Chart Beat
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Just under the surface of Ed Sheeran’s chart-topping Oceania shows, the Red Hot Chili Peppers breaks new ground on Billboard’s monthly Boxscore charts. The band is No. 2 on February’s Top Tours ranking, and followed closely again at No. 6, becoming the first act to appear twice on the same chart since the list launched in February 2019.
The Chili Peppers played eight shows in Australia and New Zealand from Jan. 21 through Feb. 12. For those stadium gigs, the group paired with Post Malone for a co-headline run of $48.2 million, splitting by $15.2 million in January and another $33 million in February. That was enough to land them at No. 2 for both months, first behind Elton John and then Sheeran.
Without missing a beat, the Chili Peppers followed with three shows in Asia on Feb. 16, 19 and 21, sans Post Malone. Those earned $12.1 million, putting the unaccompanied band at No. 6 on February’s overall ranking. In the four years since the monthly charts premiered, no act had previously doubled up on the 30-position ranking, much less in the top 10.
While it’s the first time that an artist has scored two positions on a monthly chart, it’s not unprecedented among all Boxscore rankings. On the 2018 year-end charts, Jay-Z was No. 3 alongside Beyonce for the On the Run II Tour, and at No. 25 for his solo headline dates.
The Chili Peppers also blanket the Top Boxscore chart, both on its own and alongside Post Malone. The co-headline shows appear at Nos. 5-6 and 9, topped by two shows on Feb. 2 and 4 at Sydney’s Accor Stadium ($13.5 million; 107,000 tickets).
Unaccompanied, the band hits Nos. 9 and 24, spotlighting the Feb. 19 performance at Tokyo Dome which earned $7.2 million and sold 45,000 tickets.
In addition to two shows from Sheeran, the Chili Peppers’ Sydney dates helped make Accor Stadium the month’s top-grossing venue with a $32.4 million gross and 279,000 tickets sold.
Since launching in June in Europe, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Global Stadium Tour has earned $237.4 million and sold 1.9 million tickets. Beyond the Oceania and Asia legs, the band continues with a swing of North American shows that extend through mid-April, before returning to Europe and continuing on to Latin America later this year.
At $491.9 million, the soon-to-be-reported Western shows will push the band’s career Boxscore gross past the half-billion mark.
Myke Towers captures his third straight top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as his fourth studio album, La Vida Es Una, debuts at No. 9 on the ranking dated April 8. The set arrives with just over 8,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 30, according to Luminate.
Streaming powers almost all of the album’s debut, with 11.42 million official on-demand streams of La Vida Es Una in the tracking week.
On the multimetric Top Latin Albums chart as measured in equivalent album units, each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
As La Vida bows at No. 9, Towers picks up his third straight top 10. It follows Lyke Myke (No. 3 debut and peak), which held in the top 10 for four consecutive weeks in 2021. Previously, he scored a first No. 1 in his first chart visit with the one-week champ Easy Money Baby in 2020.
The new 23-track set includes collaborations with reggaetón giants, including Arcangel, Ozuna, J Balvin and Daddy Yankee. The latter teamed up on the set’s “Ulala,” which preceded the album, peaking at No. 30 on the Feb. 11-dated ranking.
Elsewhere, “Ulala” hits No. 1 on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart. It sends Wisin y Yandel and Rosalía’s “Besos Moja2” to No. 7 after its one week in charge.
“Ulala” rises 4-1 with a 12% increase in audience impressions, to 10.1 million, earned in the U.S. during the March 24-30 tracking week. The move gifts Towers his ninth No. 1. Yankee, meanwhile, expands his career account to 28 No. 1s.
Further, La Vida concurrently opens at No. 7 on Latin Rhythm Albums and at No. 173 on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
TREASURE’s “Here I Stand” takes the No. 1 spot on the latest Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated April 5, tallying the week from March 27 to April 2.
The theme of the movie Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King came in at No. 2 for sales with 313,370 copies sold in its first week, while also hitting No. 17 for streaming with 4,484,777 weekly streams, No. 2 for radio, and No. 73 for downloads. Points from the first three metrics fueled the first single by the 10-member K-pop boy band to the top of the Japan Hot 100 this week, holding Nogizaka46’s new single at bay.
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Nogizaka46’s “Hito wa yume wo nido miru” (“People Dream Twice”) sold 663,277 copies to rule sales this week, but couldn’t support this lead with other metrics: No. 12 for downloads, No. 26 for radio, and No. 78 for video views. The girl group’s 32rd single rises 56-2 on the Japan Hot 100.
Figure-wise, Nogizaka46’s previous single “Koko niwa nai mono” launched with 830,384 copies and the one before that sold 720,302 copies in its first week, showing a slight downward trend.
Yuuri’s new album Ni (“Two”) tops the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart this week after coming in at No. 2 for sales and No. 1 for downloads. This has boosted some of his songs up the chart, namely “Billimillion,” which rises 15-8 to break into the top 10. The track broke out in streaming in particular, rising 12-4 for the metric with 5,958,767 streams, increasing by 22.8 percent from the previous week.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Mar. 27 to Apr. 2, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Lana Del Rey lands her seventh No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart, and sixth in a row, while Fall Out Boy claims its fifth Top Rock Albums ruler, both on the April 8-dated tallies.
Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd crowns both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums surveys with 115,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week (March 24-30), according to Luminate. Of that sum, 87,000 units are via album sales and 28,000 from streaming units.
Tunnel is Del Rey’s second No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and first since it shifted to a model inclusionary of alternative-leaning albums not necessarily within the rock genre, following Born to Die in 2012.
As for Top Alternative Albums, her domination dates back to Die, followed by six straight leaders beginning with 2015’s Honeymoon. Del Rey extends her lead for the most Top Alternative Albums No. 1s in the chart’s 16-year history, with the next-closest acts all boasting five rulers apiece.
Most No. 1s, Top Alternative Albums:7, Lana Del Rey5, Coldplay5, Disturbed5, Foo Fighters5, Imagine Dragons5, Jack White5, Pearl Jam
Concurrently, Tunnel tops Vinyl Albums (58,000 vinyl copies sold). On the all-genre Billboard 200, it opens at No. 3, marking Del Rey’s ninth top 10.
The latest Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally features 14 Del Rey songs from the album. Leading the way is “A&W,” which jumps 43-18 in its seventh week on the survey with 3.3 million official U.S. streams. The Jon Batiste-featuring “Candy Necklace” follows at No. 22 (3.1 million streams).
Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy’s So Much (for) Stardust bows at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums on the strength of 64,000 units, 49,000 of which are from album sales.
Each of Fall Out Boy’s last four studio albums has led Top Rock Albums, dating to 2007’s Infinity on High. The band last reigned with 2018’s M A N I A prior to Stardust.
Stardust also starts at No. 2 on both Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums. On the Billboard 200, it begins at No. 6, becoming the band’s seventh top 10.
Three songs from Stardust place on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, paced by lead single “Love From the Other Side,” which jumps 29-15. It earned 7.1 million radio audience impressions, 2.4 million streams and 1,000 downloads March 24-30.
“Side” became Fall Out Boy’s first-ever Alternative Airplay No. 1 in March and also boasts new highs of No. 24 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and No. 40 on Pop Airplay.
Whitney Houston’s I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston arrives at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart dated April 8.
The set, released March 24, earned 4,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending March 30, according to Luminate.
The 14-track collection, which includes six previously unreleased songs, marks Houston’s second entry on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Her first faith-based LP, the soundtrack to the film The Preacher’s Wife, entered at No. 1 in December 1996 and proceeded to dominate the list for 26 frames. It has charted for 158 weeks and was most recently on the ranking this January.
Houston co-starred in the comedy-drama, which was directed by Penny Marshall, and whose cast also featured Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance (plus Lionel Richie).
I Go to the Rock comprises studio recordings and live performances. The six songs not available until now: “He Can Use Me,” “I Found a Wonderful Way,” “Testimony,” “This Day,” “He/Believe” and a live version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which ruled the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in 1970. Houston’s take on the ballad was recorded with gospel star CeCe Winans in June 1995 at a VH1 Honors special.
Houston, who passed away Feb. 11, 2012, at age 48, posted 11 No. 1s among 23 top 10s on the Hot 100. On the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, she has scored four No. 1s, among eight top 10s. The Preacher’s Wife generated one of those top 10 singles: the No. 4-peaking “I Believe in You and Me,” as well as the No. 15 hit “Step by Step” (written by Annie Lennox).
Mexico’s latest trap and reggaetón interpreter, Yng Lvcas, makes his first visit to a Billboard albums chart with LPM as the set debuts at No. 8 on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated April 8).
“It’s something else, thank you!” Yng Lvcas tells Billboard. “First off, without my team and all those who listen and press play, none of this would be possible. I am beyond happy. What’s next? All great things. Onward and forward. We are not crabs; we just move forward.”
LPM starts in the upper region mainly supported by streaming activity, largely powered by a recently released remix of the set’s “La Bebe,” with corridos tumbados newcomer Peso Pluma, which arrived on March 17, while its official video dropped March 23. The album was released in 2021 independently, but has surged in recent weeks following the growth of “La Bebe,” which has flourished on TikTok with over a half-million videos on the platform. (All versions of the song are combined into a singular listing on Billboard‘s chart; TikTok activity does not contribute directly to the charts.)
“Working with el flaco is another thing,” Lvcas adds. “My respect for him and his team, and hopefully, just like this collab, we get to work on more tunes with Peso. This is basically my favorite one.”
During the March 23-30 tracking week, the eight-track album generated 9,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. That sum equates to 13.77 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs — with 98% of that sum from “La Bebe,” mostly from the remix.
On the multimetric Top Latin Albums chart as measured in equivalent album units, each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter scores his first top 10 on any Billboard albums ranking on his first try. He made his chart debut with “La Bebe” debuting at No. 38 on Hot Latin Songs (chart dated Feb. 25) with 2 million official streams.
Lvcas’ first top 10 album arrives shortly after he joined the Warner Latina family of artists. “Aside from ‘La Bebe’ there are two other tracks that have marked me, like ‘Déjame,’ which was dedicated to a girl, and ‘Pégame’ which is slowly escalating. It’s amazing how the numbers are growing…”
Alongside the album’s entrance on Top Latin Albums, “La Bebe” makes progress on Hot Latin Songs. It pushes 11-3 on the multimetric tally with nearly 14 million official streams, up 101%, from the week prior. The sum generates a No. 14 debut on the overall Streaming Songs chart and pushes 7-2 on Latin Streaming Songs, the highest ranking for Lvcas on any Billboard list.
“The complete recording process took around 15 days,” Lvcas recalls. “On Dec. 10, a spark ignited me to release a reggaetón album because I didn’t have one in platforms. Everything happened fast; I went into the studio with the tracks I had already written. I edited everything, including the covers artwork. Everything was released at once and in the heat of the moment, how we say in Mexico.”
Sales also contribute to “La Bebe’s” rise as it sold 1,000 downloads during the same period yielding a No. 4 peak on Latin Digital Song Sales.
Over on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “La Bebe” rallies 77-34, taking the Greatest Gainer/Streaming honors of the week.
Elsewhere, LPM generates enough activity to earn a No. 142 debut on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
BTS alum Jimin sets new benchmarks for both the group’s solo efforts and for all South Korean solo pop stars this week, as his new album and new single both launch major debuts on the Billboard charts.
Jimin’s six-track FACE album enters the Billboard 200 this week at No. 2, with 164,000 equivalent album units moved. Meanwhile, the set’s breakout single “Like Crazy” gets all the way to No. 1, powered in large part by sales of 254,000 — helped by multiple remixes and alternate versions of the song being released for purchase — which makes for easily the highest single-week total of the year. That debut makes Jimin the first South Korean solo artist to top the Hot 100 in the chart’s nearly 65-year history.
How did the song and album launch such massive debuts? And how much might “Like Crazy” still grow from here? Billboard writers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Jimin’s FACE debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week (behind Morgan Wallen’s ongoing 36-track juggernaut One Thing at a Time) with 164,000 equivalent album units moved — the highest-bowing debut effort since Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour two years ealier — while FACE single “Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1, with 254,000 copies sold. Which to you is the more impressive of the two accomplishments?
Katie Atkinson: I have to go with the Hot 100 No. 1 debut. In recent history, K-pop has dominated the Billboard 200 – with No. 1s for Jimin’s own BTS, plus Blackpink, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Stray Kids and more– but shooting all the way to the top of the Hot 100 is much rarer company. Even PSY only reached No. 2 with his omnipresent “Gangnam Style” back in 2012, and indeed, as the first of his BTS brethren to reach No. 1, Jimin is the first South Korean solo artist to ever top the list. This is a historic chart achievement.
Tetris Kelly: It’s hard to say because both are such important accomplishments — not just for a fandom, but for culture — as Jimin is the first South Korean soloist to make these feats. It’s incredible his debut numbers follow the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. It shows Jimin has expanded beyond the K-pop bubble. But for me I would have to say topping the Hot 100 is more impressive. I say that because of how much of a surprise it was: ARMY as a fan base was so excited about the album and supporting it that the growth of the single almost came completely unexpectedly, with Jimin becoming the first BTS member to pull the feat off.
Jason Lipshutz: The Hot 100 chart-topper, for sure. While the BTS members have impacted the Billboard 200 chart with solo projects in the past — RM’s Indigo debuted at No. 3 in December, for instance — none of them have been able to come close to the top spot of the Hot 100 with solo singles, and really, few K-pop artists in general have been able to, even as they capture the attention of wider audiences in the United States. So “Like Crazy” not only stands as an extraordinary achievement for Jimin, but considering recent history, for any K-pop solo act as well.
Glenn Rowley: Both are obviously monumental, but the full studio set rocketing to No. 2 feels like the more major of the two.
Andrew Unterberger: I’m tempted to say the FACE debut, just because moving that number of units with a six-track album — meaning its streams are automatically not going to be able to compete with a behemoth like One Thing at a Time — means you really sold an exceptionally high number of physical copies, likely at a much higher price point than individual song sales.
2. Though Jimin is not the first BTS member to release a solo album (or a big single from it), none of the solo releases from the group’s members thus far have performed this well. What do you think it is about these Jimin releases, “Like Crazy” in particular, that has allowed them to have such a high level of success?
Katie Atkinson: I feel like FACE sees Jimin making a concerted effort to carve out his own sound apart from BTS, and with the almost Future-sounding, hip-hop-inspired first taste of “Set Me Free Pt. 2” and now the dreamy synth-pop of “Like Crazy,” fans are clearly digging his whole experimental vibe. It’s a tall order for all seven members of BTS to find their own lanes, and this solo success is showing that ARMY are liking the path Jimin has set out on.
Tetris Kelly: Each member of BTS is unique and talented and ARMY is always pushing for their success as a group and individually. I feel like the timing of “Like Crazy” just came at a point when pop music just needed a feel-good moment from a male pop star. The track is smooth (maybe like a familiar condiment) and light in a way that it can attract a causal listener or huge fan. The song was also promoted well. Seeing one performance from Jimin, like when he premiered “Like Crazy” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, easily shows he’s the type of talent that deserves to top the chart.
Jason Lipshutz: Obviously the coordinated fan effort to rally around Jimin’s album and new single during their first week of release helped their respective chart placements, but regardless of where it debuted on the Hot 100, “Like Crazy” sounds like a fully formed top 40 breakthrough. The song boasts clean, ‘80s-indebted synth-pop production that recalls The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” formula; a memorable hook that accentuates Jimin’s vocal approach; and even a subtle sense of danger imbued in the chord progression. Whereas recent releases by J-Hope and RM succeeded artistically with bolder sonic approaches, “Like Crazy” is pure, multi-faceted pop, and sounds like a real hit.
Glenn Rowley: The first time I heard “Like Crazy,” I was struck by how much its chilly, synth-drenched soundscape hit me like a cross between a BTS single and something cooked up by The Weeknd. Whereas “Set Me Free Pt.2,” the single that came before it on FACE, was bombastic and filled with horns, “Like Crazy” hits a certain sweet spot that feels like it belongs at the top of the Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a combination of the right song at the right time (riding the right level of momentum), and of course the ARMY efforts to make sure their guy is properly represented on the charts. While the latter’s impact can never be discounted, I don’t think it’s insignificant that this is the first BTS solo release to see this level of single-week consumption; it’s very arguably also the best single a BTS member has released outside of the group so far, and one of the finest pop songs of the year so far.
3. While “Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1, it does so with an extremely slow start at radio. Do you see U.S. radio programmers coming around to “Crazy” as a playlist fixture?
Katie Atkinson: If they’re smart! Thinking about how huge BTS’ “Dynamite” and “Butter” both were on radio, wouldn’t you want to please one of the biggest fanbases in the country by playing the song that they’ve clearly put their weight behind? I can see it fitting in on pop radio at the moment too, since it’s giving off a similar vibe to Steve Lacy’s offbeat Hot 100 No. 1 “Bad Habit” from last fall.
Tetris Kelly: Radio play is always a huge part in making a song a hit with the public, but when certain songs mean a lot to huge fandoms it can make a song just as meaningful. I look at “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” as an example. I don’t know if radio ever truly played that single heavily, but every single Swiftie can sing each lyric passionately. I think it would be wise for stations to pick up tracks “Like Crazy” — ’cause if not, they are just missing out on being a part of a huge moment in pop culture.
Jason Lipshutz: I do! The No. 1 debut will certainly cause some programmers to take note of “Like Crazy” and give the song a longer look than they (unfortunately) deign for most K-pop singles. And when they press play on “Like Crazy,” they’ll hear a single with a sturdy vocal take, as well as real hooks that could fit next to plenty of other hits in a programming block. The BTS ARMY buoyed the song’s chart debut, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear “Like Crazy” on pop radio, or see it linger around the top of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks because of that belated adoption.
Glenn Rowley: Radio may be slow on the uptake, but hopefully programmers come around quickly to the fact that “Like Crazy” is what listeners want to hear.
Andrew Unterberger: I hope so. Radio has been historically gunshy to embrace K-pop — even with BTS’ gigantic English-language chart hits, radio play always lagged behind sales and streams. For that reason, the safe bet would probably be that radio mostly ignores “Like Crazy,” too. But… well, it really sounds like a 2023 radio hit, doesn’t it? If top 40 embraced “Like Crazy,” it’d sound right at home between “Players” and “Die for You” in no time at all. And I think the chances are decent, if not overwhelming, that it will.
4. “Like Crazy” is obviously helped by a number of different versions being made available for streaming and purchase, including an all-English version, an instrumental version and both deep house and U.K. garage remixes. Do you find any of the alternate versions particularly interesting or revelatory, or are they mostly for superfans and completists?
Katie Atkinson: When I listen to the alternate versions, I miss the original production. So while I’m always down for house and garage remixes, I think the original can stand alone here.
Tetris Kelly: I love that different versions were provided here. There’s no denying that although songs from BTS like “Life Goes On” and “My Universe” topped the chart while being multilingual, their biggest hits “Dynamite” and “Butter” were fully English tracks. It was not a necessity, but great for Jimin to offer an English version of “Like Crazy.” And as with almost any other remix — who doesn’t love a chance to hear a different take and dance to a song you’ve already fell in love with? I believe the point here is to have something for everybody, not just the completist who will want it all.
Jason Lipshutz: The “deep house” remix of “Like Crazy” shaves off 30 seconds of run time, compresses all of its melodies and adds a club-ready thump into the mix. Pretty fun! The original “Like Crazy” is more accomplished, but if you’re looking to dance your sorrow away as Jimin’s slightly sped-up voice pleads “Can you help me numb the pain?,” look no further than that rework.
Glenn Rowley: They’re mostly a (smart and strategic) grab for completists and ARMY, but I always think an English version can serve as a great entry point for listeners who might be curious but intimidated or not know where to start in their exploration of K-pop.
Andrew Unterberger: I had high hopes for the U.K. garage version, but it never quite achieves the release you hope it will. The deep house version is more satisfying but still not quite essential. The real question is if the English version will help the song make inroads in top 40 and other mainstream U.S. spaces — maybe, maybe not, but certainly couldn’t hurt to have it available regardless.
5. There has been a very rich history of “Crazy” songs on the Hot 100. Do you have a particular favorite aside from this one?
Katie Atkinson: I have to go with “(You Drive Me) Crazy” by Britney Spears, and now I have to go watch the Melissa Joan Hart/Adrian Grenier 1999 masterpiece Drive Me Crazy because I can’t think of Britney’s video without needing to rewatch the teen-movie classic.
Jason Lipshutz: Enormous shout-out to the beginning of 1999, during which Britney Spears released debut …Baby One More Time and its clanging bubblegum anthem “(You Drive Me) Crazy” in January, and then *NSYNC dropped their underrated midtempo ballad “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)” the following month. While Britney’s single became a top 10 Hot 100 hit and *NSYNC’s stalled out at No. 67 on the chart, both dominated TRL, and deserved to do so!
Tetris Kelly: “Crazy In Love” immediately comes to mind. Also, a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, the song established Beyoncé as a certified solo star outside of her massively successful group. I think these two songs have more in common than just the word “crazy.”
Glenn Rowley: Britney’s “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” of course.
Andrew Unterberger: Too many classics to mention — but we’re never gonna survive unless we give a little bit of a shoutout to Seal’s 1991 dance-soul smash.
“Dogtooth,” the first taste of Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale deluxe album, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated April 8.
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Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running March 24-30.
“Dogtooth” premiered March 27 alongside the announcement of an expanded edition of Call Me If You Get Lost, dubbed Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale, which adds eight songs to the rapper’s 2021 Billboard 200 No. 1 album. The expanded edition was released March 31.
Despite just four days of sales, streams and airplay toward the April 8 Billboard Hot 100, “Dogtooth” concurrently debuts at No. 81 with 7.3 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate, with a higher rank possible upon the song’s first full seven days (April 15).
“Dogtooth” leads three different Tyler, the Creator songs on the latest Hot Trending Songs list. “She,” from 2011’s Goblin, lands at No. 2, while new cut “Sorry Not Sorry” starts at No. 9.
Jimin’s Hot 100 No. 1 “Like Crazy” jumps 10-3 in its second week on the survey following the release of his new EP FACE, concurrently No. 2 on the Billboard 200. As previously reported, “Crazy” earned 10 million streams and 254,000 in sales toward its Hot 100 coronation, while FACE received 164,000 equivalent album units.
BLACKPINK’s Jisoo reaches No. 4 with new single “All Eyes on Me,” while Daniel Caesar’s “Valentina” from upcoming album Never Enough (April 7) hits No. 5.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
In February, Karol G and Shakira unleashed their first collaborative effort called “TQG” (short for “Te Quedó Grande,” which loosely translates to “I’m Too Good For You”) part of Karol’s fourth studio album Mañana Será Bonito.
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The star-studded team-up is powered by a somber, hard-hitting reggaetón beat helmed by artist-producer Ovy on the Drums and packed with fierce and unapologetic lyrics about successfully moving on from an ex. “It hurt me to see you with the new one, but I’m already doing my own thing,” chants Shakira. The long-awaited collaboration finds the two Colombianas in a sultry music video, confirming once more that there’s no messing with them (and their hearts).
“We always have a good time creating music,” Ovy (born Daniel Echavarria Oviedo) tells Billboard of the song’s creative process, which was partly done virtually. “Karol spoke highly of Shakira and told me she was incredible. And this is the result of two of the biggest artists in Colombia. It’s awesome being part of this process and this hit because it’s a collaboration for the books.”
In March, “TQG” became both Karol G and Shakira’s first No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. It also reached the top slot on Hot Latin Songs, where it has since spent five weeks leading the chart.
Below, Ovy explains how the foundation for the international hit, reacts to the song’s success and more.
A collaboration between Karol G and Shakira had long been anticipated by fans. How did those conversations begin, and what was your initial reaction once it was confirmed?
Sometime in January 2022, we were working on “MAMIII” — [Karol G’s] collaboration with Becky G — and after we finished, Karol and I stayed in the studio. That’s when the first version of “TQG” was born. Honestly, when we had the first version, I never imagined Shakira on the track. Karol was the one who, out of nowhere said, “Ovy, Shakira on ‘TQG’ will be a hit!” She was the one who envisioned it and I got really excited. At the same time, rumors of a collaboration began making the rounds. I already knew that Karol was going to reach out to [Shakira’s] team but when different media [outlets] interviewed me, I would say that I didn’t know anything.
Karol sent it to Shakira, and she added her verse. It was a beautiful team and a song that surprised me. I even got a tattoo of “TQG” because it’s my first No. 1 hit [on the Spotify Global Top 50, as well as the Billboard Global 200] as a producer.
So you never actually met Shakira in person?
I didn’t have the opportunity to meet her, but I would be in touch with her thanks to the voice notes she sent me through her manager. Nowadays, there’s no need to get together in person, though I think it’s best to all be in the studio together. Sometimes, because of distance and time, it’s not possible — and thanks to technology, we can create things virtually. Shakira and Karol didn’t meet in person until the filming of the music video, but Karol did record with me and Shakira recorded with her team.
From the first day in the studio to the day of release, how quickly did you finish the song?
The first version was ready for almost a year, but when Shakira stepped in, we changed it around. She brought her ideas, and we joined them with Karol’s ideas and began reworking the song as a team. Shakira entered the collab around December 2022, and in January, the song was mastered and ready to go because we had to submit Karol’s album, [Mañana Será Bonito].
Did this song ever have another title in mind or was it always going to be called “TQG”?
I wanted it to be called “La Nueva” (“The New One”) but Karol thought of “TQG.” Like “Tusa” and other titles, she’s really good at thinking of song names. She’s a genius, and the title is perfect.
Are there any interesting anecdotes you can share about the process of “TQG”?
We always have a good time creating music, but I know they both connected and had a good [working] relationship. Karol spoke highly of Shakira and told me she was incredible. This is the result of two of the biggest artists in Colombia. It’s awesome being part of this process and this hit because it’s a collaboration for the books.
What is your favorite line or verse from the song?
The part that says: “Es como tapar una herida con maquillaje/No se ve, pero se siente” (“It’s like covering a wound with makeup/It is not seen, but it is felt”) — I love that part!
The song has been extremely successful on the Billboard charts, including a fifth week at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs on charts dated April 8. What’s your reaction to such accolades?
The day I’m not surprised of having another hit, I’ll quit and focus on something else. I do music with so much passion and so much dedication to see these types of results. I want people to enjoy it and for the song to become a hit — I want it to reach places I’ve never imagined. The day Karol made history as the first woman to have a No. 1 with an all-Spanish-language album [on the Billboard 200], that day I cried. Every song has a different story, a different meaning and is born in a different way. They’re all my babies and I like seeing each of them succeed. I’m very happy with everything’s that happening. I’m going to continue creating music and work hard for everything that’s coming.
A version of this story originally appeared in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro each add a new top 10 to their Billboard charts career history as “Beso” debuts at No. 4 on the Hot Latin Songs ranking dated April 8. The new achievement is their first as a couple, following five top 10s collaborative entries for Rosalía, and eight for Rauw Alejandro.
In total, “Beso” is Rosalía’s seventh top 10, and the 10th for Rauw Alejandro.
“Beso” is from the pair’s joint three-song release, RR, which arrived March 24 through Duars/Columbia/Sony Music Latin. The track, previously teased on Rosalía’s TikTok account on March 16, was accompanied by its music video, in which the couple announced their engagement.
The reggaetón-pop tune traces its high debut on the upper region on Hot Latin Songs — a blend of airplay, digital sales, and streaming activity– largely to 9.1 million official U.S. streams earned during the March 24-30 tracking week, according to Luminate. The sum makes for a No. 38 start on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart and a No. 4 on Latin Streaming Songs.
“Beso” also sold 2,000 downloads during the same period, making it the top-selling Latin song of the week with a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales and a No. 36 on Digital Song Sales. On the former, it becomes Rosalía’s sixth No. 1 and Rauw’s fourth.
Radio, the third metric that contributes to Hot Latin Songs, also adds to “Beso’s” high start. The song registered 3 million in audience impressions in its third week. As such, it starts at No. 44 on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart.
“Beso” concurrently captures multiple top 10 entries across Billboard charts: No. 6 on Latin Pop Airplay, No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200, No. 7 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart. Plus, it makes its first chart appearance on Latin Rhythm Airplay at No. 17 and on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 tally, at No. 52.