Prince Royce‘s cover of Backstreet Boys‘ “I Want It That Way” reaches new heights, as the song climbs 2-1 on Billboard’s overall Latin Airplay chart (dated Dec. 6). The song also banks its fifth week atop the Tropical Airplay list.
“Reaching No. 1 on both the Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay charts with ‘I Want It That Way’ is incredibly special to me — especially knowing it marks my 19th No. 1 on the former,” Royce tells Billboard. “This song represents a bridge between cultures and generations, and I’m grateful to the fans and radio stations who continue to believe in my music and take this journey with me.”
“I Want It That Way” rises 2-1 with 10 million in audience impressions in the United States during the tracking week ending Nov. 27, as reported by Luminate. The song’s 23% improvement from the week prior ejects Karol G and Feid’s “Verano Rosa” from No. 1, as the latter drops to No. 9 with a 5.3 million impressions, down 35%.
With the reimagined “I Want It That Way,” Prince Royce earns his 19th No. 1 on Latin Airplay. The track debuted on Tropical Airplay in August and has now spent five weeks atop that list.
Royce strengthens his position as the tropical act with the second-most rulers on the 30-year-old Latin Airplay chart, trailing only Romeo Santos, who continues to lead with 22 chart-toppers.
“I Want It That Way” builds on the success of the album Eterno’s first single, a redux of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love,” which became Royce’s first track from his top 10 set to reach No. 1 on Latin Airplay (one week in June).
As mentioned, “I Want It That Way” adds a fifth week atop the Tropical Airplay chart, matching the No. 1 run of Royce’s “How Deep” track.
Elsewhere, thanks to its radio haul, the song rises to its No. 23 peak on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, which combines radio airplay, streaming activity and digital sales into its formula.
El Fantasma Wins Big: Beyond the new No. 1 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, the Regional Mexican Airplay ranking sports a new winner, El Fantasma. The singer-songwriter’s new single “La Lotería” jumps 3-1 for its first week in charge, following a 43% gain in audience impressions during the tracking period, to 8.1 million.
Released via Afinarte Music in July, “La Lotería,” a slow but steady climber on Regional Mexican Airplay, earns El Fantasma a ninth chart-topper, and his second ruler of 2025 (“Ya Me Vale Madre” reigned for one week in June).
The song also breaks new ground on Latin Airplay, moving from No. 9 to No. 3.
All Billboard charts dated Dec. 6 will update tomorrow, Dec. 2, on Billboard.com.
