Bad Bunny Teams Up with Travis Scott & The Weeknd to Release New Single “K-Pop”

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny’s getting into K-Pop…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar has joined voices with Travis Scott and The Weeknd for the racy new track “K-Pop,” the first single off Scott’s upcoming Utopia album.

The track officially marks Scott’s post-Astroworld comeback.

“I know ’bout this one time (Swish) / You felt like that winner (Winner) / That night was just so fire / I need you back sooner (Sooner),” the Weeknd and Scott offer over a bouncy trap beat.

Bad Bunny joins in during the second verse of the track — singing entirely in Spanish — and all three vocalists cruise through the chorus: “We run it back one time / I’m grabbin’ you uno (Uno).”

Scott officially announced a collaboration with Bad Bunny and the Weeknd (“Flame, Abe, Benito,” Scott captioned the single’s announcement post) on July 19 but both of Scott’s guests had been teasing their involvement in his new album for months.

The Weeknd and Bad Bunny were seen photographed with a briefcase emblazoned with the title of Scott’s upcoming album “Utopia.” Mike Dean was also seen with the suitcase in hand before he confirmed his participation via social media with a photo of the album’s masters. (Dean also posted a teaser for “Kpop.”)

This marks Bad Bunny’s first time working with both artists (however, Scott did remix Bad Bunny’s “Krippy Kush” in 2017) though Scott and the Weeknd have previously joined forces on numerous tracks including “Pray 4 Love” and “Skeletons,” among others.

“Kpop” is the first single off Scott’s upcoming album and follows “Down in Atlanta,” featuring Pharrell Williams, and “Ring Ring,” with Chase B. Scott also had features on both Don Toliver and Trippie Redd’s last albums. Scott hasn’t released an album of original material since 2019’s “Jackboys.”

The hiatus was a result of Scott’s 2021 Astroworld tragedy — his music festival in Houston that left 10 people dead and numerous others with injuries. A grand Jury in Houston made the ruling in June that Scott and festival organizers were relieved of criminal charges relating to the deaths.

“Utopia” is already available for pre-order but no release date has been confirmed.

Scott will also be presumably previewing the album during a live stream event in partnership with Live Nation that is said to celebrate “the world of Utopia” at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on July 28. Earlier this week, rumors were swirling that Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate was blocking the event from happening though the claim has been debunked by Live Nation.

Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Chart 12+ Years After Initial Release

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel has a sure hit on his hands…

More than 12 years after its release and its original chart run, the 37-year-old half-Mexican American singer, songwriter and actor’s single “Sure Thing” has risen to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart dated May 27.

The song, on ByStorm/Black Ice/Jive/Legacy/RCA Records, completes the longest ascent to the Pop Airplay summit from a title’s release, having first hit Billboard’s charts in February 2011, following its November 2010 release on Miguel’s debut LP, All I Want Is You.

An R&B/hip-hop radio hit in its original run, “Sure Thing” crowned the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, for a week in May 2011.

On the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, “Sure Thing” reached No. 36 over a 23-week stay in March-August 2011.

In 2022, the song resurged thanks to newfound attention on TikTok, where a sped-up version has soundtracked more than 4 million clips. It debuted on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart this January and ranked at No. 30 on the most recently published, May 20-dated chart with 10.6 million official streams in the United States May 5-11, according to Luminate.

On the May 20-dated all-format Radio Songs survey, “Sure Thing” rose 7-6, up 6% to 51.6 million in audience. On the Hot 100, it pushed 15-14, reaching a new best — as well as a new career high for Miguel, surpassing the No. 15 peak of Mariah Carey’s “#Beautiful,” on which he’s featured, in 2013.

Miguel previously tallied six Pop Airplay hits between 2012-22, rising as high as No. 12 as a featured artist on Kygo’s “Remind Me to Forget” in 2018, his best career rank prior to the revival of “Sure Thing.”

Meanwhile, the comeback to new heights for “Sure Thing” has been historic, as the single broke the record for the most weeks ever spent on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 78 (through the latest, May 20-dated survey, where it placed at No. 5, marking its first appearance in the chart’s top five since September 2011).

“We were keeping a close eye on the metrics,” says RCA head of promotion Keith Rothschild about the decision to promote the song to pop radio after TikTok sparked new interest in it. It debuted on the Pop Airplay chart dated Feb. 25, at No. 40, and hits No. 1 in its 14th week on the chart, up 7% in plays May 12-18.

While “Sure Thing” is far removed from its original release, “programmers were not hesitant at all,” Rothschild says, especially with other catalog songs recently finding new life on radio, whether from TikTok or synchs, including Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” and The Weeknd’s “Die for You.”

“We knew the song was a hit, as it was a No. 1 R&B/hip-hop record when it was originally out,” says Rothschild of “Sure Thing.” “It was never worked at pop, so we asked programmers to put it into callout. The numbers came back massive, and we knew it was game on.”

Anitta Signs with Republic Records

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anitta is joining the republic…

The 30-year-old Brazilian superstar has signed with Republic Records, according to Billboard.

The news comes just weeks after Anitta and Warner Music Group agreed to part ways. The two parties released a joint statement to social media on April 4 announcing the news.

“After eleven years of successful partnership, we’ve agreed to go our separate ways,” the post read. “Anitta would like to thank the Warner Music team for all their support. And the Warner team wishes Anitta all the best in the future.”

Anitta signed with Warner Records in the United States in 2020 after previously linking with Warner Music Brazil in 2013. She had long voiced concerns about her relationship with WMG, from the label refusing to produce a video for an underperforming song to advising young artists to pay closer attention to what they sign.

During an Instagram livestream last May, Anitta said Warner only invested in her work “after it pays off on the internet. Unfortunately, there are things I can’t get, that’s why I don’t buy millionaire cars, because when I want to do something, I pay for it.” She added that Warner “is very tied to TikTok, to what goes viral, and if they don’t get a hit right away, they say ‘later.’”

The singer followed that with a tweet thread last month in which she blasted Warner, saying she regretted signing with the label and would have “auctioned off her organs” in order to be released from her contract.

During her run at Warner, Anitta scored a global breakthrough with her trilingual album, Versions of Me, which last year hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with its TikTok-driven single, “Envolver.” The song’s music video won in the category of Best Latin at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. That same year, she also performed at Coachella and the Latin Grammy Awards.

Anitta will now join a superstar roster at Republic that includes Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj and more. Sources say Jesús López, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula, and Paulo Lima, president of Universal Music Group Brazil, will work closely with the artist.

Anitta is managed by S10’s Brandon Silverstein globally.

Karol G Collects Eight Latin American Music Awards Trophies, Including Artist of the Year

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is this year’s Latin American Music Awards darling…

The 32-year-old Colombian superstar was the big winner at the 2023 Latin AMAs, taking home eight awards, including artist of the year.

In addition to the night’s top prize, Karol G took home Song of the Year and Collaboration of the Year for her Becky G-collaboration “MAMIII.”

Becky G collected four awards, including Best Collaboration – Pop/Urban for the

Karol G-assisted girl anthem “MAMIII.”

The Mexican-American singer took the stage to say that women are stronger united.

“This is bigger than us. This is girl power. Thank you to the fans for supporting us.”

Overall, it was a big night for Música Mexicana with artists such as Grupo Frontera and Carin Leon also taking the stage for performances. Leon took the stage three times to perform solo, alongside Frontera and then again for a special medley to honor Legacy Award recipient Pepe Aguilar.

Other special honorees were Carlos Vives — who also received the Legacy Award — and David Bisbal and Prince Royce both took the Pioneer Award.

Additional winners include Bad Bunny, who took home three trophies, and Junior H, Rosalía, Shakira, Romeo Santos and The Weeknd each with two.

Here’s the complete list of Latin AMAs winners:

Song of the Year
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G

Collaboration of the Year
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G

Best Duo or Group – Pop
Jesse & Joy

Best Duo or Group – Regional Mexican
Grupo Firme

New Artist of the Year
Bizarrap

Best Collaboration – Regional Mexican
“Ya acabó” – Marca MP & Becky G

Best Collaboration – Tropical
“Monotonía” – Shakira & Ozuna

Best Crossover Artist
The Weeknd

Best Artist – Pop
Shakira

Best Artist – Tropical
Romeo Santos

Artist of the Year
Karol G

Album of the Year
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

Collaboration Crossover of the Year
“La fama” – Rosalía & The Weeknd

Streaming Artist of the Year
Karol G

Tour of the Year
$trip Love Tour – Karol G

Best Album – Pop
Motomami – Rosalía

Best Song – Pop
“Provenza” – Karol G

Best Artist – Urban
Karol G

Best Album – Urban
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

Best Song – Urban
“Tití me preguntó” – Bad Bunny

Best Collaboration – Pop/Urban
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G

Best Artist – Regional Mexican
Junior H

Best Album – Regional Mexican
Mi Vida En Un Cigarro 2 – Junior H

Best Song – Regional Mexican
“No se va (En vivo)” – Grupo Frontera

Best Album – Tropical
Fórmula, Vol. 3 – Romeo Santos

Best Song – Tropical
“La bachata” – Manuel Turizo

Alex Alvga Wins Video of the Year at CMT Music Awards for Directing Kane Brown’s “Thank God”

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Alvga is thanking God for his latest award…

The Spanish award-winning music video director and photographer, Kane Brown’s go-to creative director, picked up the evening’s biggest prize at the CMT Music Awards, which were held in Austin on Sunday evening.

Brown and wife Katelyn Brown’s official music clip for “Thank God,” directed by Alvga was named Video of the Year, beating out Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton for the honor.

The video was filmed over two days in Oahu, Hawaii.

“That was an idea that Kane and Katelyn had,” Alvga says. “They wanted tropical, beach vibes for the video. They have a beautiful family with two kids, and are so young and amazing together. When you see them and spend time with them backstage, you can see that connection. I felt like the best way to do this to show them just having fun and letting them be them.”

So how did Alvga become Brown’s go-to creative director?

While on tour in the U.K. and the U.S. with singer-songwriter Jacob Whitesides, the artist’s tour manager introduced Alvga to Brown’s manager — who was seeking a videographer/photographer for CMA Fest that year. As a trial run, Alvga was invited to capture Brown’s CMT Music Awards performance (which, at the time, was held the day before the fest). “The next day, I was offered the job full time,” says Alvga. “I moved to the States with a work visa permanently two months later, and it started from there.”

Beyond Brown, Alvga has worked with various artists across genres including Khalid, Swae Lee, Becky G, White Lies, Foals, The Weeknd, Years and Years, among others.

Here’s a look at this year’s CMT Music Awards winner:

2023 CMT MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Lainey Wilson – “Heart Like A Truck”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Jelly Roll – “Son Of A Sinner”

GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Zac Brown Band – “Out In The Middle”

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange”

BREAKTHROUGH MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Jelly Roll – “Son Of A Sinner”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Jelly Roll – “Son of A Sinner” (from CMT All Access)

Mariah Carey’s Music to Be Featured as Part of Apple Fitness+’s ‘Artist Spotlight’ Workout Series

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ready to get fit with Mariah Carey?

Apple Fitness+ has added the music of the 52-year-old half-Venezuelan Grammy-winning singer to its newly added workouts.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Carey, Miley Cyrus and Shania Twain will be highlighted as part of the program’s Artist Spotlight series, which dedicates an entire set of workouts to a single artist and their discography.

Starting Monday, March 6, Fitness+ users can pedal to the beat of the “Flowers” singer’s music in a cycling workout, return to heart center when it’s a wrap on the Carey-inspired yoga workout and feel like a powerful woman post-strength workout featuring Twain’s tunes.

New workouts will roll out every Monday throughout the month of March.

The Lambily will need to stretch as far and wide as Mimi’s vocal range — which spans across five octaves and goes all the way up to those whistle tones we all try reaching when belting out her 1991 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Emotions” — ahead of her cycling, dance, HIIT and yoga workouts.

“You’ve got to make working out fun, do what you love, so it feels like burning energy instead of a job! I hear lots of people like listening to my music in the gym and it makes me so happy – it means it’s energetic and inspirational,” Twain said in a press statement. “That’s why I’m so excited for this Artist Spotlight series on Fitness+. So Giddy Up! And do what makes you happy!”

Other musicians who’ve had sets of Apple Fitness+ workouts dedicated to them include Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell Williams, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, ABBA, Prince, Shakira, The Beatles, Nicki Minaj and many more.

According to the Apple Fitness+ website, anyone who purchases a new iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Apple TV (and hasn’t previously subscribed to Apple Fitness+) will have free access to Apple Fitness+ for three months before paying $9.99 monthly, or $79.99 annually. New subscribers who already have the aforementioned Apple products can get free access to Apple Fitness+ for one month. Apple Fitness+ can be shared with up to five family members.

Jenna Ortega to Star Opposite The Weeknd in Untitled Film by Trey Edward Shults

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega has landed her next project…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress will star opposite Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Barry Keoghan in Trey Edward Shults’ untitled film.

Plot details are being kept under wraps with the film currently in production.

Shults will direct from a script he co-wrote with Tesfaye and his producing partner Reza Fahim. Tesfaye, Fahim, Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss are producing with Shultz and Ortega executive-producing.

Tesfaye has been developing the project for some time and in recent months came to Shults about directing it. Once he was on board, the two along with Fahim began penning the script that they would ultimately get into the hands of Ortega and Keoghan.

Even though both Ortega and Keoghan have been weighing several offers following their big years, both made it clear they wanted this as their next project and following their commitments, the film was a go.

Besides landing Ortega and Keoghan, Shults and Tesfaye also have assembled a below-the-line team that includes director of photography Chayse Irvin. Composer and producer OPN, aka Daniel Lopatin is scoring the film alongside The Weeknd.

Ortega has been on a roll as of late, led by her record-breaking Addams Family Netflix series, Wednesday. The show has smashed Netflix viewing records and has been renewed for a second season. She hosts Saturday Night Live on March 11 and next will be seen in Scream VI.

While this marks Tesfaye’s feature acting debut in a leading role (he did have a small cameo as himself in Uncut Gems), the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated musician is set to star in HBO’s The Idol, which he also co-created with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

Bad Bunny Becomes First Latino Artist Named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is the apple of Apple’s eye…

Apple Music has named the 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar its 2022 Artist of the Year.

It’s the first time since the Apple Music Awards launched in 2019 that a Latin artist has been recognized as AOTY, and the first time only one artist is named for the award.

Bad Bunny — whose Un Verano Sin Ti Album is also Apple Music’s most streamed album this year and the biggest Latin album of all time — is acknowledged for his excellence and influence on global culture in 2022. He now joins previous AOTY honorees including Billie Eilish, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Bad Bunny, whose influence on every corner of culture could not be ignored in 2022,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, in a statement. “Watching Bad Bunny ascend from an Apple Music Up Next artist in 2018 to our Artist of the Year this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. We congratulate him on his record-breaking year and for continuing to bring Latin music to a massive global audience.”

In addition to becoming Apple Music’s biggest Latin artist of all time by streams worldwide, Bad Bunny’s “Moscow Mule” holds the record for the biggest Latin song of all time by first-day streams worldwide.

He broke the record for most simultaneous entries by a single Latin artist with 22 songs on the Daily Top 100; reached No. 1 on the Daily Top 100 in 34 countries worldwide, more than any other Latin artist; and holds the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 Latin albums by first-day streams, just to name a few milestones.

“When I started, I didn’t have a global fan base,” he told Apple Music in an exclusive film. “I’m grateful for everything I’ve accomplished and everything I’ve experienced. The Latin music movement has grown so much. I would never take full credit or say, ‘It’s because of me.’ No, it’s every one of us. A whole generation. Our energy and presence are always felt.”

In celebration, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer curated a “La Fórmula” playlist with tracks from Myke Towers and Rauw Alejandro, among others, and fans can tune in to Apple Music 1, where it’s Bad Bunny Day with exclusive programming, specials, and more.

Rosalía Lands First No. 1 Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart as a Solo, Unaccompanied Act with “Despechá”

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special first for Rosalía…

The 30-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter’s “Despechá” tops Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, as the song advances from No. 3 to lead the October 8-dated survey.

It’s Rosalía’s first No. 1 as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act.

“Despechá” rules with a 19% increase in audience impressions to 9.34 million earned in the U.S. in the week ending October 2, according to Luminate.

It concurrently spends a second week atop Tropical Airplay — her second champ on that chart.

The new Latin Airplay coronation arrives almost five months after Rosalía captured her last No. 1 through a collaboration, since “La Fama,” featuring The Weeknd, led the tally for one week on the May 14-dated ranking.

While Rosalía boasts five total Latin Airplay No. 1s, with “Despechá,” her fourth straight leader, the Spaniard checks off a new milestone. The track is both her first chart entry and first No. 1 as a soloist unaccompanied by any other act. Three of her previous four No. 1s were collaborations in a lead role, while one, 2020’s “Relacion,” by Sech, Daddy Yankee and J Balvin, featured her alongside Farruko.

Further, “Despechá” crowns Latin Airplay in its eighth week, the fastest trek to the top among Rosalía’s five No. 1s. Let’s look at the songs’ ride to the summit:

Weeks to No. 1, Title, Artist (if other than Rosalía), Peak Date
14 weeks, “Yo X Ti, Tu X Mi,” with Ozuna, Dec. 28, 2019
11 weeks, “Relación,” Sech, Daddy Yankee & J Balvin featuring Rosalia & Farruko, Sept. 26, 2020
11 weeks, “La Noche De Anoche,” Bad Bunny & Rosalía, April 24, 2021
13 weeks, “La Fama,” Rosalia featuring The Weeknd, May 14, 2022
8 weeks, “Despechá,” Rosalia, Oct. 8, 2022,

Elsewhere, “Despechá” holds steady at its No. 7 high for a second week on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart which blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming activity.

Bad Bunny Logs Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is the artist of the moment…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar has notched a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart dated September 17, rebounding from No. 2 to reign as the top musical act in the U.S. due to the continued success of his LP Un Verano Sin Ti.

The album spends a milestone 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 99,500 equivalent album units earned in the September 2-8 tracking week, according to Luminate.

It surpasses the Encanto soundtrack for the most week logged at No. 1 this year. It also becomes just the eighth album released since 2000 to spend 10 or more weeks at the summit.

Bad Bunny concurrently places nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any act, and 22 on Hot Latin Songs.

Here’s a recap of his entries on the latest Hot 100.

Hot 100 Rank, Title:
No. 12, “Me Porto Bonito,” with Chencho Corleone
No. 13, “Tití Me Preguntó”
No. 28, “Moscow Mule”
No. 38, “Efecto”
No. 62, “Party,” with Rauw Alejandro
No. 66, “Ojitos Lindos,” with Bomba Estéreo
No. 72, “Después de La Playa”
No. 81, “Neverita”
No. 83, “Tarot,” with Jhay Cortez

Bad Bunny has tallied all six of his weeks atop the Artist 100 this year, starting on the May 21 chart when Un Verano Sin Ti launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He ties The Weeknd for the most weeks leading the Artist 100 in 2022.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

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