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Pelé’s passing on Thursday (Dec. 29) has generated reactions of grief and veneration from musicians, athletes, politicians and other personalities, but one that has received special attention is that of Brazilian former model, TV host and singer Xuxa, who was in a high-profile relationship with the Brazilian soccer legend in the 1980s.
“Márcia, Kelly, Edinho, Jennifer, Joshua, Celeste and others (children of the heart), grandchildren, nephews, Lucia… and all those who have been by Dico’s side, my affectionate hug and may the pain of loss become good memories to be less heavy”, Xuxa wrote in Portuguese on Thursday via Instagram, captioning a photo of what appears to be the hands of loved ones resting on the king of the “jogo bonito.” “Márcia, may God give you the lap you need,” she added addressing Pelé’s widow, Marcia Aoki.
Pelé, who was also a musician, passed away in São Paulo at the age of 82. He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021 and was hospitalized in November. The news of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram page.
Four decades have passed since he and Xuxa were one of the most famous couples in the world of sports and entertainment, and also one of the most scrutinized by the media, both for their race difference and their age gap.
“And also money,” Xuxa said years later on Univision’s El Show de Cristina. “He had a lot of fame and money, so people thought I was with him because of this.” Xuxa was 17 and Pelé 40 when they started dating in 1980 after meeting at a photo shoot for the cover of Manchete magazine in which Pelé posed with four models, including her. The relationship would last almost seven years.
“I thought that, with time passing, people would stop talking. But no, they didn’t,” the Brazilian star added in the same interview, in which she spoke in Spanish. Eventually the love ran out and they broke up, Xuxa said. And each of them moved on.
Pelé, who had previously been married to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi (1966 to 1982), mother of his children Kelly Cristina, Jennifer and Edson, married two more times — first with singer Assíria Lemos Seixas (1992 to 2008), with whom he had twins Joshua and Celeste; and in 2016 with the Japanese-Brazilian entrepreneur Marcia Aoki, who was by his side until the end.
As for Xuxa, she spent a decade with Brazilian businessman and actor Luciano Szafir, with whom she had her only daughter, model Sasha Meneghel. Xuxa has been in a relationship with actor Junno Andrade since 2012.
See Xuxa’s Instagram post about Pelé below.
Bad Bunny kicked off 2022 with yet another addition to his billion-view videos when his Jhay Cortez-assisted “Dákiti” surpassed the 10-digit mark on Jan. 12. The edgy and carefree music video, which premiered on Oct. 20, 2020, and was filmed at the beach, marked his seventh entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Eight months later, Bad Bunny’s “Amorfoda” entered the list on Sept. 8.
The music video for “Amordofa,” in which he’s seen performing his minimalistic piano ballad around a car in a beach setting while he’s arguing with a girl, was released on Valentine’s Day in 2018 but didn’t surpass a billion views until this year. The entry becomes his eighth video as a lead, featured artist or collaborator to hit the milestone.
Before that, the Puerto Rican artist had earned billion-view videos with “Te Bote (Remix),” “Mayores,” “No Me Conoce (Remix),” “I Like It,” “Mia” and “Tu No Vive Asi.”
Six other of his videos are close to hitting 1 billion views, including “Si Tu Novio te Deja Sola” with J Balvin, “Callaita,” the Karol G-assisted “Ahora me Llama,” “Bailame (Remix)” with Nacho and Yandel, “Diles” alongside Ozuna, Farruko, Arcangel and Ñengo Flow, and “Soy Peor,” all of which have more than 900,000 views.
The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio currently holds No. 1 on the U.S. Top Artists and reclaimed No. 1 on Global Top Artists thanks to charting videos “Titi Me Pregunto,” “Me Porto Bonito” and “Neverita,” according to YouTube.
Below, see all of his videos to enter the YouTube Billion Views Club.
Pelé, the king of the “jogo bonito,” passed away on Thursday (December 29) in São Paulo at age 82. He had been treated for colon cancer since 2021 and was hospitalized for the past month, according to The Associated Press. His agent, Joe Fraga, confirmed the news.
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With his death, the world not only loses one of the greatest athletes in history. The legendary Brazilian soccer player, who won a record three World Cups and was undeniably part of the pop culture (appearing even on The Simpsons), was also a singer-songwriter.
It is a much-less-known side of Pelé internationally: “I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told British newspaper The Guardian in 2006. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”
However, he kept honing his musical vocation throughout his life: “He was never far from a guitar, and he carried a miniature tape recorder to capture tunes or lyrics as the mood struck him,” wrote Lawrie Mifflin on her Pelé obituary for the New York Times.
And he got music published over the years too, from the 1977 LP Pelé to his single “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man),” featuring Rodrigo and Gabriela just two years ago.
Here are some of Pelé’s albums and songs you can listen to today:
Sergio Mendes’ Pelé
The 1977 album by Brazilian composer and arranger Sérgio Mendes was the soundtrack to a documentary on Pelé’s life and marked the soccer player’s debut as a singer and songwriter. Pelé performed two of his own songs in this production: the main theme “Meu Mundo É uma Bola (My World Is a Ball)”, and “Cidade Grande (Big City)”, accompanied by the Brazilian singer Gracinha Leporace.
“Esperança”
Written by Pelé in honor of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, “Esperança” is an upbeat pagode song about youth performed with a children’s choir. It’s music video combines images of Pelé singing in the studio with some of boys playing soccer and scenes from the city.
Pelé Ginga
This 13-track album released in 2014 includes collaborations with Brazilian music greats Gilberto Gil, on “Quem Sou Eu”, and Elis Regina, on “Perdão Não Tem” and “Vexamão”. It also features Brazilian rapper Rappin’ Hood in “Ginga”, a word that describes a Brazilian style of playing soccer in which the ball is controlled, passed and scored with such ease and flow that it makes the rival feel non-existent.
“Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)”, featuring Rodrigo y Gabriela
Released on October 20, 2020, just three days before his 80th birthday, the single “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)” features the Grammy-winning Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. “I wrote this one because when I used to play with Santos, the coach used to say that when we lost it was the players’ fault, but when we won it was the macumba (black magic) had helped,” said Pelé back then in a press release. “The song is joking about that.”
Brazilian soccer icon Pelé died on Thursday (Dec. 29) in a hospital in São Paulo at age 82. He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021, and was hospitalized in November. News of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram page.
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“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” the caption reads. “On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”
Regarded as one of fútbol’s greatest players of all time, Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento) went on to win three World Cup tournaments with his country’s national team, and 10 league titles with his local club Santos.
Pelé, the king of the “jogo bonito (beautiful game),” wasn’t just a star on the soccer field — he also loved music and even recorded a few songs during his time “for fun.” One of those was “Esperança,” which he released six years ago.
“I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told The Guardian in 2006. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”
Following news that Pelé had died, Latin artists took to social media to mourn his death. Anitta posted a photo of Pelé in an Instagram Story and wrote, “R.I.P. King Pelé.” Former President Barack Obama also remembered Pelé, writing on Twitter, “Pelé was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. And as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together.”
See other reactions below:
Cuando aún se perciben los aromas del último mundial de fútbol ,El Rey Pelé pasó a mejor vida,porque en la historia del fútbol ya estaba …Paz y vida al rey ..! #Pele #ReyPele #Brasil— Ricardo Montaner (@montanertwiter) December 29, 2022
Music fans made sure to make their vote count in Billboard‘s monthly polls, where they could choose their favorite Latin collaboration of each month.
The last twelve months have been packed with huge collabs between stars such as Becky G and Karol G, who delivered the anthem “MAMIII” early in the year, marking the first time they worked together on a song. It won best Latin collaboration in our February poll.
“You sing that song at the top of your lungs and it feels good,” Becky G previously told Billboard. “And us two together is something the industry and fans were waiting for a long time. I was waiting for it. I don’t know how many songs I had invited Karol to be a part of. But like my grandma says, cuando Dios quiere [when God wants].”
In the spirit of the World Cup — which kicked off its 2022 tournament on Nov. 20 and wrapped on Dec. 18, with Argentina emerging as the champions — the euphoric “Tukoh Taka,” by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares won best collaboration of November. The track is part of the event’s official FIFA soundtrack.
“I am so happy to be part of this FIFA World Cup anthem! I always dreamt of an opportunity like this,” Maluma said in a statement. “Representing Latin music on this global track, alongside amazing artists that sing in English and Arabic, takes our culture to another level.”
Other team-ups that ruled the polls include Christina Aguilera and Ozuna‘s “Santo,” Kany García and Christian Nodal‘s “La Siguiente” and Bizarrap and Paulo Londra‘s “BZRP Music Sessions #23.”
Below, see all 12 titles that were voted by fans as best collaborations throughout the year.
In a way, “Callaíta” by Bad Bunny and Tainy helped set the tone for Un Verano Sin Ti, even though the song was released on May 31, 2019, three years prior to the Billboard staff’s favorite album of 2022. With its serene intro and seagull squawking from afar, the banger encapsulates the essence of the record’s eternal summer energy — it is the outro track of Benito’s latest groundbreaking LP, after all.
With the Bunny’s continued momentum of viral milestones, his number of billion-view music videos on YouTube also keeps growing, and “Callaíta” recently made the cut.
The visual already feels like a classic, with the Puerto Rican rapper rocking his famous buzzed triangular hairstyle from the late ‘10s. The video follows a woman who loves taking shots at the bar, but she’s low-key otherwise. Then, a group of beach- and partygoers hit the shores where there’s a merry-go-round spinning on the sand, and Benito gets his chance with the quiet gal.
A few weeks apart from Un Verano Sin Ti dropping, “Callaíta” reached one billion streams on Spotify this year. “Seeing that ‘Callaita’ became what it became is insane. It’s humbling that people still connect with the song after so many years,” Tainy recently told Billboard Español of the song reaching the milestone on Spotify. “You get a sense of those classic songs that you grew up listening to and still hear today, and can’t comprehend how they still connect with people after so many years. I’m happy that we were able to create a song that has stood the test of time.”
The producer continued: “We always had dreams about things we wanted to do, but they had a limit. Because we didn’t think it was possible for people like me — where I come from, who I am, our position in the world — and to see that I’ve been able to exceed that by a billion from what I initially thought could be possible, it just makes you feel like this is all blessings. [I’m] just here to have a responsibility of inspiring more people that could do twice as much as what [I’ve] done. That’s the most special part for me.”
Revisit the song and its video above.
Bad Bunny isn’t done blessing fans in 2022.
The “Titi Me Preguntó” singer surprised his followers on Tuesday (Dec. 27) giving an impromptu concert on top of a gas station in Puerto Rico. The hitmaker simply tweeted, “‘La Jumpa’ live tonight at 10:00 pm.” The cryptic message didn’t reveal much but his zealous fans managed to find his location anyway, which was a gas station where he went on to perform his new track with Arcangel and a few hits from his Billboard 200 chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti.
On social media, people suggested he was recording the music video for “La Jumpa” as they were later spotted in Condado Beach. “La Jumpa” was released on Nov. 30 and is included in Arcangel’s latest album, Señor Santos. The track joins a list of collaborations between Arcángel and Bad Bunny, including hits “Me Acostumbré” (2017), “Original” (2018) and “Por Ti” (2021), as well as 2016’s “Diles” with Ozuna, Farruko and Ñengo Flow and 2017’s “Soy Peor Remix” with J Balvin and Ozuna.
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For whatever reason him and Arcangel were on top of a gas station, fans were just excited to catch Bad Bunny’s free last-minute show.
Earlier that day, El Conejo Malo was out handing out toys to children in Puerto Rico as part of his “Bonita Tradición” event held by the singer-songwriter’s Good Bunny Foundation. The superstar helped spread holiday joy on the island at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente where he handed out 20,000 gifts (sports equipment, instruments, paint materials and more) to the kids who attended the drive.
Among the most prominent Latin stars of the 21st century, Daddy Yankee has played the final shows of his farewell tour, ending at Miami’s FTX Arena on Thursday night (Dec. 22). According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, La Ultima Vuelta World Tour wrapped with $197.8 million and 1.9 million tickets sold over 83 shows in 2022. That makes it the biggest tour of his career, by a long shot.
The tour kicked off at Denver’s Ball Arena on July 25, and played 33 shows until finishing its first leg at Madison Square Garden. The U.S. and Canada run earned $61.6 million and sold 376,000 tickets before venturing to Latin America.
There, Yankee hit 22 Spanish-speaking markets and earned $112.7 million and sold 1.383 million tickets. He then closed the tour with 12 additional American shows, adding $23.4 million and 143,000 tickets to the final count.
With something of a home-field (or language) advantage, Latin American shows averaged $3 million and 36,000 tickets in mostly stadiums, compared to $1.9 million and 12,000 tickets in mostly domestic arenas.
Yankee’s geographical divide is in contrast with that of the year’s other major Latin tour from Bad Bunny. With more significant crossover success in recent years, Bad Bunny paced a similar 40,000-plus attendance in both territories but earned nearly three times more per show in the U.S. and Canada because of more elastic ticket scaling.
Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee played a major role in lifting promoter Cardenas Marketing Network to No. 3 on the year-end Top Promoters ranking. After the final show in Miami, Henry Cardenas reflected to Billboard via email on the impact of Yankee’s final tour and touring career that started on day one.
“It was an unforgettable tour for me and for the entire CMN team. Having produced the farewell tour of the icon and influencer of an entire generation is one of the greatest accomplishments that our company has achieved. In 2005 we were the producers of his first tour, Barrio Fino, and today we say goodbye to him in La Ultima Vuelta. I thank Raymond and Mireddys for giving us the opportunity to be part of this dream that is now a reality and for allowing us to be direct witnesses of their great legacy.”
The La Ultima Vuelta World Tour was 2022’s second-biggest tour in Latin America, besting Bad Bunny’s $80 million-plus total, but falling short of Coldplay’s $127.9 million from two separate legs of Music of the Spheres Tour.
Still, Yankee’s nearly $2 million average in the states on a robust 45-date routing made for a gargantuan global total. Excluding Latin American dates, La Ultima Vuelta World Tour represents a leap of more than 100% from his previous nightly best. All shows considered, he’s up by 162%.
Regardless of geography or genre, Daddy Yankee finished at No. 13 on the year-end Top Tours chart, ranking artists on their concert business between Nov. 1, 2021-Oct. 31, 2022. On Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart, he’s climbed from No. 22 in July to No. 9 to No. 5 and, for October and November, to No. 3 (December’s ranking will publish next month).
Further, in the calendar year of 2022, Daddy Yankee has the sixth-highest grossing tour worldwide, behind Bad Bunny, Elton John, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles.
And even beyond his year-end achievements, La Ultima Vuelta World Tour finishes as the second-highest grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history, sandwiched between Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour ($314.1 million) and El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo ($116.8 million).
In 2022, Billboard‘s Latin Artists on the Rise series featured throughout a select group of artists who had a breakthrough inside or outside of their genre, scored a significant chart feat and/or created a buzz that was impossible to ignore.
This year, the series went from featuring two artists a month to only having one Artist on the Rise per month, which leaves us with a total of 12 up-and-coming acts who were spotlit — including 25-year-old Silvana Estrada, who was the first Artist on the Rise of 2022 and went on to win best new artist at the Latin Grammys in November (in a tie with 95-year-old musician Ángela Álvarez).
April’s Artist on the Rise was Mexican-American teenage trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia, who made history with their first-ever single “Soy El Único.” Siblings Yahritza, Armando, and Jairo Martinez first created a fan base on TikTok and then made history on the Billboard charts after their debut single (released March 25 via Lumbre Music) debuted at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, and hit No. 20 on the Hot 100 chart, making the then 15-year-old Yahritza the youngest Latin performer to enter the all-genre tally.
Another artist that was part of the exclusive list was Spanish artist Quevedo who, alongside Bizarrap, scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. thanks to their summer smash hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52.”
Below, we highlight all the artists who formed part of the coveted Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise series throughout 2022.
For many Latin indie melomaniacs in the late 2000s to early ‘10s across Ibero-America searching the blogosphere, Club Fonograma was the Latin indie-music bible. Its founder, Arizona-based Chicano recluse and self-proclaimed cinephile Carlos Reyes, created an unlikely community of “Fonogramáticos” that outsized any expectations for what was supposed to be a tiny blog. He previously said that he simply wanted to show his friends the cool music he listened to. But on Tuesday night (Dec. 27), Club Fonograma’s official Twitter account shared the news that the website’s founder had died in 2021. He was 34 years old.
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“With deep sadness, the Club Fonograma family announces the passing of our site’s founder, Carlos Reyes. His spirit of discovery and kindness was the soul of Club Fonograma, which in turn changed the lives of so many people around the world,” the site’s account shared.
With deep sadness, the Club Fonograma family announces the passing of our site’s founder, Carlos Reyes. His spirit of discovery and kindness was the soul of Club Fonograma, which in turn changed the lives of so many people around the world. pic.twitter.com/HnCFNGf0wc— Club Fonograma (@ClubFonograma) December 28, 2022
Billboard Español reached out to his family, but they declined to share further details. However, Ricardo Reyes, his twin brother, offered a statement to us:
“Dear Club Fonograma, with my heart in my hands, I want to inform you that my brother Carlos Reyes passed away last year. It has taken me time and emotional courage to write this message but I am writing to say, thank you. Thank you for sharing so much love, joy, knowledge, inspiration, growth, and creativity with my brother. Without a doubt, the work and family he found when creating Club Fonograma was one of the things that brought him the greatest happiness.”
With Club Fonograma, Reyes helped break underground music scenes, such as Chilean indie pop led by Javiera Mena, Dënver, and Alex Anwandter; Tijuana’s ruidosón movement, consisting of María y José and Los Macuanos; Spain’s indie rock explosion with Triángulo de Amor Bizarro and Los Planetas, and beyond. He, along with his camp of about a dozen writers, helped position Ibero-American singer-songwriters, electronic producers and indie rockers alike in a poetic light with gripping album and song reviews, back when Spanish-language indie-music criticism in English was nearly non-existent.
“When Carlos Reyes created Club Fonograma, he did something that critics do not usually do: Think of the Latin American music scene as a whole, each country with its own color, but united. Hopefully someday we will be able to recover that spirit of unity,” one follower tweeted in Spanish.
Cuando Carlos Reyes creó Club Fonograma, hizo algo que la crítica no suele hacer: pensar la escena musical latinoamericana como un todo, cada país con su color, pero unidos. Ojalá algún día podamos recuperar ese espírutu— Juana (@juanagiaimo) December 28, 2022
The news of his death resulted in an outpouring of reactions on social media. Mexican singer-composer Julieta Venegas tweeted in Spanish on Wednesday (Dec. 28), “I am very sad to hear about this. Club Fonograma was a wonderful space for criticism and promotion of Latin and alternative music, I always remember it with great affection. May you rest in peace dear Carlos. A hug and love to his family and friends.”
Ecuadorian singer-producer Helado Negro tweeted, “I’m heartbroken. I want to share more but I’m brain is in shock. Carlos’ work passion and love through Club Fonograma meant so much to all of us.” Monterrey indie rock band Quiero Club added: “Rest in power, dear and admired Carlos. You have all our gratitude, admiration and affection. A big hug for your family and the family of the friends of Club Fonograma.”
USC professor Josh Kun tweeted, “Absolutely heartbroken to read the news of Carlos Reyes’ passing. With Club Fonograma, he created the first digital space for Latin indie, in many ways the site created Latin indie itself. He shaped a generation of tastes and built a community of fans, friends, & musicians.”
Former Club Fonograma writer and journalist Andrew Casillas also shared his thoughts: “It’s unfathomable how important Carlos is to the current state of Spanish language pop music,” Casillas tweeted. “He considered himself a cinephile first, but he had an ear that was 20 years ahead of its time. The world is lesser without him in it, but the art that he championed will live forever.”
Los Macuanos member and freelancer writer Reuben Torres also wrote on Twitter: “Reyes was a pioneer in every sense of the word. The amount of music journalists, artists and listeners that he influenced cannot be measured. Simply put, Latin music would not be what it is today without that tiny little blog he started over a decade ago. QEDP King.”
NPR podcaster Jasmine Garsd claimed on Twitter that “AltLatino would not exist without Carlos Reyes and Club Fonograma. His curiosity and respect for Latin music were a constant inspiration, and it was such a pleasure to collaborate with him. What a loss.”
As a tribute to Reyes’ legacy, the former writers of the blog created Old Fonograma, an archive with content from of the original website.