Month: May 2023

Thalia is a Mexican pop tour de force. Because of her indelible contributions in the Latin pop field for more than three decades, the singer, actress and entrepreneur will be honored with the Global Powerhouse award at Billboard‘s premiere Latin Women in Music event this weekend.

The gala takes place May 6 in Miami and it will air in Telemundo the following day. Billboard’s Leila Cobo, chief content officer of Latin/Español, sat down with the international star for a lively chat.

In the conversation, she expressed her gratitude for being awarded the Global Powerhouse award. “I feel proud. I feel honored. I feel like I belong to a group of very talented, powerful women, full of vigor, full of that strength that is contagious,” she says.

It was also discussed that Thalia is a strong advocate for the advancement of Latinas in the industry, especially emerging talent.

“It has always felt right for me to do it, like a necessity,” Thalia mentions. “In my perspective, together, we are better. If you look good, I look better. If you’re doing well, I’m doing well. And especially for young artists, they go against many prejudices, and against the male-dominated industry. It is important that there is another woman backing them up, that they don’t feel alone.”

The vivacious artist, originally from Mexico City, also discussed her new three-episode docuseries on Paramount+, Thalia’s Mixtape: El Soundtrack de Mi Vida, which premiered this week. Part music video, part rock en Español history lesson, and part mixtape nostalgia piece, the Latin pop star explains why this audio visual was near and dear for her to make.

Last week, she also released an accompanying covers album, Thalia’s Mixtape, in which she offers a buoyant take on rebellious rock en Español classics from the ’80s and ’90s. She sings 11 covers, including “Devuélveme a mi Chica” by Hombres G, “Persiana Americana” by Soda Stereo, “Florecita Rockera” by Aterciopelados and “La Muralla Verde” by Los Enanitos Verdes.

“It was a search to reconfigure those songs through this audiovisual project of these three episodes, with me being this bridge of connection between these titans of music to the new generation,” she says.

Don’t miss Thalia and other honorees, including our Latin Woman of the Year Shakira, plus Goyo and Ana Gabriel, at the first-ever Billboard Latin Women in Music gala at the Watsco Center in Miami. The two-hour show will air exclusively on Telemundo on Sunday, May 7, at 9 p.m. ET.

A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin women artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry

Tickets to Billboard’s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.

It’s a second week atop the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 for Ke Personajes, Big One and FMK as “Un Finde: Big One Crossover #2” rules the ranking dated April 29. The cumbia with electronic-infused beats was released April 4 via Fifty One.

“Un Finde: Big One Crossover #2” is the second song from Argentinian producer Big One’s “Crossovers” to lead the tally, after “En La Intimidad: Crossover #1,” with Emilia and also Big One, dominated for seven consecutive weeks starting on the Feb. 25-dated list (the track drops 3-9 on the current chart).

Further, Ke Personajes adds a new top 10 this week with “Pobre Corazón,” featuring Onda Sabanera, rallying 21-3. The Argentinian group places a total of three tracks in the top 10: its featured turn in Luck Ra’s “Ya No Vuelvas,” which also features La K’Onga, drops 4-6 after one week in charge (Feb. 18-dated list).

Electropop band Miranda! scores its first top 10 thanks to “Perfecta,” with Maria Becerra and FMK, as the song surges 45-8. With the move, Becerra extends her top 10 record among all acts with 21 top 10s. Meanwhile, FMK picks up his third top 10.

Adding to Miranda!’s achievements, the group scores the Hot Shot Debut of the week as “Mentía,” with Chano, starts at No. 30. In total, the duo places five concurrent titles on the chart, all from its new album, Hotel Miranda: as mentioned, “Perfecta” at No. 8, “Mentía” at No. 30, “Uno Los Dos” with Emilia, lifts 46-37, “Prisionero” with Cristian Castro, climbs 79-61, while “Yo Te Diré,” with Lali, drops 58-74.

Back in the upper region, Puerto Rican trap artist Young Miko rounds out the Argentina Hot 100’s top 10 with her first: “Classy 101,” with Feid, jumps 11-10.

Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny score the Greatest Gainer honor of the week as “Un X100to” climbs 40 rankings, from No. 64 to No. 24, while Nicki Nicole and Rels B’s “Qué Le Pasa Conmigo?” starts at No. 31.

Elsewhere, two other regional Mexican acts visit the chart this week: Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s TikTok viral hit, “Ella Baila Sola” debuts at No. 43. Plus, Latin trap artist Milo J adds two entries this week with “Al Borde” at No. 50 and “FLA” at No. 79.

Lastly, four other songs debut this week: La T Y La M’s “No Se Va” at No. 63, Cazzu and La Joaqui’s “Glock” at No. 94, Turf and Auténticos Decadentes’ “Sentimientos Encontrados” at No. 99 and Ke Personajes and TYM’s “Ya Fue” at No. 100.

Taylor Swift‘s The Eras tour is taking over Nashville, Tenn., this weekend and fans of all ages are gearing up for the big event — even the NICU babies.

Swiftie nurses Olivia Horne and Allison Harris were working the night shift at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown with respiratory therapist Leah Landa, listening to Taylor Swift music and wondering what songs she’d be performing this upcoming weekend when they had a hilarious idea, according to a press release.

They then decided to dress up the babies in the NICU unit as various Swift eras based on their personalities, giving the newborns makeovers inspired by Reputation, 1989, Folklore, Evermore and more of the superstar’s albums. The healthcare workers even dressed up one of the sweet little boys as Swift’s longtime pal and musical collaborator, Ed Sheeran.

Swift is heading to Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for three sold-out nights on May 5, 6 and 7 before taking the week off and traveling to Philadelphia from three more shows at Lincoln Financial Field on May 12, 13 and 14.

The Nashville shows come just as the 12-time Grammy winner put an impressive stamp on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 6), as she has 10 albums on the list at the same time. 

See below for all the NICU babies dressed as all The Eras at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown below.

The countdown to The Little Mermaid is officially on, with just three weeks to go until the live-action movie’s release. In advance of the film, fans have been treated to Halle Bailey bringing Ariel to life in a new way, and they’ve been dazzled by the star’s take on “Part of Your World.” And now, Korean fans of the animated classic have been treated to a snippet of the film’s iconic song courtesy of NewJeans‘ Danielle.

Fans got the first hint that Danielle may be stepping into Ariel’s mermaid tail when Disney Korea shared a teaser poster via Instagram on Monday. Jung Sanghoon and Jung Youngjoo were revealed as the Korean voice actors for Sebastian and Ursula, respectively, but the center silhouette was left blank for the leading role. “South Korea’s Ariel [is]…” the poster read, with the photo’s caption urging fans to guess to win merchandise items from The Little Mermaid. The guessing game didn’t last long, as many pinpointed Danielle’s silhouette in the comments.

Also on Monday, NewJeans fans found audio of Danielle singing the movie’s classic track “Part of Your World,” further providing that Danielle had been cast as Ariel for the live-action film’s Korean dub. The video was posted to YouTube but has since been removed due to a copyright claim.

Danielle’s casting as Ariel for the Korean dub of The Little Mermaid comes amid a series of wins for the girls of NewJeans. The K-pop stars were named ambassadors for both McDonald’s and Coca-Cola earlier in the year and have formed several partnerships with high-fashion brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and more. Come August, NewJeans will be the first K-pop group to perform at Lollapalooza.

Hear a snippet of Danielle’s version of “Part of Your World” here.

Prince Royce collects his 33rd top 10 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart as “Me EnRD” debuts at No. 9 on the May 6-dated survey. The song was released via Smiling Prince/Sony Music Latin on April 20, the same date the Dominican artist premiered it live at the eighth annual Latin American Music Awards in Las Vegas.

“Me EnRD” bows at No. 9 with 3.33 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. during its first tracking week ending April 27, according to Luminate. The romantic bachata is just the second song to start in the upper tier so far in 2023, after Marshmello and Manuelle Turizo’s “El Merengue” launched at No. 4 on the list dated March 18.

Among 36 career entries, “Me EnRD” gives Royce his 33rd top 10 on Tropical Airplay, and his fifth to debut in the region. At its No. 9 start, it’s his best debut since the 11-week champ “Déjà Vu,” with Shakira, launched at No. 2 in March 2017.

Royce’s 33 top 10s rank fifth on the all-time list, tied with Elvis Crespo, where Victor Manuelle still leads with 64 top 10s since the chart’s inception in 1994. Here’s the leaderboard:

64, Victor Manuelle
55, Marc Anthony
37, Gilberto Santa Rosa
34, Daddy Yankee
33, Elvis Crespo
33, Prince Royce
31, Jerry Rivera
28, Olga Tanon
28, Romeo Santos

Further, Royce’s “Me EnRD” marks his 20th top 10 without a collaborative act. It trails the No. 6-peaking “Otra Vez” (Feb. 11-dated list) also released as a soloist. On the current chart, the latter ranks at No. 11 for a second week.

Beyond its top 10 debut on Tropical Airplay, “Me EnRD” bows at No. 30 on the all-genre Latin Airplay tally, where singer-songwriter claims his 41st entry.

Thanks to its second wind 11 years after its initial chart run, Miguel’s “Sure Thing” breaks the record for the title with the most weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The track logs an unprecedented 76th week on the list dated May 6, surpassing the 75-week marathon of the previous record holder, Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” in one continuous run in 2005-07.

“Sure Thing” achieves the record-breaking mark as it jumps 8-6 on the newest published chart. The song, released in 2010, is enjoying a TikTok-fueled renaissance, as a sped-up version, has soundtracked more than 4 million videos on the social media platform. While activity TikTok does not directly contribute to the Billboard charts, many of the app’s most popular songs have seen corresponding gains on streaming services that factor into Billboard chart rankings.

“I’m glad that ‘Sure Thing’ still connects and resonates with a new audience, and that they feel what I’ve always felt with this song,” Miguel tells Billboard upon hearing the news of his new honor. “More than anything, this achievement is a wild reminder of how things – all across the board – can cycle back into cultural relevance.”

A clear hit today, “Sure Thing” was a smash in its original era too. The second single from Miguel’s 2010 debut album, All I Want Is You, reached No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for one week among the 61 total frames it logged in its initial run. Starting with its No. 20 re-entry on the list on the chart dated Jan. 14, 2023, “Sure Thing” has since added 15 more weeks to its total to accumulate its historic run.

As “Sure Thing” resets the leaderboard, here is a look at the tracks with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since it became an all-encompassing genre survey in 1958:

Weeks on Chart, Song Title, Artist, Peak Position, Year(s) Charted
76, “Sure Thing,” Miguel, No. 1 (one week), 2011-12, 2023
75, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, No. 1 (15), 2005-07
74, “God in Me,” Mary Mary featuring Kierra “KiKi” Sheard, No. 5, 2008-10
73, “On the Ocean,” K’Jon, No. 12, 2008-10
71, “You Make Me Wanna…,” Usher, No. 1 (11), 1997-98
71, “There Goes My Baby,” Usher, No. 1 (four), 2010-11
70, “Step in the Name of Love,” R. Kelly, No. 1 (two), 2002-04
68, “Can’t Let Go,” Anthony Hamilton, No. 13, 2005-07
66, “Blinding Lights, The Weeknd, No. 1 (11), 2019-21
63, “In My Bed,” Dru Hill, No. 1 (three), 1997-98
63, “Just Fine,” Mary J. Blige, No. 3, 2007-08

Though “Sure Thing” has already secured its place in the record books, it’s primed to extend its stay on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data into its rankings. In the latest tracking week (March 21 – 27), the song improved in two of the three metrics: sales and radio airplay. “Sure Thing” sold 2,000 downloads, up 21% from the previous frame and registered 46.6 million in total audience, a 10% increase from the prior week, according to Luminate. While the former No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart hit is receiving renewed play at that format, the majority of “Sure Thing” radio success comes from the pop and rhythmic format this time around. The single repeats at its No. 5 peak thus far on this week’s Pop Airplay chart – after never having made the list in its initial era – and advances 21-19 on Rhythmic Airplay, nearing its No. 14 peak from July 2011.

Radio gains help counter streaming slides in the past weeks, though the song maintains an overall high count. “Sure Thing” generated 11.1 million official U.S. streams in the most recent tracking week, essentially even with the prior week, and keeps it near its performance in prior weeks, with 11.1 million, 11.4 million and 11.7 million totals in the past three weeks, respectively.