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27 Dec 2022

Bad Bunny Spreads Holiday Joy in Puerto Rico With ‘Bonita Tradición’ Gift Drive

Bad Bunny is ending the year by giving back to his beloved Puerto Rico.

The superstar helped spread holiday joy on the island on Tuesday (Dec. 27) with the “Bonita Tradición” gift drive, which was held at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The nonprofit organization, founded by Billboard’s Top Artist of 2022, handed out 20,000 gifts (sports equipment, instruments, paint materials and more) to the children who attended the drive.

The event also includes stations serving traditional food and drinks, as well as live music and an opportunity to get a picture with Los Reyes Magos and Bad Bunny himself. “We want to close the year in the best way, bringing a bit of joy, hope, and love to the children with an event that reflects the best of this time with a very special emphasis on the traditions of our island,” José “Che Juan” Torres, director of the Good Bunny Foundation, previously said in a press statement.

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Recently, Bunny — who was Spotify’s most streamed artist globally for a third consecutive year — released his new track, “Gato de Noche,” in collaboration with Ñengo Flow. “This is to close the year,” he said on TikTok just hours before blessing fans with the surprise song on Dec. 22.

“With the real beast,” the Puerto Rican act said of Ñengo when he revealed the collab on his Instagram Stories. The pair has many collaborative efforts, including “Que Malo” and “Safaera” (also featuring Jowell & Randy), with the latter peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart dated April 11, 2020. Both tracks come from Bunny’s YHLQMDLG album.

27 Dec 2022

Jonas Brothers Say Goodbye to 2022 With a Memory-Filled Supercut Video: Watch

The Jonas Brothers took to social media on Monday (Dec. 26) to close out 2022 with a look back at everything they accomplished this year.

“And with that The 2022 season comes to an end,” the band wrote on a video showing a rapid-fire compilation of memories including their halftime show at the Thanksgiving game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, their performance at the Global Citizen Festival in September, a behind-the-scenes look at Joe filming his Bridgerton-themed Tanqueray commercial and more. (Shakira and Liza Koshy also make blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances in a clip taken by Nick on the set of NBC’s Dancing With Myself.)

However, the sibling act is also looking ahead to a packed year ahead, captioning the post, “Already can’t wait to see our 2023 recap! Thank you for all the love this year. Looking forward to making lots of new memories with you all next year!!”

After ringing in the new year, the JoBros are set to kick off the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series on Jan. 7 ahead of the 2023 college football playoffs. Then, in February, they will return to Las Vegas for another three dates of their ongoing residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM over President’s Day weekend.

And while they have yet to share official details like a title or release date, Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas have hinted repeatedly over the course of 2022 that they’re currently working on a full-length follow-up to 2019’s Happiness Begins, which will be released sometime next year.

Revisit the Jonas Brothers’ best moments of 2022 below.

27 Dec 2022

Feid’s ‘Normal,’ Rosalía’s ‘Saoko’ & More: Vote for the Best Latin Song of 2022

The songs that soundtracked our year were genre-blurring, empowering, hooky and game-changers in their own way. As the year comes to an end, Billboard unveiled the staff picks for the best 25 Latin songs of 2022. Now, it’s time to vote for your favorite song.

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The wide-ranging list includes obvious hits such as Bad Bunny‘s “Titi Me Preguntó,” Manuel Turizo‘s “La Bachata” and Grupo Frontera‘s “No Se Va,” but it also includes songs that weren’t outright hits but are truly great songs deserving of a mention on the year-end round-up.

Such was the case with Alex Anwandter‘s unapologetic disco-pop anthem “Maricoteca.” The Chilean singer-songwriter presented a risky NSFW statement, where spectators witness the singer-producer fortifying his identity politics with a side of mischief — an alluring, provocative queer artist with an unmatched talent for glimmering dance music.

There was also Kany García and Alejandro Sanz‘s poignant “Muero,” which further cements the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter as a master at retelling other people’s love stories and anguish in a way that makes them our own. In “Muero,” she and Sanz give voice to two people whose unspoken love will doom them to never experience it.

There was also Caloncho’s “Post Química,” Babasonicos’ “Bye Bye” and Natanael Cano‘s unapologetic “Que Me Importa” with newcomer Victor Cibrian. To wrap up the year, vote for the track that (in your opinion) was the best Latin song of the year.

Read Billboard’s 25 Best Latin Songs of 2022 list here.

27 Dec 2022

Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Keeps at No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds at the (north) pole position on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. The carol adds a 12th total week at No. 1 on the former and a seventh week atop the latter, dating to the charts’ inceptions two years ago.

Plus, holiday hits by José Feliciano and Ariana Grande, among others, make further worldwide gains, while SZA’s “Kill Bill” surges in its second week on the surveys.

The two global charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Christmas’ Crowns Global 200, ‘Feliz’ Returns to Top 10

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with 108.1 million streams (up 16%) and 17,000 sold (up 6%) worldwide in the Dec. 16-22 tracking week. The modern holiday classic, released in 1994, adds a 12th week at the summit, and fourth this holiday season, after it led for four weeks each over the 2020 and 2021 holidays.

With 12 weeks atop the Global 200, Carey’s “Christmas” passes The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (11, 2021) for the sole second-longest reign since the chart began, trailing only Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (15, beginning this April).

Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” originally released in 1984, rebounds to its No. 2 Global 200 high, from No. 3; Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” from 1958, dips to No. 3 from its No. 2 best; the late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, holds at its No. 4 high; and SZA’s “Kill Bill” spends a second week on the chart at No. 5, as parent album SOS logs a second frame at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200 chart.

Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, José Feliciano’s 1970 carol “Feliz Navidad” dashes 13-10 (50 million streams, up 22%; 5,000 sold, up 18%, worldwide); it hit a No. 9 high in the 2020 holiday season.

Carey Rules Global Excl. U.S., Grande, SZA Soar

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” continues atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 65.1 million streams (up 14%) and 6,000 downloads sold (up 11%) in territories outside the U.S. Dec. 16-22. The song adds a seventh total week at No. 1, and third this Yuletide season, after it ruled for a week during the 2020 holidays and for three frames over last year’s holiday season.

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” holds at its No. 2 Global Excl. U.S. high; Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” dances merrily to a new No. 3 best, from No. 5; Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slips 3-4 after eight nonconsecutive weeks on top beginning in October; and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” descends to No. 5 from its No. 4 high.

Also in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” from 2014, jumps 11-8 (32.4 million streams, up 16%; 2,000 sold, up 52%, outside the U.S.); it hit a No. 7 best over the 2020 holidays. Plus, SZA’s “Kill Bill” blasts 26-10, powered by a 62% gain to 34 million streams outside the U.S., becoming her second top 10 on the tally and her first in a lead role, after Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, hit No. 5 in May 2021.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 31, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 28, a day later than usual due to the Christmas holiday). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

27 Dec 2022

Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Holds Atop Hot 100, Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ Hits Top Five

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hangs atop the Billboard Hot 100’s highest bough for an 11th total week. It leads for a third week this holiday season, as it has topped the chart over the holidays each year since December 2019.

Plus, Wham!’s fellow Yuletide classic “Last Christmas” reaches the Hot 100’s top five for the first time, rising from No. 6 to No. 5, and Taylor Swift’s former leader “Anti-Hero,” at No. 9 on the latest Hot 100, becomes the most-heard song on U.S. airwaves, ascending to the top of the Radio Songs chart, where Swift becomes the first artist to have reigned in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 31) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 28, a day later than usual due to the Christmas holiday). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, was first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it first reached the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and first hit the top five in the 2018 holiday season, before dominating over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and now 2022 (three to-date).

Streams, airplay & sales: “Christmas” drew 48.7 million streams (up 18%) and 39.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 19%) and sold 11,000 downloads (up 3%) in the U.S. in the Dec. 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate. Adding to the song’s momentum, Carey’s two-hour holiday special Merry Christmas to All! premiered Dec. 20 on CBS.

The song adds a fourth total week at No. 1, and second in a row, on the Digital Song Sales chart, following frames on top in 2005 and 2019; rebounds 2-1 for an 18th week atop Streaming Songs; and jingles 14-11 for a new high on Radio Songs, where it reached a previous No. 12 best over the 1994 holidays and has returned to the top 15 in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Third No. 1 of at 11 weeks or more: Carey becomes the second artist, and first woman, with three songs that have topped the Hot 100 for 11 or more weeks each. She joins Boyz II Men for the honor – with Carey and the group having teamed for one song contributing to the feat:

Mariah Carey:
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, 1995-96
14 weeks, “We Belong Together,” 2005
11 weeks (to-date), “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” 2019-22

Boyz II Men:
13 weeks, “End of the Road,” 1992
14 weeks, “I’ll Make Love to You,” 1994
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Carey, 1995-96

“Christmas” is the 28th title to command the Hot 100 for 11 or more weeks, a run that under just 2% of all 1,144 No. 1s have achieved. (Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” solely held the record for the chart’s longest reign for over 21 years, until Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, matched it with 16 weeks on top in 2017. The songs now share the second-longest No. 1 stay, after Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, ruled for 19 weeks in 2019.)

Longest span atop the Hot 100: Carey’s “Christmas” extends the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest, to over three years and a week (Dec. 21, 2019-Dec. 31, 2022).

Plus, the latest week atop the Hot 100 for “Christmas” extends Carey’s record for the longest span of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart: 32 years and nearly five months, dating to her first week at No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 4, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love.”

Carey’s record 90th week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 90th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 inception.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100:
90, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The Beatles
54, Drake
50, Boyz II Men
47, Usher
43, Beyoncé
37, Michael Jackson
34, Adele
34, Elton John
34, Bruno Mars

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week at the summit with “Vision of Love.” The song is additionally the only title to have led in four separate runs on the survey.

Most weeks at No. 1 for a holiday hit: Carey’s “Christmas” expands its record for the most time atop the Hot 100 for a holiday song. The only other seasonal single to lead, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

No. 1 on Holiday 100: Carey’s “Christmas” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 56th week, of the chart’s 61 total weeks since the list originated in 2011. It has topped the tally for 41 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, keeps at its No. 2 Hot 100 high (for an eighth total week since it first reached the rank in December 2019), with 48.5 million streams (up 19%), 29.4 million in radio airplay audience (up 10%) and 5,000 sold (down 2%).

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, rebound 4-3 and 5-4, respectively, on the Hot 100, each returning to their respective highs achieved in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” dashes to a new best Hot 100 rank, rising 6-5, after the 1984 release first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and, until this holiday season, hit a prior No. 7 high over last year’s holidays. It ascends with 43.7 million streams (up 51%), 24.2 million in radio reach (up 5%) and 3,000 sold (up 11%).

The duo of George Michael (who died in 2016, on Christmas Day) and Andrew Ridgeley adds its sixth top five Hot 100 hit, among seven top 10s, after charting its first six top 10s in 1984-86: the No. 1s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Careless Whisper” and “Everything She Wants”; the No. 3 hits “Freedom” and “I’m Your Man”; and the No. 10-peaking “The Edge of Heaven.”

Wham! appears in the Hot 100’s top five for the first time since the Feb. 8, 1986-dated chart (the last week in the top five for “Man”); Michael subsequently notched nine solo top five hits, including seven No. 1s, among 14 solo top 10s, through 1996; he last ranked in the top five as a soloist on the Feb. 15, 1992, list with former leader “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” with Elton John. Meanwhile, a song written by Michael places in the top five for the first time since former No. 1 “Praying for Time” ranked at No. 3 on the Oct. 20, 1990, chart.

Andy Williams’ 1963 chestnut “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” pushes 8-6 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high during the 2020 holidays. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late singer’s record for the longest span of an act appearing in the tier to 63 years, two months and three weeks, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” in October 1959.

Notably, holiday hits decorate the Hot 100’s top six spots for a second time, following a frame over the 2020 holidays (also the only other week in which the entire top five consisted of carols).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” slips to No. 7 on the Hot 100 a week after it debuted at No. 3, as it tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a second week each. The track is from her album SOS, which logs a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” from 1970, jumps 11-8 on the Hot 100. It hit a No. 6 best over the 2020 holidays.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 7-9 after spending its first six weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 starting in November. It concurrently crowns Radio Songs, rising from No. 2, with 79.4 million in audience (up 3%). Swift scores her seventh Radio Songs leader, tying Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Usher for the fourth-most No. 1s dating to the chart’s December 1990 start; Rihanna leads with 13, followed by Carey (11) and Bruno Mars (nine).

Here’s a recap of Swift’s seven Radio Songs No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s)
“You Belong With Me,” two, 2009
“I Knew You Were Trouble.,” four, 2013
“Shake It Off,” four, 2014
“Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
“Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
“Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
“Anti-Hero,” one (to-date), 2022

With Radio Songs No. 1s in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, Swift becomes the first artist with leaders on the chart in each of the three decades – and the only artist with No. 1s as a lead act in any three distinct decades. Christina Aguilera is the only other artist with No. 1s in each of three decades, with one each as a lead in the 1990s (“Genie in a Bottle,” 1999) and ’00s (“Lady Marmalade,” with Lil’ Kim, Mya and P!nk, 2001) and one as featured in the ’10s (on Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” 2011).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” dips 9-10, after it led the Oct. 29-dated chart.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 31), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 28).

26 Dec 2022

Cher and Kelly Clarkson Trade Tales About Willie Nelson’s Bus: ‘I Got a Contact High’

Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner Cher visited The Kelly Clarkson Show earlier this month, but NBC saved a few clips from Cher’s chat with Kelly Clarkson for a post-holiday treat that they shared online the day after Christmas (Dec. 26).

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In one clip, Cher is talking about her fragrance line with Scent Beauty entitled “Decades,” a four-part collection with each scent representing her take on a particular decade.

“I was shocked the ‘70s didn’t smell like marijuana,” Clarkson told Cher of her “Me” Decade-themed scent. “I was like, oh, this one will obviously smell like Willie Nelson’s bus.”

“Oh my God, I’ve been on Willie Nelson’s bus, it smells exactly like marijuana,” Cher responded. Clarkson, no stranger to the world of country music herself, concurred. “I went on Wille Nelson’s bus and I got a contact high,” the American Idol champ and daytime TV juggernaut shared.

“It was a terrible old bus,” Cher recalled. “But he was great. And just… drugs everywhere,” she added, laughing.

“When you walked out you were definitely hungry,” Clarkson quipped.

Clarkson also brought up the first time she met Cher, which was at the 41st annual Kennedy Center Honors, where Cher was feted alongside Philip Glass, Reba McEntire and Wayne Shorter. Clarkson was there to honor McEntire with a performance of the country icon’s hit version of “Fancy,” but admitted she was a bit nervous to meet Cher at the 2018 event. Using that as a jumping off point, Clarkson asked Cher is she’s ever been starstruck by a celebrity.

“Meryl Streep when I first met her,” Cher admitted. Streep was her co-star in 1983’s Silkwood, the Mike Nichols-directed film about real-life nuclear safety whistleblower Karen Silkwood who died under what numerous associates regarded as suspicious circumstances. Unlike the tragic biopic, however, Cher’s future with fellow Oscar winner Streep was far brighter: “We became friends and we’ve been friends ever since.”

26 Dec 2022

Zach Bryan Surprise Drops New Live Album ‘All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster’: Stream It Now

Zach Bryan is making a statement. On Christmas, the singer-songwriter announced on social media that he had released a new live album titled All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks). He also told fans that he is taking a stand against high ticket prices, though he did not specifically call out Ticketmaster in his post, save for in the album title.

“Seems there is a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately. I have met kids at my shows who have paid upwards of four-hundred bucks to be there and I’m done with it,” the country star began his message. “I’ve decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I’ve done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don’t have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show.” He added that he’ll also be playing “a few festivals which I have no control over.”

“I believe working class people should still be able to afford tickets to shows,” the “Something in the Orange” singer continued. He also encouraged fans to sign up for a new messaging service that will inform them about tour dates and concert tickets, as well as through which he’ll send merch drops and unreleased music.

“I am so tired of people saying things can’t be done about this massive issue,” he went on. “Also, to any songwriter trying to make ‘relatable music for the working class man or woman’ should pride themself on fighting for the people who listen to the words they’re singing.”

Bryan closed with some good news for fans eager to see him live in concert. “A tour announcement is coming soon and I’m sorry it has taken so long,” he shared. “Just did everything I possibly could to make tickets more affordable.”

Billboard has reached out to Ticketmaster for comment.

This isn’t the first time that the country singer has shared his thoughts about the company. In recent weeks, he has tweeted about Ticketmaster, often with the hashtag #allmyhomieshateticketmaster.

All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster — recorded at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater on Nov. 3 — is on streaming services now, and is Bryan’s third release of the year. He dropped studio album American Heartbreak in May, and the Summertime Blues EP in July. In addition to wrapping 2022 with a surprise live album release, the singer-songwriter came in at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top New Country Artists and Top New Rock & Alternative Artists charts, and No. 2 on the all-genre Year-End Top New Artists tally.

Stream All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks) below:

26 Dec 2022

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Spends Second Week Atop Billboard 200 Albums Chart

SZA’s SOS spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Dec. 31), as the album earned 180,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 22 (down 43% from its opening frame a week ago), according to Luminate. The set debuted atop the list with 318,000 units.

Also in the top 10, BTS member RM scores his first top 10-charting album, as Indigo re-enters the list at No. 3 following its CD release on Dec. 16. The set debuted on the Dec. 17-dated chart at No. 15 after its initial release via streaming services and as a digital download album. RM becomes the first member of BTS to earn a solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). 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 new Dec. 31, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Dec. 28 (one day later than usual, due to the Christmas Day holiday on Dec. 25). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 180,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 179,000 (down 42%, equaling 236.52 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 1,000 (down 87% and TEA units comprise less than 1,000 (down 49%).

Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights is a non-mover at No. 2 — though up 12% to 155,000 equivalent album units earned. The set’s sales were up 31% to 97,000, owed to holiday shopping as the chart reflects the sales week ending Dec. 22. (We’ll still see holiday gift-giving purchases impacting next week’s chart, dated Jan. 7, 2023, as that chart will reflect the tracking week of Dec. 23-29.) The bulk of Midnights’ sales were vinyl-driven, with 68,000 on vinyl sold for the week — up 41%. That also marks the third-largest sales week for any vinyl album in 2022, following the debut weeks of Midnights (575,000) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (182,000). Midnights continues to profit from its availability across five vinyl variants — all colored vinyl editions, including one exclusive to Target.

RM’s Indigo re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 3 with 83,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1,290%) following its CD release on Dec. 16. It’s a new high for the set, and RM’s first top 10 album as a soloist. (The seven-member group BTS, of which RM is a member, has logged seven top 10s, six of which reached No. 1.)

RM is the first member of BTS to earn a solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200, and the second to reach the chart in 2022 with a solo project, following the No. 17 debut and peak of J-Hope’s Jack in the Box (July 30 chart).

Indigo debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 17 with 31,000 equivalent album units, following the set’s initial release via streaming services and as a digital download album for purchase. It slipped off the chart the following week, only to return on the new list after its CD release.

Of the album’s 83,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 22, album sales comprise 79,000 (up from less than 500 sales the week previous), while SEA units comprise 4,000 (down 28%; equaling 5.3 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 32%).

CDs comprise 77,500 of Indigo’s sales for the week, while digital album purchases comprise 1,500. Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Indigo was issued in collectible deluxe packages (three, including exclusive versions for Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of items and one randomized element (a photocard).

A trio of former No. 1s is next on the Billboard 200, as Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains falls 3-4 with 76,000 equivalent album units earned (down 25%), Michael Bublé’s Christmas is a non-mover at No. 5 with 72,000 (up 16%), and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss dips 4-6 with 60,000 (down 10%).

Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song jingles 8-7 (59,000 equivalent album units earned; up 24%), Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack glows 9-8 (56,000; up 20%) and Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas dashes 11-9 (53,000; up 18%).

Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti closes out the new top 10, as it falls 7-10 with 52,000 equivalent album units earned (though up 2%).

26 Dec 2022

Tainy Talks Producing Bad Bunny Hits, Shares More Details About Debut Album

Tainy’s musical contributions to modern-day Latin pop are unparalleled. As a mastermind behind many a reggaetón-pop hit — including producing nine of the 23 tracks found on Bad Bunny’s genre-hopping, record-shattering Un Verano Sin Ti blockbuster — it’s no doubt that he has helped revamp the Latin pop playbook. The Puerto Rican producer is now preparing to drop his solo debut LP, the star-studded DATA, in early 2023.

To date, the 2022 Latin Grammy winner for producer of the year has unveiled the wildly successful “Lo Siento BB:/,” featuring Bunny and Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, as well as “Sci-Fi,” co-starring Rauw Alejandro.

“[DATA] is a representation of who I am as a person, and as a fan of music,” Tainy tells Billboard Español. “To be able to have my own album is so special. I’m putting my everything into this, all the knowledge I’ve acquired since I started working with the people I admire.” Some of those famous folks also include established hitmakers like J Balvin, Wisin & Yandel, and Arcángel, but also brilliant upstarts like Young Miko, Ankhal, and Kris Floyd.

For nearly two decades, Tainy (real name: Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández) has been a constant force in the música urbana soundscape. He began churning out beats for reggaetón pioneers like Luny Tunes just before Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” (2004) took the world by storm, when he was merely 14 years old. His creative wanderlust led him to co-produce for now-icons like Yankee, Don Omar and Wisin & Yandel.

“Shout out to Tainy, the G.O.A.T., the legend … He’s somebody who I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager and my entire career,” said Billboard‘s 2022 top-charting beatmaker MAG, and the lead co-producer of Un Verano Sin Ti.

While keeping his momentum strong in the mid-’10s, Tainy eventually began talking to a then-upcoming rapper by the name of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — the world’s hottest superstar of today, better known as Bad Bunny — and together they would go on to make pop history. Fun fact: Tainy co-produced Bunny’s first No. 1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100, “I Like It,” alongside Balvin and Cardi B.

With a keen eye for identifying rare music gems and emerging talent, Tainy also teamed up with music exec Lex Borrero to co-create NEON16 in 2019, a “multifaceted talent incubator,” as the two describe it. “He has a very broad vision of music,” Julieta Venegas told Billboard in November. “He identifies these pairings and links his teams with artists that come from the pop, folk, and Mexican music world.”

As 2022 comes to an end, the super-producer connected with Billboard Español to reflect on his wildly successful year in music — and share exciting details about his highly-anticipated debut album.

You co-produced the greatest album of 2022, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti. What goes through your mind when you reflect on its extraordinary success?

It’s cool, but it’s not easy to digest when everything is happening. I’m now starting to reflect back and see the gravity of it. These are things that we never felt could be possible for us, coming from Puerto Rico and being Latin. We always felt like there was a higher level [imposed by the] Anglo market, and seeing that that doesn’t exist anymore … a lot of that has to do with Benito. It’s special to see those barriers broken. Dreaming big ends up becoming true.

This is now the new normal. Now everybody is on the same playing field. Great music is just great music in any language, in any part of the world. For [the album] to be able to connect with so many people, [it’s] special to be a part of that.

Walk us through the making of one of the hits you produced on the album, like “Ojitos Lindos.”

The whole idea [for the song] started with my younger brother Masis, who’s a producer too. He brought us an instrumental, but it was in a different style. When Benito heard it, he just heard the trumpets — which you now hear in the beginning of the track. He felt something special from it, but the sounds that came after the original instrumental was not what he had in mind. That’s where I come in. Since we have studio chemistry, I knew what he was looking for, and having this melody that my brother brought was the perfect base.

[Bunny] said it reminded him of the vibe from a song I remixed for Bomba Estéreo, “To My Love,” and he always wanted to work with Bomba. He told me, “Yo, why don’t we send this to them? Maybe they’ll like it.” His only note was, “Quiero hacer una canción bonita.” I already knew Li’s vocals would sound amazing on it. So I sent it over, and asked if she vibed with it. They responded right away that they loved it, and began working on it. Li brought exactly what he envisioned.

From there, he took it to his own world and gave it the right lyrics and vibe. The album’s aesthetic started to come into place, bringing in more beach soundscapes and ambience. That’s where I got the picture of what he was aiming for for the entirety of the project. It was really special to see two people in different places of the world not being in the same studio, but having the same mindset creatively.

Julieta Venegas mentioned in our interview that you scouted her for “Lo Siento BB:/” She praised your knowledge in the Latin indie and alternative realm. How do you discover acts outside of your usual genre?

I’ve always been a student of music. I always try to learn and branch out into different genres to see what I can learn from that and bring into my space. To be a producer, people don’t really get to see much of who I am. What do I listen to? What’s my style? What did I grow up liking? I think nowadays it’s a little bit easier to get to know the producers in their lives. Maybe people from afar think that all I listen to is reggaetón because that’s what I do. But I really listen to a lot of different types of music. Indie, rock and alternative music are styles I get [inspiration] from.

“Lento” by Julieta Venegas is one of my favorite songs of all time. I always wanted to work with her, but I didn’t think it was a possibility, seeing that our genres are so different from one another. Maybe she didn’t like the music we were doing, so that was a concern. When I started working on my personal project, I wanted it to be a reflection of who I am and what I love. I knew this song was going to be perfect for Julieta’s voice. And I wasn’t going to lose anything by reaching out. If she says she hates it, she hates it. But she loved it, and was so open to being a part of it.

This is one of the most special things that I’ve been able to do in my career. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t think was possible — combining two of my favorite artists on the same track, and then they sound perfect together.

This year, Bad Bunny’s “Callaíta,” which you produced, surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. That’s quite an achievement…

It’s difficult to explain how it happened. I’ve always been grateful to be in the position that I am. I never thought I would get to this point at all. As I mentioned, 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.

Seeing that “Callaita” became what it became is insane. It’s humbling that people still connect with the song after so many years [since 2019]. 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.

So you’re dropping your debut album in early 2023!

I’ve been 100% focused on my project, and “Lo Siento BB:/” is the first single. We will be releasing the final product at the top of the year. I’m so excited for it. I’ve been dreaming of doing this album before I even got into music, because these types of projects are what inspired me to get into music.

As you might imagine, I’m working with most of the people that I’ve already worked with for a long time, and who I have a great relationship with: Benito, Jhayco, Rauw, Feid, Balvin, Wisin & Yandel, Arcángel…They have been a huge part of my career, so I wanted them to be a part of this, because they were a part of my journey. At the same time, I wanted to combine two worlds and merge this with the up-and-coming artists that I’m a fan of: Young Miko, Ankhal, Kris Floyd … all these guys, and how I brought in Julieta Venegas. [The album] shows more of who I am, and who my musical influences are.

It’s a representation of who I am as a person, and as a fan of music. To be able to have my own album is so special. I’m putting my everything into this, all the knowledge I’ve acquired since I started working with the people I admire. I can’t wait for you to listen to it, for everybody to vibe with it and get to know me a little bit more.

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