After 16 years, Tainy returns to the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as his latest album, Data, rallies 35-2 on the July-15 dated ranking after its first full week of activity.
“I really try not to expect too much even though I’m working with superstars in this album,” Tainy tells Billboard. “My first thought is doing something both me and the artist love. I rather bring something amazing and different that at first could be weird, but grows on people with time. But I’m so happy it started the way it did, it’s mind-blowing.”
Data dropped June 29, the final day of the previous chart’s tracking week (albums are typically released on a Friday) and debuted on Top Latin Albums at No. 35 (July 8 ranking) from one day of activity. After its first official tracking week, the 19-track set surges to No. 2 with 31,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate.
Most of Data’s first-week sum derives from streaming, which equates to 40.52 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. The remainder balance is a negligible amount of album sales and tracking-equivalent album units combined. An equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album (track equivalent album units, TEA), or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album (streaming equivalent album units, SEA).
Data gives Tainy his highest charting album in more than 16 years on Top Latin Albums, since Más Flow: Los Benjamins with Luny Tunes launched at No. 1 in 2006. His maiden champ reigned for two weeks, and granted indie label Mas Flow, founded by Luney Tunes, its first and only No. 1 there. Data follows Tainy’s co-released album Dynasty with Yandel, which peaked at No. 25 in 2021.
“Figuring out dates to work on tracks with the artists was the toughest thing,” Tainy adds. “They’re superstars, so they’re touring, doing their own projects so that takes time to put it together and make it sound cohesive. But it’s a process I knew was gonna take time, so we made it work.”
As Data hits No. 2 on Top Latin Albums, Tainy brings Neon16 similar fortune: The indie label founded by the Puerto Rican producer alongside former Roc Nation executive Lex Borrero concurrently picks up its first and only top 10 on an albums chart. Previously, Neon 16 Tape: The Kids That Grew Up on Reggaetón earned the indie label a No. 45 high in March 2020.
Tainy’s catalogue of projects date back to the 2000s, since he was 16 years old; he’s produced for reggaetón heavy hitters, some of which appear on the beatmaker’s 19-song new album. They include Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, Wisin & Yandel, Arcángel, Zion, Ozuna and others, and share a space with a younger and varied range of collaborators, such as Julieta Venegas, Rauw Alejandro, Young Miko, The Marias, Kany García, Feid and more.
In the songs realm, Data was preceded by only one song, the No. 2-peaking “Lo Siente Bebe :/” with Bad Bunny and Julieta Venegas (October 2021). Data also brings in three new recruits on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, including one top 10: “Mojabi Ghost” with Bad Bunny debuts at No. 2, “Pasiempre” with Arcángel and Jhayco featuring Myke Towers at No. 28, and “La Baby” with Daddy Yankee and Feid featuring Sech at No. 47.
About the tracks Tainy concludes: “Each song represents me and my career in different ways, from artist and sounds that inspired me in the beginning to the new genres I’ve grown to love and artists that nowadays inspire me in a new way. Tough to choose just one.”
Beyond its No. 2 rise on Top Latin Albums, Data concurrently soars 19-1 on Latin Rhythm Albums, and debuts at No. 11 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
