NEWS
Rauw Alejandro
90thshooterRauw Alejandro blasts from No. 31 to No. 3 on the June 12-dated Billboard Global 200 with "Todo de Ti" (and 18-3 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart). It's the Puerto Rican rapper, singer-songwriter and producer's first top three (or even top 20) hit on the worldwide ranking. More rare, it's only the third all-Spanish-language song to hit the top three since the chart premiered in September 2020.
Since the list launched, 35 songs have graced the top three. Most of those are sung entirely in English.
Six top-three hits break the mold, however, and can be split into two categories. The first is for songs in a mix of languages, one of which is English. The second is for songs written and performed entirely in languages other than English.
The former category includes three Korean/English-language songs, two of which held the top two positions on the Oct. 17, 2020, chart. That week, Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo and BTS ruled the ranking with "Savage Love – Laxed (Siren Beat)." The then-new BTS remix of the track added lyrics in Korean in addition to the song's original English blueprint. Directly beneath was BLACKPINK with a No. 2 debut for "Lovesick Girls," with verses trading off between the two languages.
In December, BTS was back atop the list with "Life Goes On," a primarily Korean-language song that features some prominent English lyrics in its chorus.
The second category, for songs with no English, includes three hits, all in Spanish.
Again, two of those songs charted in the top three simultaneously. Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez's "Dakiti" ruled the Nov. 21-dated ranking, while Maluma's "Hawái" rose to No. 3. Ultimately, "Dakiti" scored three weeks at No. 1 in November-December and stretched to a total of 10 nonconsecutive weeks in the top three, becoming the only song with non-English vocals to rank in the top three for more than one week so far.
While holding the same position on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, the song performed better internationally, with 91% of its streams and 54% of its sales from outside the U.S., compared to the week's respective averages of 75% and 46%.
And while the track's streams split 55% vs. 45% in terms of audio vs. video, that breakdown slants closer toward video than the average song on the Global 200 this week, which derived 78% of all streams from audio services. The song's giddy roller-rink themed (and Shaquille O'Neal-featuring) official video drew 45.7 million streams worldwide in the tracking week, helping the song, which Alejandro teased on social media ahead of its official May 21 release, further cut through the competition on the global stage.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
