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Alejandro Fernández claims the first new No. 1 of 2025 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “No Me Sé Rajar” advances 3-1 to lead the Jan. 18-dated ranking.
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“No Me Sé Rajar” was originally written by Mexican guitarist and composer José Carmen Frayle Castañón in 1981 and recorded by the late Vicente Fernández, Alejandro’s father. The new version of the song, a more modern take to the original mariachi tune, was produced by Eden Muñoz and released by Alejandro Fernández Oct. 25 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE.
The song’s coronation on Regional Mexican Airplay comes after a 14% gain in audience impressions, to 7.7 million, logged in the tracking week of Jan. 3-9, according to Luminate. Thanks to the surge, Fernández adds an 11th No. 1 among 30 total entries since the tally begun in 1994. He extends his third-most champs streak among soloists, behind Christian Nodal (17 No. 1s) and Gerardo Ortiz (13).
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Notably, out of Fernández’s 30 career entries on Regional Mexican Airplay, all his No. 1s have arrived in the 2020s decade, dating back to the one-week ruler “Caballero” in January 2020. With 11 rulers since, he claims the record for the most No. 1s by a solo artist this decade.
While Vicente Fernández’s version of “No Me Sé Rajar” didn’t make it to the charts as it was released before the 31-year-old ranking launched, the late mariachi star scored seven No. 1s among his 47 entries on Regional Mexican Airplay, dating to “Nos Estorbo La Ropa” in 1998 and placing his last champ with “El Último Beso” in 2009.
“No Me Sé Rajar” also gains territory on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, where it jumps 5-3 with a 10% gain in impressions, to 8 million.
Karol G Ties Shakira for Most Weeks At No. 1
Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, Shakira’s “La Tortura,” featuring Alejandro Sanz, has company as Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” adds a 25th week atop the overall Latin radio ranking, which puts both songs into a tie for the all-time record for the most weeks at No. 1 since the chart launched in 1994.
“Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” ties the record through continued strong performance on Latin Airplay, with 25 weeks at the summit among its 29-week run. Despite not gaining audience, the song holds solidly atop with 11.8 million total impressions.
Beyond its new mark, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” adds a 27th week at No. 1 on Tropical Airplay, extending its second-most weeks atop, only two weeks short from the record held by Prince Royce’s “Carita de Inocente,” which continues to lead with 29 weeks in charge.
The night of Oct. 20, 2024, was full of firsts for Xavi. The 20-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter gave his first televised performance of his breakout hit, “La Diabla,” at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where he also won his first trophy, for artist of the year, new. And this occurred just eight days after he released his celebrated debut album, Next, which became his first top 10 on any albums chart.
“I’m still processing it,” Xavi says today. “It’s something that I didn’t really expect, but it’s a blessing. My grandpa and my whole family would always talk about this type of stuff; it was their dream to make it in the music industry. I’m really trying to push their dreams forward.”
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Jennifer McCord
This digital cover story is part of Billboard’s Genre Now package, highlighting the artists pushing their musical genres forward — and even creating their own new ones.
It was a fitting, and familiar, flurry of events for the young artist. After the August 2023 release of “La Víctima,” “La Diabla” followed in November and took off in 2024, helping maintain Xavi’s momentum and quickly establishing him as one to watch.
“La Diabla” has since tied for the second-longest-reigning title of the year on the Hot Latin Songs chart, dominating for 14 weeks. (“La Víctima,” Xavi’s first chart entry, peaked at No. 2.) By the end of 2024, Xavi had placed nine songs on the tally while Next debuted at Nos. 6 and 9 on the Regional Mexican Albums and Top Latin Albums charts, respectively. But Xavi’s greatest accomplishment in a year of many is the spread of his hybrid subgenre: tumbados románticos.
Xavi photographed December 3, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Jennifer McCord
Jennifer McCord
With his pioneering blend of the musicality of corridos tumbados with the melodies of sad sierreño, Xavi has paved a clear path for himself to explore other genres, too. Growing up between Sonora, Mexico, and Phoenix, his mother would wake him up with music by Vicente Fernández and Selena, but he says coming to the United States was “a whole different world” and he quickly became a fan of artists like Justin Bieber and Daniel Caesar. Now he’s eager to explore all kinds of sounds — sometimes simultaneously.
“We’re talking about R&B, we’re talking about música mexicana. When you get all those elements and put them into one, it literally becomes its own — it brings out this new sound,” he says. “Since it’s something new and we’re getting to the bottom of it, it’s done with so much love and patience. We do it with a lot of passion.
“The studio is a kitchen, you know?” he continues. “And we’ve just been working on the sound of the fusion because there’s a lot of styles out there. But what happens when you put two, or three, or four or five genres into one song? It’s a fusion of corridos — I don’t want to say we invented it, but we definitely brought something new.”
This story appears in the Jan. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.
The 2025 Calibash concert has been rescheduled amid the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. Originally scheduled to take place Saturday (Jan. 18) at Crypto.com Arena, the event — presented by SBS Los Angeles, Mega 96.3FM and 97.9FM La Raza — will now take place Friday, March 7. Confirmed artists include Maluma, Wisin, Xavi, Manuel Turizo, Emilia, […]
Add a new line to Colombian reggaetón star Ryan Castro’s resume: professional sports team owner.
Castro announced that through his company AWOO Team, he has acquired a significant equity stake in Paisas Basketball club, a professional team in his hometown of Medellín. The acquisition makes Castro the first Colombian music artist to own a stake in a basketball team, and also makes him one of only a handful of Colombian artists vested economically in sports.
“It’s another facet for us as entrepreneurs. Supporting sports, because the kids in the barrios have the same dreams as us, the artists,” said Castro, who rose to stardom from the slums of Medellín, tells Billboard.
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The Paisas, he adds (the term “Paisa” is slang for people from Medellín), are from his hometown, plus, “I love basketball. Every time I go to the U.S., I like to go to NBA games. So, it all came together and the opportunity arose to support a team from my city to continue growing the basketball movement, generate more activity and support young people who are into sports.”
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While basketball is not nearly as prominent as soccer in Colombia, it’s on the rise. Castro’s acquisition coincides with Paisas Basketball debut in the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA0, which includes top teams from across the continent). The team also competes in the Betplay professional league in Colombia under Venezuelan coach Daniel Seoane.
On his end, Castro is no stranger to sports.
Last year, he released “El Ritmo Que Nos Une,” the official anthem for Colombia’s national soccer team during Copa América. The video, which has been viewed more than 110 million times on YouTube, shows Castro hanging out and playing soccer with members of the Colombian squad.
However, Castro wasn’t actively looking to invest in sports. The opportunity came to him via a close associate who works actively with basketball and the NBA. “He told me this was a possibility and me and my team gathered all the information we could about Paisas,” says Castro.
Beyond investing in the team, partnering with Castro also gives the Paisas the opportunity to leverage the musician’s platform as a popular Colombian artists with millions of followers on social media (4.5 million on Instagram alone). Plus, he says, “Taking into my account my life story, also take that message of empowerment, of working for your dreams to other kids. That’s the intention. Many kids dream of basketball and sports as a way to get ahead and have a better life, and my story is similar, but with music. So it’s about also taking that motivation, and, as a businessman, I want to venture into sports.”
Castro is set to officially announce his partnership Tuesday (Jan. 14) at a press conference in Medellín. At the same time, he’s releasing his first single of the year, “Ni x el Putxs,” featuring Colombian trap star Kris R.
Castro’s music is distributed by Sony Latin via his company AWOO Corp. He also has a strategic partnership and label services deal with WK Records with Leo Arango as his manager.
Bad Bunny makes history on Billboard’s latest charts (dated Jan. 18), thanks to the arrival of his new studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
The album launches at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 122,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in its opening week, according to Luminate. The set arrived Sunday. Jan. 5, so its opening week figure is from just five days of activity (with Billboard’s chart tracking week running each Friday through Thursday).
Despite its mid-week release, all 17 songs from the album chart on the Billboard Hot 100, led by the set’s opening track “Nuevayol” at No. 27. Below is a recap (all are debuts except where noted).
Rank, Title:
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No. 27, “Nuavayol”
No. 28, “Baile Inolvidable”
No. 36, “Voy a Llevarte Pa’ PR”
No. 37, “El Clúb” (up from No. 89; new peak)
No. 38, “DtMF”
No. 43, “Veldá,” with Omar Courtz & Dei V
No. 45, “Perfumito Nuevo,” with RaiNao
No. 52, “Weltita,” with Chuwi
No. 54, “EoO”
No. 59, “Ketu Tecré”
No. 60, “Pitorro de Coco” (up from No. 91; new peak)
No. 66, “Kloufrens”
No. 69, “Bokete”
No. 77, “Turista”
No. 83, “Café con Ron,” with Los Pleneros de la Cresta
No. 94, “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii”
No. 95, “La Mudanza”
(Bad Bunny has an 18th song on the latest Hot 100: “Qué Pasaría…,” with Rauw Alejandro, ranks at No. 72.)
With 15 debuts, Bad Bunny ups his career total from 98 to 113 career Hot 100-charted songs. He becomes the 20th artist to join the 100 Hot 100 hits club, and the first who primarily records Latin music.
Here’s a look at every artist with 100 or more Hot 100 hits, through the chart dated Jan. 18.
Total Hot 100 Entries, Artist:
338, Drake
264, Taylor Swift
218, Future
207, Glee cast
187, Lil Wayne
161, Kanye West
155, Lil Baby
149, Nicki Minaj
119, Travis Scott
118, Chris Brown
113, Bad Bunny
112, Eminem
111, Lil Uzi Vert
109, Elvis Presley (whose career predates the Hot 100’s August 1958 start)
106, Beyoncé
105, 21 Savage
105, Jay-Z
105, Justin Bieber
104, The Weeknd
104, YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Of Bad Bunny’s 113 Hot 100 hits, 41 have reached the top 40; 12 have hit the top 10; and one rose to No. 1: “I Like It,” with Cardi B and J Balvin, in 2018.
Bad Bunny also pushes his total to a record-extending 189 career Hot Latin Songs chart entries.
While it’s rare for artists to chart a triple-digit total of Hot 100 appearance, it has become a more regular occurrence since the chart began including streaming data in 2007. As such, some artists have been able to chart a high number of songs after releasing high-profile albums. The model contrasts with prior decades, when acts generally promoted one single at a time in the physical-only marketplace and on radio. That shift in consumption helps explain why artists have been able to log many songs over short spans in recent years.
Bad Bunny came to play on Monday night (Jan. 13). The singer celebrated the release of his Debí Tirar Más Fotos album by doing it all on The Tonight Show. In addition a typically unique performance of his new single, “Voy a Llevarte Pa Pr” — in which he sang the track while doing his laundry and having a mug of coffee — Benito kicked off the takeover by, literally, crashing the stage.
As Fallon worked through his monologue jokes at the top of the show, Bad Bunny burst from behind the curtain with a rollicking, joyous parranda featuring two dozen drummers and dancers from Los Sobrinos and Los Pleneros de la Cresta, who worked their way through the audience singing the joyous new track “Café con ron.”
The singer went all out to promote his new album — whose title translates into “I should have taken more photos” — which became his ninth straight to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart dated Jan. 18. He kicked things off by watching a replay of the time last week when he did all the jobs on a popular Puerto Rican morning news show and talking about his role in Adam Sandler’s upcoming Happy Gilmore 2.
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“Now he’s my friend,” Benito said of co-starring with the Sandman in his first attempt at comedy. “Now he’s my uncle, Tio Sandler. It’s been so crazy. It was one of the best experiences ever.”
Saying the album title is about taking time to appreciate the moment he’s in, Bad Bunny expressed his gratitude for the love he’s gotten for his latest project, which NPR dubbed “his most Puerto Rican and most political album yet,” one that puts a bright spotlight on the island’s distinctive musical rhythms and styles. Bunny explained that the LP is focused on the “plena” rhythm, one of the island’s oldest and most beloved percussion sounds.
Bunny also joined Fallon for one of his recurring gags: a trip down to the subway in disguise for some impromptu busking. They opened with a cover of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” followed by a run through Bunny’s new track “Nuevayol.” With Bunny kitted out in a bushy beard and a curly red wig and Fallon rocking long hair and an equally impressive beard, they crooned the BSB tune to a group of excited commuters with some help from members of Tonight Show house band the Roots, before taking off their disguises and heating things up with the high-energy track from Benito’s new album.
The two also reminisced about Bunny’s many appearances on the Tonight Show, with Fallon busting out a photo of the singer from this very first appearance, where he sat alongside a Madame Tussauds wax figure of the host. Over the years, they have recreated that image several more times, including in 2018 and 2020, and then again on Monday night. But since he was co-hosting, Bunny suggested he switch places with Fallon and remake the pic again, but this time he pretended to be a waxy Fallon.
The pair also did some shots of Puerto Rican rum, pitorro, which Bunny brought along to share with his pal before they co-interviewed Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón.
Watch Bad Bunny on The Tonight Show below.
Standing in solidarity with the community of Los Angeles, which has been impacted by the blazing wildfires, artists such as Alejandro Fernández, Maná, Peso Pluma, Chiquis and Fuerza Regida have all stepped up to help the countless of Angelenos who have been impacted the by the ongoing devastation. Mexican artists Alejandro Fernández, Peso Pluma and […]
Bad Bunny tried out his subway busking skills on Monday (Jan. 13), just before taking the on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage as both a musical guest and co-host. In photos shared exclusively via Billboard ahead of the episode, the duo are seen in long curly wigs and matching beards, dressed in 1960s-inspired attire as Fallon […]
Bad Bunny announced on Monday (Jan. 13) that his 21-date residency at the iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico is set to kick off July 11.
The Puerto Rican hitmaker shared with his millions of followers on social media that while he does plan to unveil dates for shows in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Spain later this year, for now, “I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave,” he says in the video.
“Thanks to music and the love you give me through my music, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to sing in different places of the world. I appreciate and love to do it,” Bad Bunny explains. “There are places I for sure will return to like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia. And some I’ve never been to but would like to visit, like Brazil and Japan. And there are places I haven’t been to in a long time, like Italy, London, Spain, I know, and I promise before the year ends, I’ll tell you the date and time I will be visiting.”
As he walks down a hallway passing by posters of all his previous tours, including El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour, Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) unveils a new poster that announces his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at El Choli. Set to kick off July 11, the 21-date stint will launch with the first nine shows exclusively reserved for Puerto Rico residents, with in-person presale staring Wednesday, Jan. 15. He’ll wrap the ambitious residency on Aug. 24.
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Bad Bunny’s residency announcement follows the release of Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his latest album released Jan. 5. The set debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, securing Bad Bunny his seventh top 10-charting set. Meanwhile, the LP opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart (dated Jan. 18), the largest streaming week for a Latin title in over a year.
Debí is Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, and it’s a celebration of Puerto Rico and the sonic heritage that has soundtracked the island for generations, including plena and jíbara. The 17-track album includes collaborative efforts with Chuwi, Dei V, Omar Courtz, Pleneros de la Cresta and RaiNao — all Puerto Rican acts.
See the complete list of dates to Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico here.
Ahead of his ¡Ay Mamá! Tour, Mexican music hitmaker Tito Double P has unveiled additional dates to his first-ever U.S. trek, set to kick off March 5 in Atlanta. The Live Nation-produced stint – with a handful of dates helmed by Bobby Dee Presents – now includes stops in Virginia, New York, New Jersey […]