Mexican group Los Ángeles de Charly earn their first No. 1 on a Billboard radio chart – and any Billboard song ranking – with “El Primer Tonto,” which climbs 7-1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay ranking (dated Sept. 28). The Carlos Becies-led ensemble previously hit No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums in 2001 with its third studio album, Te Voy a Enamorar.
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“Thank, thank you, thank you,” Becies tells Billboard. “I’m a bit nervous and super grateful with all the support with this song and all the people who were part of this beautiful project. It’s a beautiful surprise for us a group that motivates us to keep on going.”
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“El Primer Tonto,” originally composed and released by Mexican group Los Freddy’s in 1980, was later popularized by Joan Sebastian who secured a No. 7 high with the song on Regional Mexican Airplay in January 2002.
With its romantic cumbia turn, “El Primer Tonto,” released June 7 via VMG/Colmena/Azteca Records, takes Los Ángeles de Charly to their first No. 1 on a radio ranking thanks to a 47% surge in audience impressions, to 6.6 million, earned in the U.S. for the tracking week of Sept. 13-19, according to Luminate.
Thanks to “El Primer Tonto,” imprints VMG and Colmena secure their first No. 1 on any Billboard chart. In addition to the two imprints, the “El Primer Tonto” triumph also gives Azteca Records its second champ as a label, following La Fiera de Ojinaga’s one-week reign on Regional Mexican Airplay with “La Luna de Miel” in August 2022.
Los Ángeles de Charly’s first champ on Regional Mexican Airplay arrives 20 years after their last top 10, when “Y Qué” reached No. 10 high in May 2004. In sum, the Mexican cumbia group have logged six top 10s since 1999, with the No. 4-peaking “Un Sueño” in 2001 their highest-charting song until now.
Elsewhere, “El Primer Tonto” advances to its No. 3 peak on the overall Latin Airplay tally, where Los Ángeles de Charly earn their first top 10 to date.
The song is part of the group’s forthcoming studio album to be released in December 2024.