Billboard got to sit courtside at the New York Liberty’s WNBA opening game and championship ceremony, and we take you inside what you missed on the big night, including an interview with Jonquel Jones.
Are you excited for this WNBA season? Let us know in the comments!
Narrator:
Billboard was courtside for the New York Liberty’s opening game of the WNBA season. See them celebrate their first championship in Billboard All Access. The New York Liberty showed up in their stylish ‘fits, ready to celebrate along with their famous mascot, Ellie the Elephant. The team celebrated their first championship in franchise history with diamond-encrusted championship rings and by raising the franchise’s first championship banner. Finals MVP Jonquel Jones shared what it was like to celebrate in her native country of the Bahamas. All this happened before their opening game tipped off against the Las Vegas Aces. Ellie the Elephant transformed into “Ellie Minaj” and entertained the crowd with her Nicki Minaj-themed halftime show.
Bad Bunny is set to take over the world with his ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ Tour and is doing a residency in Puerto Rico; Beéle leads the way at this year’s Heat Latin Music Awards alongside heavy-hitters like Bad Bunny, Feid and Karol G; and J Balvin voices a role in the anime series ‘Solo Leveling: A Rise From the Shadows.’
Tetris Kelly Bad Bunny announces who gets all the love while he prepares to perform his new album on tour as he and several other massive Latin stars grab nominations at the Heat Latin Music Awards going down Thursday, May 29, in Medellin, Colombia, and J Balvin shows even more love to anime culture. Let’s dive in.
We all know Benito is performing a 30-day residency in his beloved Puerto Rico, which is set to draw an estimated 250,000 visitors to the island over the summer. But then he’s taking on the world as he kicks off the ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ World Tour in November in the Dominican Republic, before headlining stadiums in Europe, Australia and Latin America. But will he make two stops at Medellin?
Beéle leads this year’s nominations at the Heat Latin Music Awards with seven nods, including Best Urban Artist and Song of the Year. He’s followed by six-time nominees Bad Bunny and Feid. Artists like Karol G and Camilo have four nominations each. The event is being held in Colombia for the first time, and fans can vote online now. When not touring, J Balvin has been spending time voicing a key character in the second season of anime show ‘Solo Leveling: A Rise From the Shadows,’ voicing a major role in both English and Spanish in the current season that premiered January 4 on the Crunchy Roll streaming platform. Well, now he will be joining Kacey Musgraves to present at the 2025 Crunchy Roll Anime Awards. For all your Latin and music news coverage, keep it locked with Billboard.
LISA and Bose teamed up for a collaboration of new Ultra Open earbuds. We went to the pop-up for the new collab, and we show you the new goodies that we got.
Will you be snagging LISA’s Bose earbuds? Let us know in the comments!
Tetris Kelly:
We got the full scoop on LISA’s Bose pop-up boutique in Los Angeles. With some sparkle and shine, LISA took over Melrose. Fans got a first look at the new Ultra Open earbuds, took photos and even got some fro-yo. You can see we got the sweetest LISA gift bag, and had to show you what’s inside. A Lisa sticker, a cookie too cute to eat, and a nice surprise to find some beautiful crystal soap. The packaging is branded with LISA’s hallmark star, so we’re obsessed. We got to test out the new earbuds, and you already know we’re bopping to some LISA in style.
Diddy’s trial started on Monday, May 12th, and we’re breaking down what’s happened in the first two days of the trial, including his charges, opening statements, Cassie taking the stand and more.
What do you think of Diddy’s trial so far? Let us know in the comments.
Tetris Kelly:
All right, guys, so this is not a fun one, but the Diddy trial kicked off, and I’m, for one, in shock that they decided that the defense’s argument was gonna be, yeah, there was domestic violence, but not sex trafficking. Like what?
Judy Sanchez:
It’s a lot to take in. Like, racketeering is a very serious charge, but so is domestic violence. So to sort of brush that under the rug, and especially with Cassie knowing that she’s taking the stand pregnant, I don’t know, the optics are very intense. You know, it was, it was a lot of intense, graphic news coming from the Diddy trial this morning.
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, it’s so interesting that you phrase it that way, because I think sex trafficking, racketeering, it’s like, and there’s been all this evidence that’s been in the media, what would your argument be to defend Diddy at this point?
Stefanie Tanaka:
Yeah. I mean, I’m not sure there’s much. He’s gonna try to save his a–, I’m sure. But, you know, I don’t know how you can, I mean, your crimes are bad enough. I don’t know if there’s much. I mean, the lawyers are gonna do their jobs because they’re lawyers, but I don’t know, like, if there’s any way he could really get out of it. I mean, they’re pretty serious. All the allegations we’ve heard, the video evidence with Cassie in the hotel.
Sandra Oh, Brenda Song, Jon M. Chu, Laufey and more shared life lessons with those pursuing their dreams during a camera-lens signing on the Gold Gala red carpet.
Daniel Dae Kim:
A lesson I’d like to give the next generation.
Tayme Thapthimthong:
I guess I’m an example of someone who you know I came from, from England to Thailand, and I’ve always wanted to be in Hollywood as an actor. And it finally happened. You’ve just got to keep doing it, you know, and enjoy the process. That’s the important thing.
Alexa Rabago:
The lesson that I hope they can take away is to really believe in something that you’re passionate for, whether it goes against the grain, or it’s something that’s not usual, or it’s taboo, maybe, and if you’re really passionate about it, to just go for it.
Hayley Kiyoko:
I’ve been trying to get this film Girls Like Girls made for 10 years, and it’s now getting made, and I’m directing it as a woman of color. It’s so exciting to get to share this night with everyone and just never give up on your dreams. As simple as that.
Eric Nam:
Anything is possible and you can just do it. You should just do it, and there’s nothing stopping other than yourself.
Jon M. Chu
Make your sh– great. Make it so great they can’t ignore it. And you’re gonna have to survive some things in order to make great things. So be as creative to figure out how to survive as you are making the thing. So don’t put that aside saying ‘That’s not my job.’ Make it all your job, because it’s your responsibility to get it made.
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos returns to the top, jumping 7-1 on the May 17-dated chart after its vinyl release, while Fuerza Regida achieves its highest-charting album ever, as the band’s new 111XPANTIA debuts at No. 2.
Fuerza Regida also lays claim to the highest-charting Spanish-language album by a duo or group, or a regional Mexican music album, ever.
Related
Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 After Vinyl Release
Debí Tirar Más Fotos adds a fourth total week atop the list, as it previously spent three weeks at No. 1, consecutively, on the Jan. 25-Feb. 8-dated charts.
The Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular weekly basis in March 1956.
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 May 17, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 13. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
In the tracking week ending May 8, Debí Tirar Más Fotos earned 84,500 equivalent album units in the United States — with album sales comprising 48,000 (essentially all vinyl purhases), according to Luminate. As for 111XPANTIA, it earned 76,000 units — and of that, 39,000 were album sales.
Let’s take a look at some of the major milestones achieved this week by the teaming of Bad Bunny and Fuerza Regida in the top two slots of the Billboard 200.
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, jumping 7-1 on the May 17-dated chart, following the set’s release on vinyl. It’s the fourth total week atop the list for the Spanish-language project, which spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Jan. 25-Feb. 8-dated charts. In the tracking week ending May 8, Debí Tirar Más Fotos earned 84,500 equivalent album units (up 123%) in the United States, with more than half of the sum driven by vinyl purchases, according to Luminate.
It’s a historic week for Latin music, as Fuerza Regida — Billboard’s year-end top duo/group in both 2024 and 2023 — achieves its first top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200 with the band’s 111XPANTIA bowing at No. 2. In turn, for the first time in the 69-year history of the all-genre chart, Spanish-language albums are Nos. 1 and 2 at the same time. Further, 111XPANTIA marks the highest-charting Spanish-language album by a duo or group, and the highest-charting regional Mexican music album.
Related
Bad Bunny Announces Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour: Here Are the Dates
Plus, rapper Key Glock notches his fourth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Glockaveli premieres at No. 8.
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 May 17, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 13. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ 84,500 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 8, album sales — essentially all vinyl — comprise a little over 48,000 (up 15,099%, it reenters Top Album Sales for its first week at No. 1), SEA units comprise just over 36,000 (down 3%, equaling 50.27 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it falls 5-6 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise under 500 units (down 8%).
The album’s 48,000 sold marks the largest single-week sales for a Latin music album in nearly six years, since Santana’s Africa Speakssold 57,000 copies in its first week (June 22, 2019-dated chart), driven by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer for the act’s then-upcoming tour. Such offers are no longer chart-eligible.
Debí Tirar Más Fotos surges back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after its vinyl shipments to customers impacted the tracking week — to the tune of nearly 48,000 copies. That’s the largest sales week for a Latin album on vinyl in the modern era (since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991). It surpasses the previous record, held by the opening week of Kali Uchis’ Orquídeas (20,000 sold across seven variants; on the Jan. 27, 2024-dated chart).
Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ lone vinyl edition — on blue-colored double-vinyl in a gatefold package — was sold exclusively via Bad Bunny’s official webstore for $29.98. It went up for pre-order in early February and was then (per the store) “estimated to ship on/around the end of April 2025.” The vinyl is currently sold out on the artist’s webstore, and it has not been announced if the vinyl will be restocked, or sold through any other seller. (The blue-colored vinyl is the only physical format on which the set has been released. It has yet to be issued on CD or any other physical format, and has only been available to purchase as a download.)
Since Debí Tirar Más Fotos debuted on the Jan. 18-dated Billboard 200 (at No. 2), it has yet to leave the top 10 after 18 weeks, with its chart fortunes largely fueled by continued strong streaming of its songs.
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Fuerza Regida debuts with its highest-charting album ever, and first top 10, as 111XPANTIA arrives with 76,000 equivalent album units earned — the band’s best week ever by units.
The set also becomes the highest-charting Spanish-language album by a duo or group (surpassing the No. 4 peak of Maná’s Amar Es Combatir in 2006), and for a regional Mexican music album (higher than the No. 3 peak of Peso Pluma’s Génesis in 2023).
111XPANTIA also earns the largest week, by units, for any Spanish-language album by a duo or group, and by a regional Mexican album, since the chart began ranking by units in December 2014. The previous high, in that span of time, for a Spanish language album by a duo or group was Santana’s Africa Speaks (57,000 in its opening week, in 2019), while the previous high for a regional Mexican title was Génesis (73,000 in its debut frame in 2023).
Of the 76,000 units earned by 111XPANTIA in its opening week, album sales comprise 39,000 (the band’s best sales week ever, and the biggest sales week for a regional Mexican album in the modern era; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 37,000 (equaling 50.44 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 5 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
With 39,000 copies sold, 111XPANTIA surpasses the previous largest sales week for a regional Mexican title, when Selena’s Amor Prohibido sold 36,000 copies on the chart dated May 6, 1995, in the wake of her death in March of that year.
111XPANTIA was released on May 2 as a 12-song standard album, widely available as a digital download for purchase and via streaming services. On May 5, a deluxe edition of the set, with three bonus tracks, was issued via download services and streamers. The band’s official webstore carried the only physical format editions of the album: the 12-song version on four color vinyl variants, a standard CD, a signed CD (by the group’s lead singer, Jesús Ortíz Paz) and four deluxe boxed sets (two containing a branded T-shirt and a signed CD, two with a branded hat and a signed CD).
The new album was preceded by its hit single “Por Esos Ojos,” which reached No. 5 on Hot Latin Songs (March 1 chart), No. 3 on Hot Regional Mexican Songs (May 10), No. 5 on Latin Streaming Songs (March 1) and No. 79 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (March 15).
111XPANTIA is the sixth charting effort on the Billboard 200 for Fuerza Regida, and the third to reach the top 40 (after PERO NO TE ENAMORES, No. 25 in 2024; and Pa las Baby’s y Belikeada, No. 14 in 2023). The group’s success has also extended to the Hot 100, where the act charted 13 song entries before the new album dropped.
Prior to the new album’s release, the group also logged eight top 10s (with one No. 1) on the Top Latin Albums chart, and 10 top 10s (with five No. 1s) on the Regional Mexican Albums chart.
(Latin and regional Mexican albums are defined as those that are eligible for, or have charted on, Billboard’s Top Latin Albums and Top Regional Mexican Albums charts, respectively.)
Nos. 2-7 on the latest Billboard 200 are all former chart-toppers. SZA’s SOS slips 2-3 (52,000 equivalent album units, though up 1%), Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is steady at No. 4 (46,000; down less than 1%), Kendrick Lamar’s GNX dips 3-5 (45,000; down 7%), Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet falls 5-6 (41,000; down 6%) and PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U descends 6-7 (40,000; down 7%).
Key Glock lands his fourth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 at Glockaveli debuts at No. 8 with 34,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 28,000 (equaling 37.28 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 12 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 6,000 (it enters at No. 9 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Glockaveli was released on May 2 as a standard 18-song album, widely available as a digital download to purchase and via streaming services. The standard set was also available on CD (both signed and unsigned), vinyl (standard, color vinyl and signed color vinyl) and a deluxe boxed set containing a branded T-shirt and a CD. A deluxe edition of the album, with three bonus tracks, dropped mid-week — first via the artist’s webstore on May 4, and then wide the following day to general download services and streamers.
Rounding out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 are Morgan Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album (rising 10-9 with 33,500 equivalent album units; up 1%) and Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (falling 8-10 with 32,000; down 8%).
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.
