Christian Alicea Signs Exclusive Booking Agreement with Loud and Live

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Christian Alicea has a new deal…

The Puerto Rican artist and developing salsa star has signed an exclusive booking agreement with Nelson Albareda’s Loud and Live.

Albareda has always carried tropical music in general and salsa in particular, deep inside him. A die-hard fan of Cuban salsero Willy Chirino, he also worked closely with salsa queen Celia Cruz and, through Loud and Live, represents the Celia Cruz estate today.

Now, Albareda is on a quest to elevate and grow the music with which he started his career. As he’s been saying for months, tropical music is having a moment. This week, via his powerhouse promotion and entertainment company, Albareda signed Alicea.

Loud and Live already books major tropical music names like Carlos Vives and Juan Luis Guerra. But the Alicea deal is different in that in addition to booking Alicea’s concerts, Loud and Live will also work in partnership with his management team to support marketing and promotional endeavors surrounding the artist and his music.

Although Alicea has just one album under his belt — Yo, released this past May — he has already placed two tracks in the Top 25 of Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart. This week, a third single, “Aroma,” is at No. 15 on the list.

“Christian is an exceptionally talented young man who, because of his humility, charisma and spectacular and unique voice, we are confident that he will conquer and lead the tropical genre worldwide for many years to come,” said Albareda in a statement.

The partnership, says Alicea’s producer, Urales ‘Dj Buddha’ Vargas, is “the icing on the cake. For us, having someone like Nelson see the vision and the potential of Christian means a lot.”

As Latin music’s focus has slowly shifted from solely reggaetón in the past year, other genres are beginning to rise on the charts. While regional Mexican music undoubtedly leads the fray, pop is also seeing a resurgence, and tropical music — long focused on legacy acts — is finally seeing a smattering of new names, including Luis Figueroa, teenager Luis Vazquez, and, Alicea.

Ivy Queen to Receive Icon Award at This Year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ivy Queen will be living up to her Icon status…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter and actress will receive the Icon Award at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Billboard and Telemundo have announced.

The award recognizes Ivy Queen, a pioneer of reggaeton, as an artist who has carved out a career that has remained relevant through time.

“I am beyond thrilled and honored to receive this award,” Ivy Queen said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication I have put into my music over the years. I am grateful to my fans for their unwavering support throughout my career, and I hope to continue to inspire and empower women through my music for years to come.”

Celebrated globally for achieving both musical and commercial success, Ivy Queen’s career spans nearly 30 years. She earned her first entry on a Billboard chart with “Quiero Bailar,” which peaked at No. 16 on the Tropical Airplay chart in July 2005, and, a few months later, scored her first No. 1 on that tally with “Cuéntale.” She boasts 20 entries on Latin Rhythm Airplay, the third-most among Latina artists; 400 million on-demand official streams in the U.S., according to Luminate; 560,00 albums sold in the U.S.; and 584,000 song downloads.

The special honor will be presented at the awards ceremony — where Ivy Queen is also set to perform — which will be held Thursday, October 5, and will be broadcast live on Telemundo from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The show will air simultaneously on the Hispanic entertainment cable channel Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

This year, Peso Pluma leads the list of finalists with 21 nods across 15 categories, including artist of the year, songwriter of the year, Global 200 Latin artist of the year, and Top Latin Album of the year.

Chayanne’s “Bailando Bachata” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Chayanne is back at the summit…

Nine weeks after capturing his first top 10 in more than 14 years on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, the 55-year-old Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor is back in command – with his first No. 1 since 2008 – as “Bailando Bachata” rises 2-1 to rule the August 5-dated list.

The song earns Greatest Gainer honors for the week fueled by an 18% increase in audience impressions, to 8.9 million, earned in the week ending July 27, according to Luminate.

“Honestly, I always do things because I feel them and since we started working on the album, bachata was considered,” Chayanne tells Billboard. “With the excessive amount of competition these days I wasn’t expecting it, but I am very grateful for this No. 1.”

“Bailando Bachata” is the third single from Chayanne’s forthcoming studio album (released date TBD). It follows two top 10 singles: “Te Amo y Punto” and “Como Tú y Yo” reached No. 6 and No. 7, respectively on Latin Pop Airplay in late 2022.

“Bailando Bachata” tops the list 14 years after Chayanne’s last leader, “Amor Inmortal,” dominated for five weeks in late 2008. The over 14-year window between new rulers is the longest gap by any artist since December 2016, when Jennifer Lopez ended a 17-year wait between No. 1s when “Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta,” with Marc Anthony, topped the list. It was her first No. 1 since “No Me Ames,” also with Marc Anthony, in 1999.

As bachata proliferates on a global level, more artists are basking on its popularity.

Notably, five of the six songs that have arrived at the summit on Tropical Airplay in 2023 belong to the genre. Here’s the recap:

Title, Artist, Peak Date, Total Weeks at No. 1
“Monotonia,” Shakira & Ozuna, Jan. 7 (nine)
“El Pañuelo,” Romeo Santos & Rosalia, Feb. 4 (four)
“La Bachata,” Manuel Turizo, Feb. 11 (14)
“Me EnRD,” Prince Royce, July 8 (four)
“Bailando Bachata,” Chayanne, Aug. 5

About the genre’s craze, Chayanne feels differently: “I love both bachata as much as all tropical rhythms. All the songs on the new album are special, I always surround myself with professionals and I only record what I feel I like, that suits me and that the public may like, not necessarily because there is a trend.”

As “Bailando Bachata” takes charge of Tropical Airplay, it ejects Prince Royce’s “Me EnRD” from its four-week command with a 17% dip in audience, to 8.4 million.

Further, “Bailando Bachata” concurrently delivers extra goods for Chayanne with a 5-3 lift on the overall Latin Airplay list, matching his career-high for almost a decade, as “Humanos a Marte” landed and at an equal No. 3 high in August 2014.

“In my case, inspirations go hand-in hand with rhythm and lyrics,” Chayanne adds. “I like songs that denote joy and invite to dance. This one most certainly will be included on my next tour; I want all to dance it with me.”

Rosalia Earns Fifth Straight No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart with Romeo Santos-Collab “El Pañuelo”

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Make it five chart-toppers in a row for Rosalia…

The 30-year-old Spanish Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning singer/songwriter’s Romeo Santos-collaboration “El Pañuelo” rises 2-1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart to crown the February 25-dated survey.

The new coronation extends Santos’ record as the tropical artist with the most No. 1s (22), while Rosalía earns her sixth champ (and her fifth straight leader.)

In the February 10-16 tracking period, “El Pañuelo” earned 11 million audience impressions in the U.S., up 1% from the week prior, according to Luminate.

It advances from the runner-up slot in its 15th week and sends Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” to No. 2 (with a 2% dip to 10.6 million impressions).

It’s the second time “El Pañuelo” has topped a Latin chart. The new coronation arrives three weeks after the song reached No. 1 on Tropical Airplay (February 4-dated ranking), where it remains for a third week (in between, the song dipped to No. 3 on Feb. 11).

Back on Latin Airplay, as “El Pañuelo” arrives at the summit, Santos extends his No. 1 record among tropical artists, and enters a tie with Maluma and Wisin for the fifth-most overall, since the chart launched in 1994.

Here’s the leaderboard:

35, J Balvin
32, Enrique Iglesias
31, Ozuna
27, Daddy Yankee
22, Maluma
22, Wisin
22, Romeo Santos
20, Bad Bunny
18, Ricky Martin
18, Shakira

Rosalía picks up her sixth leader and fifth straight Latin Airplay No. 1 in over two years, since her featured turn in Sech’s “Relación,” with Daddy Yankee and J Balvin, which also features Farruko, topped the all-genre tally in September 2020.

Prior, Rosalia scored her first ruler with “Yo X Ti, Tú X Mi,” with Ozuna in 2019.

Rosalía to Release “Despechá” Remix with Cardi B as a Featured Guest

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosalía is getting a high profile assist on her chart-topping hit…

The 30-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter’s certified hit “Despechá” is getting a remix with Cardi B as a featured guest.

The announcement remix was made by Rosalía via social media, with the singer writing:

“MOTOMAMIS, TOMORROW DESPECHÁ REMIX, who do you think it will be with????” A day later, she followed up revealing which artist would join her on the remix.

“Today at midnight with La Cardi,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Cardi B responded with “Uy, bien perra.”

The remix will drop on Friday (Dec. 16).

Rosalía released “Despechá” back in July, her first single after releasing her Latin Grammy-winning album Motomami.

Her first mambo ever, the Chris Jedi and Gaby Music-produced track was first teased in the midst of her Motomami World Tour and quickly gained social media virality.

“Despechá” is a danceable electro-merengue and mambo fusion track about a girl who’s hitting the club with her friends to get over a heartbreak.

“There are many ways to be Despechá, in this theme it is from the freeness or the craziness, moving without reservations or regrets,” she previously said in a statement.

In October, the track scored Rosalía her first No. 1 as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act, on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart.

“Despechá” also helped secure the artist her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart. On Hot Latin Songs, it peaked at No. 7 on the chart dated October 1.

MOTOMAMI$$$$$ MAÑANA DESPECHÁ REMIXXXXXXXXXXXX con quien crees que es????
¿

— R O S A L Í A (@rosalia) December 14, 2022

Manuel Turizo Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart with “La Bachata”

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Manuel Turizo has danced his way to the top of another chart…

The 22-year-old Colombian singer has secured his fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “La Bachata” advances from No. 4 to lead the October 29-dated ranking.

The track concurrently notches a sixth week at No. 1 on Tropical Airplay.

“La Bachata,” released on La Industria/Sony Music Latin, tallied 10.7 million in audience impressions, up 29%, earned in the U.S. in the October 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song, written by Turizo, Edgar Barrera, Andrés Jael Correa, Juan Diego Medina and Miguel Andrés Martinez, is the first single from Turizo’s forthcoming album 2000 (release date TBD).

The new leader is the fifth champ for Turizo among 24 Latin Airplay chart entries.

Turizo’s first No. 1, “Vaina Loca” with Ozuna, dominated for two weeks in 2018.

“La Bachata” is also Turizo’s second chart-topper as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act.

Here’s a look at his chart-topping singles:

Peak Date, Title, Artist (if other than Turizo)
Oct. 6, 2018, “Vaina Loca,” with Ozuna
March 9, 2019, “Sola”
July 4, 2020, “TBT,” with Sebastian Yatra & Rauw Alejandro
Jan. 23, 2021, “La Nota,” with Manuel Turizo & Myke Towers
Oct. 29, 2022, “La Bachata”

Elsewhere, the Latin Airplay coronation helps “La Bachata” improve its standing on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart. There, the song lifts 8-6, the closest to the top Turizo has ranked since the No. 5 high of “La Nota” in 2021. Plus, “La Bachata” gain 1% in streams, to 5.1 million, while it dips 5% in downloads sold, earned in the week ending October 20.

Further, “La Bachata” holds at No. 1 for a sixth consecutive week on Tropical Airplay (and counting), five weeks after it ascended to the summit. It becomes the third-longest-leading title in 2022, trailing Romeo Santos’ “Sus Huellas” which ruled for 10 weeks and Don Omar and Nio Garciá’s 8-week ruler, “Se Mena.”

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.

Rosalía Earns Second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart with “Despechá”

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosalía is embracing the tropical sound… And, she’s finding success with it.

The 30-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter, known for her flamenco-urban sound, has secured her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as her latest single, “Despechá,” rises from the runner-up slot to lead the chart dated October 1.

“Despechá” rises to the top of the chart just five months after Rosalia scored her first No. 1 through “La Fama,” the two-week champ which features The Weeknd (May 14-dated ranking). The R&B singer-songwriter also collected his first win in his first showing on the list.

“Despechá” leads with 8 million in audience impressions, a 12% gain which makes the Greatest Gainer of the week, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 25, according to Luminate.

The song outs a pairing from the top: Romeo Santos and Justin Timberlake’s “Sin Fin,” after the song’s one week in charge. It falls to No. 2 with 7.8 million in audience impressions.

Beyond its Tropical Airplay coronation, “Despechá” pushes Rosalía closer to lead on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart, at No. 3, after spending two weeks at No. 5.

Elsewhere, the song makes progress on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming data, with a 9-7 move.

Plus, it holds strong at No. 65 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, after its No. 63 peak (September 17-dated list).

Camilo Earns Third No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart with “Pegao”

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Camilo has another chart-topper on his hands…

The 28-year-old Colombian singer, musician and songwriter has notched his third No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart dated Aug. 13 as “Pegao” rises to the top spot in its 11th week.

“Pegao” climbs from the runner-up rank through a 7% gain in audience impressions, to 5.6 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending August 7, according to Luminate.

The single ends Manuel Turizo’s one-week command with “La Bachata” (Aug. 6-dated survey), as it drops to No. 2 on the latest chart.

The cumbia villera “Pegao” marks a new career achievement for Camilo’s Tropical Airplay career history, becoming his first champ on a lead role, unaccompanied by any other act. The track was co-written alongside Edgar Barrera with the collaboration of Andres Castro.

“Pegao” follows Camilo’s two-week champ “Baloncito Viejo,” with Carlos Vives (June 11-18-dated lists). Previously, he logged his first champ also through a co-lead collab, “Kesi,” with Shawn Mendes (Aug. 21, 2021).

“Pegao” is the third single from Camilo’s forthcoming third studio album, De Adentro Pa Fuera, set to be released in September. His eponymous worldwide tour, which kicked off on May 26 in Mexico, features some of the set’s already released singles: “Indigo” with Evaluna and “Pesadilla,” both which scored an entry on Latin Pop Airplay (No. 3 and No. 16 high, respectively), and the newly released singles “Nasa” with Alejandro Sanz and “Naturaleza” with Nicki Nicole, which have not yet entered a Billboard chart.

Further, ‘Pegao” moves closer to the top 10 on Latin Airplay, climbing 16-12 in its 10th week.

Manuel Turizo’s “La Bachata” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Manuel Turizo has another tropical hit…

The 22-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer has logged his second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart — and first as a lead artist — with “La Bachata,” which rises from No. 4 to lead the August 6-dated ranking.

“La Bachata” sends Don Omar, Wisin and Gente de Zona’s “Soy Yo” to No. 3 after four consecutive weeks at the summit.

“La Bachata,” released May 26 via La Industria/Sony Music Latin, collected 5.6 million in audience impressions in the U.S. in the week ending July 31, according to Luminate, up 18% gain from the week prior.

The new champ is another achievement for La Industria imprint, which claims its first No. 1 on Tropical Airplay among four titles, dating back to its first placement in 2015 with the No. 17 high “Travesuras” by Nicky Jam. Since then, the label has placed two other top 10s, also by Nicky Jam: “El Perdón” with Enrique Iglesias (No. 5, 2015) and “Hasta El Amanecer” (No. 6, 2016).

With the single’s 4-1 move, Turizo glides to the top for a second time. He previously spent time at the summit as a featured act on Piso 21’s “Déjala Que Vuelva,” which dominated for two weeks in 2018, before Tropical Airplay changed from being station-based to strictly a genre-based chart.

“La Bachata” is the third bachata track by a non-traditional tropical artist to rule Tropical Airplay in 2022, after Rosalía’s “La Fama,” featuring The Weeknd, and Prince Royce and Maria Becerra’s “Te Espero” topped the list for two weeks each during the May 14 through June 4-dated recaps. In total, four bachata songs have landed at No. 1 this year: Romeo Santos joins the group with the 10-week champ “Sus Huellas” (starting the February 26-dated ranking).

Beyond Turizo’s new coronation, he claims his highest ranking on the all-genre Latin Airplay tally in more than a year: The song rallies 20-12, the same position he last held when “Amor en Coma,” with Maluma, peaked at No. 12 in July 2021.

In addition to its airplay gain, “La Bachata” also improves on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, entering the top 25 (32-25), with a 22% increase in streams. The song generated 1.99 U.S. streams in the U.S. in the week ending July 28.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Tropical Airplay