Latin
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Karol G jumps to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Songwriters chart (dated March 11), becoming just the second woman to rule the ranking.
The star leads for the first time thanks to a whopping 16 songwriting credits on the latest Hot Latin Songs chart, all via songs on her new LP Mañana Será Bonito. The album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making history as the first all-Spanish-language leader by a woman. The only other all-Spanish-language No. 1 albums are Bad Bunny’s El Ultimo Tour del Mundo and Un Verano Sin Ti.
The only other woman to have hit No. 1 on Latin Songwriters is regional Mexican up-and-comer Yahritza Martinez, who tallied four weeks on top in April 2022 thanks to Yahritza y Su Esencia’s breakthrough single, “Soy El Unico.”
Here’s a recap of Karol G’s entries on the latest Hot Latin Songs chart:
Rank, TitleNo. 1, “TQG,” with ShakiraNo. 4, “X Si Volvemos,” with Romeo SantosNo. 8, “Mientras Me Curo del Cora”No. 9, “Gucci Los Paños”No. 10, “Tus Gafitas”No. 11, “Gatúbela,” with MaldyNo. 13, “Cairo,” with Ovy on the DrumsNo. 14, “Pero Tú,” with QuevedoNo. 16, “Ojos Ferrari,” with Justin Quiles & Ángel DiorNo. 17, “Besties”No. 19, “Mañana Será Bonita,” with Carla MorrisonNo. 24, “Amargura”No. 25, “Karmika,” with Bad Gyal & Sean PaulNo. 26, “Mercurio”No. 29, “Danamos Los Amistad”No. 33, “Carolina”
In the history of the Hot Latin Songs chart, only Bad Bunny and Ozuna have charted at least 16 songs simultaneously. Bad Bunny holds the record for the most in one week: 24, on May 21, 2022, concurrent with the chart start for Un Verano Sin Ti.
On the latest Latin Producers chart, Ovy on the Drums returns to No. 1 for an 18th week on top, thanks to his production work on Mañana Será Bonito. The hitmaker produced 11 charting songs from the album (Nos. 1, 4, 6, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24, 25 and 33). Only Tainy and MAG have spent more weeks at No. 1 on Latin Producers: 119 and 38, respectively.
The weekly Latin Songwriters and Latin Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Latin Songs chart. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings). Billboard launched its Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, as well as genre-specific rankings for country, rock & alternative, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic in June 2019. Alternative and hard rock joined in 2020, along with seasonal holiday rankings in 2022.
The full Latin Songwriters and Latin Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.
The release of Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito, the fourth studio LP from the Latin music superstar, is already historic. The set earned 94,000 album equivalent units in the United States in the week ending March 2, according to Luminate, making it the Billboard 200 chart’s first all-Spanish language No. 1 by a female artist.
Globally, the set’s 17 songs drew 438.2 million official streams, with 13 of its tracks hitting the March 11-dated Billboard Global 200. Nine of those appear on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. ranking, including four songs whose releases pre-date the album. All nine rank higher on the Global 200 than on Global Excl. U.S.
It’s rare to see a Colombian artist who performs exclusively in Spanish do better on the Global 200 than the Global Excl. U.S. chart, where the primarily English-language American market is the only difference in methodology.
But based on Karol G’s global chart history, and that of many other major hitmakers of the last few years, the balance between her ranking on Billboard’s global surveys may even out in the weeks to come. Over the 30 months since the global charts launched, a pattern has emerged where an album’s first-week streams will lean much heavier toward domestic activity, before steadying in the weeks that follow.
In the case of Karol G, the spike in U.S. activity is sharp. One week ago, three advance singles from Bonito were on both charts and averaged more than 80% of their streams from outside the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 23 (ahead of the album’s Feb. 24 release), all ranking higher on Global Excl. U.S. than the Global 200.
In the album’s debut week, her 13 new tracks averaged 66% non-U.S. streams, while a couple songs dipped as low as 59% and 57%. Even though her international stream total remains above 50%, the drop from 80% international to 66% in the album’s first week reflects a common listening pattern in America.
Based on streaming activity for practically all major global albums in the charts’ history, the U.S. versus non-U.S. splits will likely return to Karol G’s “normal.”
Drake, Billboard’s top artist of the 2010s, released his long-teased Certified Lover Boy in September 2021. All 21 songs debuted on both lists but averaged at No. 16 on the Global 200 and No. 44 on Global Excl. U.S. in the set’s debut week. Of its combined 1.1 billion streams, just 32% came from outside the U.S., less than half of that week’s average.
Three weeks later, the album’s international streams climbed — though barely — to 34%. Three months after that, they settled at 37%. These changes aren’t drastic, but similar patterns exist for recent hit albums by J. Cole, Future, and Kendrick Lamar.
Those higher-U.S. and lower-international splits are common for hip-hop albums, but their rising trajectory applies to pop artists as well. Taylor Swift’s Midnights averaged 53% of its 973 million first-week streams (for the set’s 13 standard-edition tracks) from outside the U.S. Three weeks later, that share bumped to 56%, and three months later, to 61%.
Even among artists from outside the U.S., first-week streams spike in America. Harry Styles’ Grammy-winning Harry’s House was released last year and scored 620 million streams in its first seven days. Of those, 60% came from outside the U.S., far lower than the 75% of his own years-old hit “Watermelon Sugar.” The opening 60% grew to 66% by week four, and to 69% by month four. The same goes for recent releases by fellow Brits Adele and Ed Sheeran.
These examples, all of which debuted their entire track listings on the Global 200, suggest an urgency from American listeners for first-week listens, while international fans, broadly speaking, are slower to discover new releases. But while the artists mentioned above all follow this pattern, the closest comparison to Karol G’s glass-ceiling moment is the other artist to score major American success with all-Spanish albums.
Bad Bunny dominated 2022 with Un Verano Sin Ti, the album that spawned his biggest U.S. hits to date. The 23-song set debuted with 1.1 billion streams worldwide, 66% of which were from outside the U.S. That number is much closer to that week’s average than the opening week splits for Drake and Swift, but the fact that Bad Bunny was below the average at all, just as Karol G is on her debut week, was surprising. One week prior, he had six globally charting songs, averaging 75%. While the release of his new album generated huge numbers everywhere, the bigger immediate spike in consumption was in America, despite his all-Spanish-language material.
Less than a month after the album’s release, the pendulum moved closer to the center, up from 66% to 71% non-U.S. streams. That number remained relatively steady as the album continued to rule various charts. The happy medium between the album’s first week numbers and Bad Bunny’s pre-Verano figures also indicate that while he experienced the same U.S.-heavy first-week spike as virtually every other major pop act, the album may have done some heavy lifting in making him an even bigger star in the U.S. than he had been when he scored the first-ever all-Spanish No. 1 album.
Time will tell how consumption for Mañana Será Bonito will settle in the coming weeks and months, but Bad Bunny’s 2022 may be indicative of her future global prospects. Like Bad Bunny, Karol G scored her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit yet upon impact, with “TGQ,” with Shakira, debuting at No. 7, leading a heap of debuts further down the U.S.-based chart and a giant domestic streaming total. We can expect international listeners, specifically those in South and Latin America, to close the gap somewhat, although her global star power could continue to rise in all directions.
Feid, presented by Samsung Galaxy, will perform at Billboard Presents The Stage at SXSW on March 17.
A leaked album was the best thing that ever happened to Feid.
In September 2022, the Colombian singer-songwriter was headlining three consecutive sold-out hometown dates at Plaza de Toros La Macarena — Medellín’s famed bullfighting ring and concert venue — where he performed for more than 30,000 people over the course of the three shows. He was due for some much-needed rest the following Monday. But that never happened.
Instead, the artist born Salomón Villada Hoyos, 30, who also goes by the nickname Ferxxo, received an agitated call from his manager, Luis Villamizar, with the news that his album, Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo — scheduled for a December release — had, without their knowledge, arrived much earlier, in the form of a 39-minute voice note first leaked as a link on the internet.
“All my spirits dropped,” he recalls today, still sounding disappointed. “It was incomplete. It was a mess, and I felt rage — but that feeling lasted about half an hour. After that, I talked to my mom to see how we could take advantage of the situation and thankfully, we reacted quickly.”
With help from his team, producers and record label, Universal Music Latino (UML), he took matters into his own hands, working relentlessly for 24 hours to release an album that wasn’t even mixed or mastered yet. Because all 15 tracks had been leaked, Feid changed the title to Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum (Happy Birthday Feid We Leaked the Album) and had his sister, who’s also his longtime graphic designer, create new cover art that acknowledged how the songs had ultimately spread: Though Universal quickly took down the initial leaked link, the audio had already been shared to DropBox and then sent wide through a chain of WhatsApp conversations. (Six of the 15 tracks had already been released as singles at the time of the leak.)
On Sept. 14, just two days after it leaked, the album — powered by syncopated perreos, reggaetón swagger and chill house beats — officially came out. Feid remains unsure of who leaked the set and why. But that’s now beside the point: Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo earned him his first top 10 entry on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, surging from No. 25 to No. 8 in its second week, on the chart dated Oct. 1, 2022. It concurrently became his first entry on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 5 on Latin Rhythm Albums. “Normal,” the set’s fourth single, also became Feid’s first Hot Latin Songs entry as a soloist, following five alongside stars like J Balvin, Nicky Jam and Karol G. The track peaked at No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart on Jan. 21.
To maintain momentum, Feid and his team made another swift change of plans, deciding to rebook a previously in-the-works club tour — his first headlining U.S. run — to theaters to reflect his rapidly growing popularity, and to execute the task, from booking to opening night, in less than a month. Hans Schafer, senior vp of global touring at Live Nation, the tour’s promoter, told Billboard at the time that, like the album’s assembly, “everyone worked really quickly to turn this around.” Tickets to the 14-date stint, which began Oct. 13 in Atlanta and wrapped Nov. 25 in Los Angeles, sold out in 24 hours.
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Devin Christopher
Feid has always had a clear creative vision concerning his music, which laces innovative urban beats with the essence of early-2000s reggaetón and lyrics about love. But his biggest barrier to achieving solo mainstream success for himself was trusting that intuition, rather than worrying about others’ opinions. It took years, but Feid finally realized the importance of being faithful to his core identity. And while the album leak was jarring and unplanned, the foundation he laid over more than a decade of making music allowed him to seize the opportunity and explode in popularity. With the tour, his ability to pivot quickly kept yielding successes.
“It was very special to go to the shows and see people dressed as me with green clothes, white glasses and even a gold tooth,” Feid gushes. “After the first show, I told my team, ‘Look carefully at this stage because, God willing, we will never have people as close as we do now. We will have them further and further away.” In other words, Feid expects to be playing U.S. arenas and stadiums before long.
For a teenage Feid, even playing the theaters of his fall tour would have been unimaginable.
As a seventh grader at Colegio San José de La Salle in Medellín, he discovered his passion for performing during a school talent show. Singing Daddy Yankee’s “Rompe (Remix)” with a group of friends as The Three Fathers, “I liked seeing how people were enjoying something I was doing,” he recalls. “I was shaking with nerves, but when I started to sing it all went away.”
That performance and others like it, known as colegios (school tours), are common for aspiring teen artists in Colombia, and they eventually allowed Feid to connect with Alejandro Ramírez Suárez, who would become Latin Grammy-winning producer Sky Rompiendo — and Feid’s longtime collaborator alongside Mosty, Wain, and Jowan and Rolo of production duo Icon Music.
By their early 20s, both Feid (whose moniker sounds like “faith” when spoken in Spanish) and Sky were making names for themselves in their hometown. Feid had already independently released singles such as “Bailame” and “Morena,” both of which gained traction in Latin America; Sky was the mastermind behind J Balvin’s first No. 1 chart hit, “Ay Vamos,” which peaked in March 2015.
Around then, Feid “unintentionally” fell into songwriting after Colombian artist Shako asked if he could record a song Feid had written for himself, called “Robarte Hoy.” “I was still new in the industry and didn’t even know writing for other artists was a thing,” he recalls (a year later, Shako invited him on the remix). One of the first popular tracks Feid wrote was Reykon’s “Secretos,” which ultimately led him to work with Balvin as a writer on the 2016 hit “Ginza,” nabbing Feid an ASCAP Latin award along the way.
“I started taking him to the studio when we had camps for Balvin because he has always had great chemistry,” Sky remembers. “Yes, he helped us write ‘Ginza,’ but the song where he proved himself as a songwriter was ‘Sigo Extrañándote,’ ” another track for Balvin that showcased Feid’s heartfelt, relatable lyricism. As Balvin tells Billboard, “He always brought something fresh to the table, and I always let him know of his potential.”
Suddenly, Feid’s “reggaetón music with pop lyrics” had made him the hip, on-demand songwriter that artists from Thalía to Ximena Sariñana to CNCO wanted to work with. In 2016, he signed an exclusive worldwide publishing administration deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) through management and publishing company Dynasty Music Group, helmed by his then-manager, Daniel Giraldo, and Juan Pablo Piedrahita. Soon after, he signed his first record deal with In-Tu Linea, a label then under the Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE) umbrella that was launched by industry veteran Jorge Pino and his longtime colleague Fidel Hernández as COO. Although “many labels showed their interest,” Feid says, Pino and Hernández were the only ones to make the “very special” gesture of meeting him in person.
Feid made his major-label debut with the Balvin-featuring “Que Raro,” which became his first Billboard chart entry, debuting and peaking at No. 26 on Latin Digital Song Sales and peaking at No. 16 on Latin Rhythm Airplay in 2016.
“Today, I highly value that moment that Balvin gave me — the spotlight in which he put me, the type of song it was,” he says. “It was super cool for my career, for my life, for everything I have been building. There are still people who tell me that they followed me or discovered me with ‘Que Raro.’ ”
Soon after, Feid collaborated with artists such as Maluma and Nacho; released his debut album, Así Como Suena, in 2017; received a Latin Grammy nomination for his next one (2019’s 19); and joined “The Avengers,” a collective of urbano artists that included Dalex, Dímelo Flow, Justin Quiles, Lenny Tavárez and Sech and released club bangers such as “Cuaderno” and “Quizas.” Around then, he also stopped writing music for others.
“I needed to find myself as an artist,” he says. Though Feid was gaining popularity writing for big acts, he hadn’t yet discovered his own strong artistic identity, and admits he was following the standards he observed in the industry by being “an average singer releasing average music.” As other Colombian artists of his generation such as Maluma, Karol G and Balvin skyrocketed to stardom, he wondered, “When will it be my turn?”
Then one day, after more than a decade of work, it clicked.
“I decided to take an arepa with cheese in my hand and say that I was paisa,” he proudly states, referring to the local word for someone from Medellín. “I began to be more faithful to who I am and my Colombian roots. At that moment, I opened the coolest door that I’ve ever opened, which was finding my identity and introducing El Ferxxo. It took me a long time to realize that this was what I had to do to really, really connect with people.”
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Devin Christopher
Putting his new alter ego to the test, Ferxxo (pronounced Fercho) began incorporating local Medallo slang into his lyrics, like mor (love), que chimba (how cool) and parchar (hanging out) and replacing letters in his titles with X’s to pique curiosity.
It worked. The Latin Grammys nominated 2020’s Ferxxo (Vol. 1: M.O.R.) and its Justin Quiles-featuring single “Porfa” for best urban music album and best reggaetón performance, respectively. On the strength of an all-star remix featuring Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam and Sech, “Porfa” earned Feid his first No. 1 hit on both the Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts.
As he established his musical identity, Feid recognized that creating a visual one was similarly important. He adopted the color green (most often, a lime shade) as his trademark, starting in early 2022 with the release of the single “Castigo”: Its cover art features a green monster truck and in the music video, Feid is clad in all green.
“It reminded me of the time when I was a huge fan of artists and wanted all the merch that had to do with them. I try to put myself in the shoes of a fan so that the people who follow me have a better chance of feeling closer to me,” he says. Now, he always finds a way to wear it — the color of growth and new beginnings.
As 2021 progressed, it seemed like everything was falling into place for Feid. He inked a worldwide publishing agreement with UMPG, fully transitioned from In-Tu Linea to UML under president Angel Kaminsky’s team and opened Karol G’s Bichota U.S. arena tour.
Still, it wasn’t all smooth sailing — and in fact, his month on the road with Karol was a tough wake-up call. “I feel that 90% of people saw my show for the first time,” he says. “Coming from being a big deal in Colombia and being at the top of the charts to doing a show in Sacramento [Calif.] and having only five people yell ‘Wooo!’ was challenging for me.”
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Devin Christopher
Then, shortly after returning home, a motorcycle accident left Feid with a severely injured left knee that required a two-month recovery. But instead of wallowing in his pain (or just kicking back to watch Netflix), Feid got to work on his next album.
“There were moments of doubt and complications,” says Jesús López, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula. “It was bad luck for his leg but good luck for his head because he was able to be calmer for a while and work more on the creativity of his album Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo.”
Hunkered down with his leg in a cast, Feid organically started engaging more with fans on TikTok. He would flirtatiously react to viral videos in his suave Medallo, create simple dance challenges for his music, tell jokes and, most importantly, preview tracks he was working on, like “Normal.” On TikTok, he realized, it was easier to promote himself (and go viral) than through an interview with a major news platform, and it became one of his biggest marketing tools, attracting new fans outside Colombia in places such as the United States, Mexico and Spain. (Feid now has more than 7.5 million TikTok followers.)
But it wasn’t until two trips to Mexico in 2022 that Feid truly noticed the effects of his social media presence. When he arrived in May for a festival in Monterrey, thousands of fans greeted him at the InterContinental Presidente hotel in Mexico City, prompting Feid and his team to schedule shows of his own in the country. In August, the three resulting headlining gigs — at Auditorio Nacional (Mexico City), Auditorio Citibanamex (Monterrey) and Auditorio Telmex (Guadalajara) — sold almost 20,000 tickets and grossed nearly $1 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. Previously, Feid had only performed in Mexico as a surprise guest for other artists.
“I feel that everything has been gradual in my career, but this was definitely an alert to us that something was happening,” he says with a laugh. “I still don’t want to realize what’s happening. I just want to keep making my music, be with my family, eat frijolitos (beans) and relax, but I can say that Mexico was that moment when we all wondered, ‘What’s going on?’ ”
Today, speaking with me in Miami’s hip Wynwood neighborhood, fame doesn’t seem to have changed Feid — and he’s embracing his paisa identity more than ever. He’s wearing his laid-back, go-to uniform of shorts, sneakers, baseball cap and graphic T-shirt and proudly rocking the first-ever backpack from his collaboration with Bogotá-based brand Totto. He’s polite and warm, arriving early for his Billboard photo shoot (“People’s time is valuable”) and greeting everyone in the room with a chiseled smile and a tight hug. “Que más mi reina? Todo bien?” he asks me — “All good, my queen?”
While it may have taken some extra time to get here, Feid’s down-to-earth appeal is central to why, finally, he’s prospering. Feid attributes his success to “the perfect timing of God,” but those around him know there’s a bit more to it.
“He is real and authentic,” says his manager, Villamizar. “In his music, what he writes, what he says. The DNA of all this success is him and people notice and feel it.”
“He has a lot of perseverance and a lot of persistence that few have,” says Balvin. “Many [artists] would have gotten out of the way by now, but he was always there. Now he is living his best moment, and I’m sure many more blessings will come his way.”
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Devin Christopher
Late last year, Feid released his second collaboration of 2022 with Yandel, and he’s carried that momentum into 2023, earning his first Hot 100 entry with the Ozuna-assisted “Hey Mor” and embarking on his first proper Latin American trek, the sold-out Ferxxo: Nitro Jam Tour promoted by CMN. He’ll headline Chicago’s Sueños Music Festival in May and tour Europe this summer, all while working on his next album. Its “whole concept has to do with how I went from being in the shadows as a composer to everything I am achieving now [as an artist],” he explains.
Feid is covered in tattoos, but one on the right side of his neck is particularly noticeable. In cursive, it reads: Nunca olvides porque empezaste (never forget why you started) — a reminder to stay grounded. “Fe,” or faith, is at the core of what got him here, and what will keep him going forward.
“From the beginning, it was [my dream] to have a vision that only I could have and could spread to people and also surround myself with a team that understood what I wanted to do,” he says. “I have always had a lot of faith in myself and my career — and that is why Ferxxo is called ‘Feid.’ ”
Penske Media Corp. is the largest shareholder of SXSW; its brands are official media partners of SXSW.
This story will appear in the March 11, 2023, issue of Billboard.
A leaked album was the best thing that ever happened to Feid.
In September 2022, the Colombian singer-songwriter was headlining three consecutive sold-out hometown dates at Plaza de Toros La Macarena — Medellín’s famed bullfighting ring and concert venue — where he performed for more than 30,000 people over the course of the three shows. He was due for some much-needed rest the following Monday. But that never happened.
Instead, the artist born Salomón Villada Hoyos, 30, who also goes by the nickname Ferxxo, received an agitated call from his manager, Luis Villamizar, with the news that his album, Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo — scheduled for a December release — had, without their knowledge, arrived much earlier, in the form of a 39-minute voice note first leaked as a link on the internet.
“All my spirits dropped,” he recalls today, still sounding disappointed. “It was incomplete. It was a mess, and I felt rage — but that feeling lasted about half an hour. After that, I talked to my mom to see how we could take advantage of the situation and thankfully, we reacted quickly.”
With help from his team, producers and record label, Universal Music Latino (UML), he took matters into his own hands, working relentlessly for 24 hours to release an album that wasn’t even mixed or mastered yet. Because all 15 tracks had been leaked, Feid changed the title to Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum (Happy Birthday Feid We Leaked the Album) and had his sister, who’s also his longtime graphic designer, create new cover art that acknowledged how the songs had ultimately spread: Though Universal quickly took down the initial leaked link, the audio had already been shared to DropBox and then sent wide through a chain of WhatsApp conversations. (Six of the 15 tracks had already been released as singles at the time of the leak.)
Read the full Billboard cover story here. Feid, presented by Samsung Galaxy, will perform at Billboard Presents The Stage at SXSW on March 17.
Penske Media Corp. is the largest shareholder of SXSW; its brands are official media partners of SXSW.
Image Credit: Devin Christopher
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Image Credit: Devin Christopher
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Image Credit: Devin Christopher
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Image Credit: Devin Christopher
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Image Credit: Devin Christopher
Feid photographed on January 12, 2023 at Proper Studio in Miami.
Brazilian pop star Anitta is lashing out at Warner Music, saying she regrets signing with the label and would have “auctioned off her organs” to be let out of her contract.
The artist — who had a breakout 2022 with the success of her tri-lingual album Versions of Me, a No. 1 track on the Billboard Global Ex. U.S. chart with “Envolver” and performances at Coachella and the Latin Grammy Awards — went on a Twitter tirade last week when fans prodded her to explain her tortured history with Warner.
When one fan said he wished she could be free of her contract, she responded that “if there was a fine to pay, I would have already auctioned off my organs, no matter how expensive it was to get out. But unfortunately, there isn’t. When you’re young and still don’t know a lot, you need to pay close attention to the things you sign… if you don’t, you could spend a lifetime paying for the mistake.”
A spokesperson for Warner Music declined to comment. Leila Oliveira, Warner Music Brazil’s new president, did not respond to a message from Billboard. Brandon Silverstein, Anitta’s U.S.-based manager, also did not respond to a request for comment.
Meu amor se tivesse uma multa pra pagar eu já tinha leiloado meus órgãos por mais caro q fosse pra sair fora. Mas infelizmente não tem. Qndo a gente é novo e ainda ñ sabe muito tem q prestar muita atenção nas coisas q assina…se não pode passar uma vida inteira pagando pelo erro— Anitta (@Anitta) March 2, 2023
Anitta signed with Warner Music in the U.S. in January 2020 after previously signing with Warner Music Brazil in 2013. Under the U.S. contract, she produced Versions of Me, which was executive produced by Ryan Tedder. Anitta has said she’s required to deliver two more albums for the label to satisfy the contract. (In January 2022, she signed a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing.)
This isn’t the first time Anitta has complained about Warner. She previously swiped at the label for having to pay for music videos out of her own pocket, including for “Gata,” which she said Warner refused to produce a video for when they saw that the song’s performance on streaming platforms was falling below expectations.
“They only invest after it pays off on the internet,” Anitta said in an Instagram livestream in May. “Unfortunately, there are things I can’t get, that’s why I don’t buy millionaire cars, because when I want to do something, I pay for it.” (She says she ultimately got a sponsor to help pay for the video.)
During the same livestream, Anitta also said that Warner only invests in her work after a song goes viral on TikTok. “The label is very tied to TikTok, to what goes viral, and if they don’t get a hit right away, they say ‘later,’” she said.
Anitta’s fans have also criticized Warner for the label’s perceived treatment of the Brazilian singer, with many complaining on Twitter that Warner didn’t give her 2021 single “Girl From Rio” the marketing push it deserved by including it in playlists on streaming services. (The song, which combined bossa nova and trap with English lyrics, dropped rapidly on the charts.)
Anitta has also said that Warner initially resisted the release of “Envolver,” the single that blew up after Anitta’s butt-grinding dance in the song’s video, which she directed, became a global TikTok sensation. “[Warner] said the song wasn’t going anywhere and that I wouldn’t have the sway to release it alone [without a feature on the track],” she said during an Instagram livestream in December.
Late last year, Anitta’s fans began urging her to release a funk remix of “Practice,” which she originally recorded with A$AP Ferg and HARV, but the singer said last week that Warner wouldn’t allow her to. “When I saw that you liked [the remix version] I asked to release it, and it has been a long time,” she wrote to her fans on Twitter. “But things can only be released with their authorization.”
Since Anitta’s tirade last week, fans have organized a #FreeAnitta movement on Twitter. One fan posted a photo depicting the singer sobbing in a jail cell with the Warner Music logo on the wall behind her. Another fan asked her if her harsh comments could damage her relationship with the label.
“Is there a way it could get worse? Hahaha,” she responded.
Wisin & Yandel and Rosalía can cross out a new career chart accomplishment, as they each score their highest debut on Billboard’s Latin Airplay. “Besos Moja2,” their first team-up, bows at No. 2 on the March 11-dated list. It’s the highest start for the Puerto Rican duo, after 46 entries, and for Rosalía, who has secured nine since her first chart visit in 2019.
“Besos Moja2” starts with 10.2 million in audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the Feb. 24-March 2 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The new entry on the all-genre tally grants Wisin & Yandel their 28th top 10, which places them into a tie with Ricky Martin for the seventh-most overall, among those, the duo has scored 15 No. 1s. Rosalía, meanwhile, captures her seventh top 10, six of which reached the top of the ranking. Let’s look at the top 10 scoreboard since the chart’s inception in 1994:
46, Daddy Yankee41, Enrique Iglesias40, J Balvin37, Ozuna35, Shakira30, Marc Anthony28, Ricky Martin28, Wisin & Yandel
It’s taken almost a decade and a half for Wisin & Yandel to roar back with a debut in the upper region. In November 2007, the pair claimed a No. 3 start with “Sexy Movimiento,” which later ruled for one week (January 2008). Previously, the duo collected their first top 10 arrival, at No. 8, through their featured turn in Los Benjamin’s “Noche de Entierro (Nuestro Amor),” which also features Daddy Yankee, Hector ‘El Father’ and Zion, in September 2006 (the song peaked at its No. 6 high a week later where it remained for three weeks).
As mentioned, Wisin & Yandel have collected 15 No. 1s, including the one-week champ “Mayor Que Usted,” with Natti Natasha and Yankee (last September).
For Rosalía, the No. 2 start for “Besos Moja2” is her only top 10 debut among a collection of nine career entries on Latin Airplay. Among those, however, she’s placed six champs, including her last win with “El Pañuelo,” with Romeo Santos (Feb. 25-dated ranking).
“Besos” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay. It becomes Wisin & Yandel’s 20th leader there, tying with Ricky Martin for the fourth-most behind Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny, both with 34 No. 1s, and Ozuna (29). Rosalía captures her fourth ruler there.
Women’s History Month kicked off strong with three Spanish-speaking artists being honored at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music awards on March 1 in Los Angeles.
Rosalía received the first-ever producer of the year award, presented by Bose, where she expressed that women winning awards for being behind the scenes is unusual; Becky G was awarded the impact award, where she opened up about following her dreams as a 200 percenter (100 percent Latina and 100 percent American); and Ivy Queen was honored with the icon award — becoming the first reggaetónera to receive this merit — where she talked about her battles of finding a spot in the male-dominated reggaetón genre.
What’s even more remarkable about these three women in music is that in addition to each leading their individual successful careers, they’re all about supporting their female colleagues, best seen in their collaborations.
For International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on March 8, Billboard compiled 21 powerful collabs between Latin female artists. The list includes unapologetic bangers, such as iLe and Ivy Queen’s latest track “Algo Bonito” and Ptazeta and Villano Antillano’s “Mujerón,” as well as ultimate breakup songs, such as Becky G and Karol G’s “MAMIII,” and of course Karol’s Shakira-assisted “TQG.” There’s also a couple of joints that are all about reflection and finding your self-worth after a toxic relationship, such as Kany García and Mon Laferte’s “Se Portaba Mal” and India and Goyo’s “Nubes Negras.”
Check out the full list, in alphabetical order by the artist’s first name, below:
Aitana, Ana Guerra, Greeicy & Tini, “Lo Malo”
Because two were not enough, Aitana and Ana Guerra recruited Tini and Greeicy on their 2018 track to add more girl power to their collab “Lo Malo.” The pop-urban song is about a woman who’s not settling for a bad boy.
Watch the music video here
Amandititita & Sandra Echeverría, “De Mejores Corazones Me Han Corrido”
Real-life BFFs Amandititita and Sandra Echeverría joined forces on “De Mejores Corazones Me Han Corrido,” about “a woman who doesn’t allow herself to be defeated by a failed relationship,” according to a previous Billboard interview with Amandititita.
Watch the music video here
Ana Bárbara & Paquita la del Barrio, “El Consejo”
Regional Mexican Queens Ana Bárbara and Paquita la del Barrio joined forces to deliver the ultimate advice you can offer to a friend: “Whoever deceives me, I’ll deceive them/ Whoever hits me, I’ll hit them/ Whoever uses me, I’ll use them/ And so we were even,” — in other words, an eye for an eye.
Watch the music video hero
Becky G & Karol G, “MAMIII”
Set up as what appears to be a spiteful song, the first-ever collab between the two G’s — produced by Ovy on the Drums — quickly takes a turn, transitioning into a bouncy, uptempo anthem about the empowerment that comes after letting go of a toxic relationship.
Watch the music video here
Becky G & Natti Natasha, “Sin Pijama”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
In 2018, Becky G and Natti Natasha took the reins and unapologetically sang about sex, weed, and booty calls, sending the message that it’s OK for women to talk about these topics.
Chiquis, Ely Quintero & Helen Ochoa, “Las Destrampadas”
With this collab, Chiquis breaks down what it actually means to be such a free spirit. “She’s someone who doesn’t necessarily break the rules, but bends them a little bit,” she previously told Billboard. “We just like to party and enjoy life.”
Watch the music video here
Elena Rose, Maria Becerra, Greeicy, Becky G & TINI, “La Ducha (Remix)”
For the remix of her single “La Ducha,” Elena Rose reeled in some of her collaborators — Maria Becerra, Greeicy, Becky G, and TINI — for a steamy track about sexy alone time in the bathroom while thinking of that special someone. The track even samples Becky’s own 2014 hit “Shower.”
Watch the music video here
Flor de Rap & Denise Rosenthal, “Bailalo Mujer”
Santiago artists Flor and Rosenthal’s “Bailalo Mujer” is a danceable pop-urban track about lifting, supporting, and rooting for each other. “In our philosophy, we’re all equal/ And with respect we build realities/ We don’t believe in monarchies, that’s why we’re all queens here,” sings Rosenthal.
Gloria Trevi & Alejandra Guzman, “Mas Buena”
Image Credit: Victor Chavez/WireImage
As part of their first-ever joint Versus Tour five years ago, ’90s rock divas Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzman dropped “Mas Buena,” a song about a woman whose life only got better after her relationship was over.
iLe & Ivy Queen, “Algo Bonito”
In the very potent “Dime Algo Bonito” (Tell Me Something Nice), Puerto Rican songstresses iLe and Ivy Queen not only demand respect but also belt unapologetic verses against machismo. “I have never believed that quiet I look prettier/ When I spit it’s like fire and acid,” sings Ivy.
Watch the music video here
India & Goyo, “Nubes Negras”
With potent vocals and fierce lyricism, this salsa-infused urban track is an anthem for women who were once victims of domestic abuse but have found their liberty and self-worth — hence “no more dark clouds since you left” in the chorus.
Watch the music video here
Kany García & Mon Laferte, “Se Portaba Mal”
One of Kany García’s biggest gems from her 2020 duets album Mesa Para Dos is “Se Portaba Mal (She Misbehaved),” sung in collaboration with Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte — an eye-opening and compassionate look at domestic violence victims.
Listen to the track here
Karol G & Shakira, “TQG”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
In their first collaborative effort, Colombian superstars Karol G & Shakira dropped “TQG” (Te Quedo Grande) in February, a sultry reggaetón jam bout a woman who only got stronger, leveled up and had a major glow-up after a breakup.
Lola Indigo, Danna Paola, & Denise Rosenthal, “Santería”
Three years ago, Spain’s Lola Indigo recruited Mexico’s Danna Paola and Chile’s Denise Rosenthal to showcase their powerhouse vocals and fierce attitude in “Santería,” an empowering bop for strong, independent women who take control.
Watch the music video here
Natti Natasha, Farina, Cazzu & La Duraca, “Las Nenas”
“I feel that it’s necessary to end the stigma that girls don’t collaborate because they are competitive and they are rivals,” Natti previously told Billboard of her ultra-girl-power collab with Farina, Cazzu, and newcomer La Duraca. “We made this happen and we need to keep the women’s movement at the top.”
Watch the music video here
Ptazeta & Villano Antillano, “Mujerón”
Image Credit: Interscope Records
An electro-trap-perreo track made by women for women, “Mujerón” — which loosely translates to “too much woman” — is an ode to those badass girls who are independent, confident and date on their own terms.
Sofia Reyes & Maria Becerra, “Marte”
Reyes and Becerra joined forces on the galactic reggaetón banger “Marte,” off of Reyes’ sophomore album Mal de Amores, which is a friendly reminder that women should never tolerate toxicity.
Watch the music video here
Thalia & Kenia OS, “Para No Verte Más”
As someone who’s always supported the new wave of Latina artists, Thalía teamed up with Mexican newcomer Kenia OS earlier this month for “Para No Verte Más,” a sugary pop version of La Mosca’s 1999 rock hit. The song is about ripping up every photo and memory of an ex, in order to never see them again.
Watch the music video here
TINI & La Joaqui, “Muñecas”
A catchy cumbia villera meshed with EDM, the Steve Aoki-assisted track finds Argentine artists TINI and La Joaqui singing about the single life. “This song represents the importance that all my friends are to me, and it’s a way of motivating myself to love again,” TINI previously said to Billboard.
Watch the music video here
Tokischa & Rosalía, “Linda”
Image Credit: Elissa Salas*
This infectious dembow released in 2021 finds Tokischa and Rosalia singing about two friends who like to party together — and here and there, pop a kiss, because “you’re pretty, I’m wild, we kiss but we’re homies.”
Yuridia & Angela Aguilar, “Qué Agonía”
Image Credit: Andres Solis
For the first time, Mexican sweethearts Yuridia and Angela Aguilar joined forces on “Qué Agonía,” a heartfelt ranchera where both admit their own faults in a failed relationship — but recognize that they still love their ex and are asking for forgiveness.
Let’s get loud this summer! Jennifer Lopez announced during Spotify’s Stream On event on Wednesday (March 8) that her ninth studio album, This Is Me … Now, is set to arrive sometime in the summer.
“My upcoming album This Is Me … Now is coming out this summer,” she shared while discussing the music streaming service’s new Countdown Pages. “Yes, you heard it here first. I’m super excited. Spotify is beginning to roll these pages out to more artists around the world, letting them bring their own personalized strategy to each and every album.”
The upcoming set is a follow-up to her third studio album, 2002’s This Is Me … Then. She has not yet revealed the exact release date for … Now.
The singer-actress — who recently co-starred alongside husband Ben Affleck for Dunkin’ Donuts’ Super Bowl commercial — first announced This Is Me … Now back in November, on the 20th anniversary of … Then. Lopez later described the album in her Vogue cover story as a “culmination” of who she is. “People think they know things about what happened to me along the way, the men I was with — but they really have no idea, and a lot of times they get it so wrong,” she told the fashion magazine. “There’s a part of me that was hiding a side of myself from everyone. And I feel like I’m at a place in my life, finally, where I have something to say about it.”
The “On the Floor” singer — who has four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s and two albums that reached the summit of the Billboard 200 — also revealed the 13-song tracklist in November. In addition to the title track, the album will also include songs such as “To Be Yours,” “Mad in Love,” “Dear Ben Pt. II” and “Hummingbird.” In a December edition of her On the JLo newsletter, she explained the significance of “Hummingbird.”
“To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love,” she explained at the time. “I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK.”
The star went on to note that she chose to a hummingbird theme for this past holiday season, which she celebrated with Affleck and their blended family: “I wanted to have a tree in the house that was a hummingbird tree, reminding us that everything done in love and with love will always be OK.”
Watch J. Lo announce the season for This Is Me … Now above.
An animated series inspired by Argentine fútbol icon Lionel Messi is underway. Sony Music Entertainment’s premium content division announced a partnership with Leo Messi Management SL to develop the new original series that will feature original music by Sony Music artists and composers, according to a press release.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved animated series and my kids are big fans of animated characters,” the Argentine soccer star said in a statement. “Being able to participate in an animation project makes me happy, because it fulfills one of my dreams! I would like to thank Sony Music for joining this project and we hope that everyone will like the result, especially the girls and the boys.”
Currently in development, the series — which will be available in English, Spanish and other languages — will portray Messi as “a child who confronts obstacles while traveling throughout a video game.”
“It is a privilege for Sony Music to collaborate with Lionel Messi on this project to showcase the power and lessons of sports in partnership with the greatest football player of all time and one of the greatest athletes in history,” added Fernando Cabral, executive vice president, business development, Latin-Iberia regional, Sony Music Entertainment. “We look forward to bringing this heartwarming and humbling series to screens for audiences of all ages around the world.”
Sony Music’s premium content division will oversee the development and distribution of the series.
The new series announcement comes after Messi — who has so far won seven Ballon d’Or awards — led Argentina to a World Cup win over France in December.
Bad Bunny is about to cross off something else from his bucket list. The global superstar will host Backlash, WWE’s live event set to take place May 6 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan.
“In 2005 when I was a kid, I wasn’t able to attend New Year’s Revolution at el Coliseo,” the Puerto Rican hitmaker said in a statement. “Finally, 18 years later WWE returns to the island with a massive event, and this time I won’t miss it.”
“We’re excited to bring Backlash to San Juan as the demand for WWE premium live events outside of the continental United States continues to grow,” added WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “Bad Bunny is one of the world’s most popular entertainers and nowhere is that more evident than in his native Puerto Rico.”
Bad Bunny’s love for WWE is no secret. In 2021, the “Booker T” singer had a stint during a tag-team match against The Miz and John Morrison at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., for WrestleMania 37.
Most recently, video game company 2K released a first look at Bad Bunny in WWE 2K23, the newest installment of the WWE video game franchise. From hitting the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania rings in 2021 to becoming a virtual playable character, the Puerto Rican artist is flaunts his wrestling skills in a new 40-second trailer. This is the first time the artist has appeared in the game.
More info on tickets for Backlash on the WWE’s website.