in the history of Top Triller U.S., which began in July 2020.

“Up” first crowned the ranking dated February 27 and has since spent every week on the chart either at No. 1 or No. 2.

Concurrently, the song spends its second straight week at No. 2 on Top Triller Global after leading for two weeks last month.

According to Triller, the top video on the platform to use “Up” in the March 25-April 1 tracking period was a March 7 upload from user don22ovan.

https://v.triller.co/62XXzY

“Up” is No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 alongside its return to No. 1 on Top Triller U.S. The song earned 22.4 million U.S. streams on digital service providers like Spotify, Apple Music and more; accumulated 34.5 million audience impressions on radio; and 8,000 digital downloads.

Ednita Nazario Launches New “De Corazón a Corazón” Podcast

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Ednita Nazario’s latest project has a lot of heart…

The 65-year-old Puerto Rican star has made her debut as a podcaster, with the new podcast titled De Corazón a Corazón that will air on her Facebook, YouTube and Spotify.

Ednita Nazario

In the podcast, Nazario will “open her heart to talk about life with special guests that could range from personal friends to celebrities,” according to a press release. A new episode will be released across all the aforementioned platforms every Tuesday at 7:30 pm ET.

“This podcast will allow me to show fans another side of me and it will be a good opportunity to be close to all of you,” the singer-songwriter said in a statement. “I am so excited about this new project that I will pour all my heart into.”

https://twitter.com/EdnitaNazario/status/1370405911571931143

Selena Gomez Reunites with DJ Snake for New Single “Selfish Love”

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Selena Gomez is selfishly releasing new music…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress is re-teaming with DJ Snake for a new collaboration entitled “Selfish Love.”

Selena Gomez

Gomez and DJ Snake previously conquered the charts with their 2018 smash “Taki Taki,” which also featured Ozuna and Cardi B.

On Thursday (Feb. 25), Gomez and the French producer teased their incoming single with a clip of themselves as video game characters. Soundtracked by “Taki Taki,” the video picks up where the video for that song left off, with the pair breaking off from Cardi and Ozuna and levitating to the top of a volcano, into which Gomez throws a glowing pink heart.

The song will be released on March 4.

Gomez and DJ Snake are crossing their fingers that the song reaches the heights of their previous collab, which hit the billion-plays mark on Spotify in June.

Anitta Launching Her Own Podcast, “Anitta and Friends” via LiveXLive Media’s PodcastOne

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Anitta is (pod)casting a wider net…

The 27-year-old Brazilian singer-songwriter, who has proven to be as amusing in conversation as she is when performing, will now have her own podcast.

Anitta

Titled Anitta and Friends, the podcast will launch this quarter and will feature a wide array of guests in discussions that’ll be rooted in music.

The show is part of an exclusive podcast deal Anitta inked with podcast platform PodcastOne, which will also produce the show.

The platform, a subsidiary of LiveXLive Media, is also home to Pitbull’s From Negative to Positive podcast and The Adam Carolla Show, among many others.

Anitta’s debut season will include 12 episodes featuring “intimate, insightful” conversations with celebrities from around the world.

The podcast will also be streamed as a vodcast (video podcast) on the LiveXLive platform.

“The addition of world-class talent and beloved music star Anitta to the PodcastOne family of programming is a thrill for us,” said Kit Gray, president of PodcastOne. “With the rise of powerful female voices being heard … we know that we are the perfect home for Anitta’s podcast.”

Anitta is currently working on an album in English, Portuguese and Spanish, set for release on Warner Records under a new deal inked last summer. The Brazilian star has more than 91 million social media followers across platforms, which should help fuel her podcast, a medium that is still largely untested among Latin artists.

Aside from Pitbull, J Balvin hosted Made in Medellín a year ago, an eight-part podcast about life in his hometown that was produced by Spotify. Most recently, Nicky Jam began to record a podcast where he interviews friends and artists, including reggaetón superstars, but the show hasn’t debuted yet.