Jay Wheeler’s ‘De Lejitos’ Gets Up Close With No. 1 on Latin Airplay: ‘Fills Me With Great Pride’

Plus, Banda El Recodo scores big with a cover of a 1958 classic by Antonio Aguilar. Jay Wheeler Ricardo Whartoon Trending on Billboard Jay Wheeler’s “De Lejitos” is no longer distant from the No. 1 spot, as the song jumps 2-1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Aug. 29). The new chart-topper arrives just five months after the Puerto Rican led the overall Latin radio ranking in March. “’De Lejitos’ is a special song for me,” Wheeler shares with Billboard. “Today it’s a success because it went from being my daughter Aiunii’s favorite to becoming a favorite among all my fans, long before my team and I decided to officially release it. Every time I release music, I do it with the intention of getting everyone to dance, sing, and be happy listening to my songs, and reaching No. 1 on Billboard simply fills me with great pride. “De Lejitos” lands at the summit on Latin Airplay with 6.7 million audience impressions earned in the United States during the Aug. 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate; that’s a 4% growth from the week prior. “De Lejitos” began its chart journey with a top 20 debut on the Hot Latin Songs chart in April, holding in the top 10 for nearly 11 straight weeks. Its only detour from the upper region came during Karol G’s blockbuster debut week (dated Aug. 12), when songs from her album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto flooded the multi-metric tally, sending the song from No. 7 to No. 18, and back to the top 10 on this week’s chart, at No. 8, from streaming gain. On Latin Airplay, “De Lejitos” spent three weeks in the top 20 before landing at No. 2 last week. With its new ruling result, Wheeler ups his chart-topping count to four No. 1s. It follows “Viendo El Techo,” “Dos Tragos,” and its latest “Si Te Vas,” with Jay Balvin, all one-week champs between 2021-26. Band El Recodo Revives Antonio Aguilar’s 1958 ‘La Cama De Piedra’ For No. 1: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Banda El Recodo de Cruz de Lizárraga picks up its 21st No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay with “La Cama de Piedra.” The new reworked version of Antonio Aguilar’s hit, released in 1958, was produced by his son Pepe Aguilar and Alfonso ‘Poncho’ Lizárraga, band leader. “La Cama de Piedra” rises after a 10% gain in impressions, to 5.9 million, earned during the tracking week. The song trades places with Xavi’s “Dosis” which leaves the top spot after an equal 10% decline, to 5.6 million. With its 21st Regional Mexican Airplay No. 1, Banda El Recodo now claims seven leaders in the ‘20s —the most that it has earned in any decade, following two in the 1990s and six each in the 2000s and ‘10s. The group also ties with Intocable for the fourth-most champs since the chart began in 1994. Here’s the list of champs: No. 1s, Artist29, Calibre 5022, Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga22, La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho21, Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga21, Intocable18, Los Tigres del Norte17, Christian Nodal17, Grupo Frontera Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up