J Balvin
@teographSix weeks ago, Colombian newcomers Crissin, Totoy El Frio and Natan & Shander arrived on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with "Poblado." A week later, the song entered the Billboard Global 200. As it remains on both rankings (at Nos. 111 and 184, respectively), a remix with some familiar faces debuts separately on the July 3-dated surveys. J Balvin, Karol G and Nicky Jam score the week's highest debut on both the Global Excl. U.S. chart (No. 44) and the Global 200 (No. 50) with "Poblado (Remix)," now sporting the three artists on the original version in featured roles.
With the exception of oft-covered holiday titles, "Poblado" is only the second song to hit the two tallies (since their September 2020 starts) in multiple iterations simultaneously. Balvin & co. follow Travis Scott, whose original 2016 "Goosebumps" has logged 39 weeks on the Global 200; in January, Spanish producer HVME debuted his remix, co-billed with Scott, and both versions have charted alongside one another for most of 2021 so far.
(Additionally, Boney M.'s "Rasputin" has charted in its original 1978 version and via Majestic's remix, but not simultaneously.)
"Poblado (Remix)" arrives with 27.1 million streams and 1,900 sold worldwide in the week ending June 24, according to MRC Data. Both versions of the song over-performed overseas, with 88% of streams for the original and 85% for the remix from outside the U.S., although the remix is significantly more video-forward. In its first full week of release, the remix drew 63% of its streams via video services and 37% from audio platforms, compared to the original's nearly opposite split of 65% audio and 35% video.
The remix's debut, higher than the original's peak on either chart so far, is perhaps not too surprising. While it's the second global chart appearance for Crissin, Totoy El Frio and Natan & Shander, "Poblado (Remix)" is the 16th for Balvin, the seventh for Karol G and the third for Nicky Jam, with their combined star power, prominent in the new video, lending itself to an already showier placement than that of the original.
Elsewhere, South Korean boy band Seventeen secures its first entry on both the Global Excl. U.S. chart and Global 200 as "Ready to Love" starts at Nos. 93 and 188, respectively. The song is from the group's new release Your Choice: 8th Mini Album (released June 18), which arrives at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales and World Albums charts and No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
Also making their first appearances on the Global Excl. U.S. chart: Argentina's Bandido, with "No Me Conocen" (No. 112); Japan's Zutomaya, with "Inside Joke" (No. 122); and Brazil's Mari Fernandez, with "Nao, Nao Vou" (No. 147).
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
