State Champ Radio Music
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Grupo Firme is set to kick off La Última Peda Tour on April 11 in Mexicali, following the cancellation of a performance in Mazatlán after a message on a banner with alleged death threats attributed to a drug cartel appeared in Tijuana. And the trek will proceed with reinforced security.
“People can come with confidence and have a good time,” Eduin Caz, the band’s frontman, said during a press conference Thursday afternoon at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, where the second show of the tour is scheduled for April 12. “We have strengthened security for this tour in Mexico. The shows of Grupo Firme are meant to be enjoyed, and that’s how it will be.”
After a three-year absence from Mexico, La Última Peda Tour will take Grupo Firme to 23 stadiums across the country, including their eighth performance at Estadio GNP Seguros (formerly Foro Sol) on June 28. The tour will also mark their return to palenques, a more intimate type of show that allows for greater interaction with the audience.
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“We need to relive that closeness with people that only these types of venues can provide,” said Jhonny Cazares, the group’s third voice. “Great artists we admire, like Alfredo Olivas and Julión Álvarez, do them. These [venues] are smaller, but they’re no less important. Plus, they’re part of our culture.”
Meanwhile, the state government and the Baja California Prosecutor’s Office are continuing their investigation into the threats against the band. The cancellation of the March 1 concert, which was part of the Mazatlán Carnival, was a result of the discovery of an alleged narcomanta and a human head in a box Feb. 25 in Tijuana — a fact confirmed to Billboard Español by the Baja California State Prosecutor’s Office. So far, four arrests have been made in the case, Excelsior TV reported citing the prosecutor’s office.
“We are grateful for the support of the authorities, who have been attentive from the very beginning,” Caz added. “We can’t share more details so as not to hinder the investigation.”
Coming up, Grupo Firme will be releasing a new album in May. In an interview with Billboard Español, the singer shared some details about the project, which was helmed by renowned songwriter and producer Joss Favela along with Abraham Luna, the group’s second voice and producer.
“The musical arrangements are different,” revealed Caz. “We’ve incorporated piano, electric guitar, and saxophone with banda and norteño. Our musical roots remain the same. The lyrics are in my style, mostly about heartbreak — those are the ones that come most naturally to me.”
He continued: “We recorded 17 songs but will keep only 12; they’re all very good. I don’t want any of them to go unnoticed or not get the attention they deserve.”
He also shared that it took them about a year to select and record the songs, with Caz contributing as a songwriter alongside Horacio Palencia, Nathan Galante, and Joss Favela — the same creator of “El Beneficio de la Duda,” which led Grupo Firme to spend two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart in mid-2024.
As for a potential collaboration with Don Omar — who recently expressed in press conference in Mexico City his desire to record with the band — Caz said: “There’s a great friendship. We haven’t been able to align schedules, first due to health issues for both of us. The song has already been chosen; it’s just a matter of timing. It would be amazing to make it happen.”
Rapper Yella Beezy was released on bond Friday morning (March 28). According to The Dallas Morning News, Beezy (born Markies Conway) posted a $750,000 bond to secure his release after being reduced by a judge from $2 million on Thursday. After being indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on March 18, Beezy was arrested […]
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco aren’t done with their I Said I Love You First rollout. The recently engaged couple unveiled the deluxe version of their album on Friday (March 28) with two new tracks. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Among the new songs is the fan-favorite […]
Looks like running — and playing Forrest Gump — runs in the Hanks family. In the “You Better Run” music video for Chet Hanks’ band Something Out West, the singer tapped his famous father Tom Hanks to re-create scenes from Forrest Gump more than 30 years after the actor starred in the iconic film. The […]
She Is The Music honored singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and her support team of women at its Women Sharing the Spotlight event at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on Thursday (March 27). The event celebrated 50 impactful women in the music industry, each of whom shared their spotlight with another woman in the business. Alicia […]
Last September, Katy Perry released her seventh album, 143. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, while lead single “Woman’s World” hit a No. 63 high on the Hot 100.
The song was co-written and co-produced by Lukasz Gottwald, known better as Dr. Luke, who worked on nine out of the album’s 11 tracks. Upon release, his involvement caused controversy as fans questioned why Perry would return to working with the producer — who Kesha previously and publicly accused of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse over a 10-year period. (Dr. Luke countersued for defamation, and in 2023 a settlement was reached.)
“I think there was some backlash for her reuniting with Dr. Luke,” Chris Anokute, who works as Perry’s A&R manager, said in his recent interview with The Manager’s Playbook. “[That] was my desire and recommendation.”
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During the interview, Anokute called Gottwald “a dear friend” and claimed that the many accusations leveled at the all the producer were “not true,” a fact that the producer himself has vehemently claimed over the last few years. “So I thought it was a good time to reunite them after 10 years of not working together and every single he’s ever done for her was No. 1,” Anokute said in the interview. “The press didn’t react favorably, and they basically tried to assassinate him and her.”
Dr. Luke previously worked on Perry hits including “I Kissed a Girl,” “Hot n Cold,” “California Girls,” “Dark Horse” and many more. Perry has collected nine Hot 100 No. 1s, with 36 songs in all on appearing on the tally.
On April 23, Perry will kick off her Lifetimes Tour, named after the second single from 143, in Mexico. The trek will hit the U.S. in May, opening in Houston. She’ll also visit Australia, Canada, South America and the UK and Europe, wrapping on November 11 in Madrid.
Check out Anokute’s full interview below:
Downtown Nashville is no stranger to musically-themed bars, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are bringing some hip-hop flair to 2nd Avenue. The Still G.I.N. Lounge is set to open on April 4 in the same four-story building that hosts Nashville Live! and will bring a “smooth sophistication of a top-tier cocktail lounge with the […]
Lola Young reigns for the first time on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, as “Messy” jumps two places to No. 1 on the April 5-dated tally.
“Messy” rules concurrent with its third week at No. 1 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, thanks to 4.7 million audience impressions in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate.
Young tops Alternative Airplay with her first entry on the list, becoming the second act in a row to do so, after Balu Brigada’s “So Cold” reached No. 1 the week before. Five acts, via four songs, have earned first Alternative Airplay No. 1s as lead acts in 2025. Prior to Young and Balu Brigada, Justice and Tame Impala on their collaboration “Neverender” and Almost Monday with “Can’t Slow Down” led for the first time.
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Comparatively, just two acts notched first Alternative Airplay No. 1s in 2024. Five newcomers at the top spot as lead acts this year, and as of March, for that matter, mark the most in a single year since six in 2021 (I Dont Know How But They Found Me’s “Leave Me Alone,” Cannons‘ “Fire for You,” Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear’s “My Ex’s Best Friend,” Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” and Måneskin’s “Beggin’”).
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“Messy” ranks at No. 7 on Adult Alternative Airplay, after reaching No. 5 earlier in March. It also rises 9-8 on Pop Airplay, bullets at its No. 10 best on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 30 on Adult Contemporary.
On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, dated March 29, reflecting data March 14-20, “Messy” placed at No. 2. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 9.7 million official U.S. streams and sold 3,000 downloads in that span.
“Messy” parent album This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway ranked at No. 32, after reaching No. 11, on the March 29 Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart with 9,000 equivalent album units. It has earned 211,000 units to date.
All Billboard charts dated April 5 will update on Tuesday, April 1.
With March coming to a close, the music releases haven’t slowed down with a number of A-list stars dropping new singles and albums. Kicking things off is Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead deluxe edition of her 2024 Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Eternal Sunshine. The extended edition of the original 13-song project features six new tracks, […]
Doechii banks her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Denial Is a River” storms to the summit of the list dated April 5. The new champ jumps from No. 5 to crown the list as the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations for the tracking week of March 21-27, according to Luminate, and improved 13% in plays for the latest tracking period compared to the week prior.
Before “Denial is a River,” released and promoted to radio through Top Dawg/Capitol Records/ICLG, Doechii ruled Rhythmic Airplay with “What It Is (Block Boy).” The single, which features Kodak Black, reigned for one week in June 2023.
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As “Denial” takes the throne, it ousts GELO’s “Tweaker” after a one-week stay in the penthouse. The former leader slips to No. 2 following a 7% decline in plays for the tracking week.
Doechii’s latest coronation arrives just one day before the Grammy Award-winning rapper/singer is set to receive another honor: officially accepting the coveted Woman of the Year title at Billboard’s 2025 Women in Music event. The ceremony will occur tomorrow night (March 29) in Los Angeles, with other honorees including Rising Star winner Muni Long and Icon Award recipient Erykah Badu.
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Beyond its Rhythmic Airplay crown, “Denial Is a River” continues to make waves across other radio formats. It repeats its No. 12 best on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, where, despite no change in rank, the song earned 6% more plays in the latest tracking week. Meanwhile, it pushes 26-23 on Pop Airplay thanks to a 4% boost in plays at mainstream top-40 radio stations. The concurrent improvements from different sectors spark its 28-27 gain on the all-genre, audience-based Radio Songs chart, where the single leaps 10% in weekly audience to 24.4 million.
While “Denial is a River” builds its radio results, Doechii’s latest single, “Anxiety,” is generating favorable momentum. The Gotye-sampling single, which had a nearly six-year journey from initial recording to release, drives 33-21 on Rhythmic Airplay in its second week on the chart from a 181% surge in plays, winning it the weekly Greatest Gainer honor for the largest increase in plays among all tracks. Similarly, “Anxiety” races 36-28 on Pop Airplay thanks to a 199% vault in plays (snagging another Greatest Gainer prize) and debuts at No. 32 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
All charts dated April 5 will update on Billboard‘s website this Tuesday, April 1.
