It took just one song for Colombian ARIA VEGA to make her Billboard debut — and go straight to No. 1. “Chévere,” her collaboration with Ryan Castro, rockets 6-1 on the overall Latin Airplay chart dated Sept. 19, giving VEGA her first chart-topper and Castro his second.
“I’m receiving this incredible news from Madrid, where I’m attending Fashion Week with a wonderful Colombian brand,” VEGA tells Billboard. “Soon, I’ll return to Macondo to open for Shakira during her residency at Macondo Park. I am also recording reimagined versions of my songs infused with Colombia’s coastal sounds, including drums and gaita flutes, so I couldn’t be happier!”
“Chévere,” on AWOO/Warner Latina, hits No. 1 on the overall Latin Airplay chart after a 23% gain in audience impressions, to 6.6 million, earned during the Sept. 4-10 tracking week in the United States, according to Luminate. The song removes Jay Wheeler’s “De Lejitos” after two weeks in charge — it falls to No. TK.
“I’m incredibly excited,” Castro shares with Billboard from Washington D.C, one of the stops on his SENDÉ World tour. “’Chévere’ [which translates to ‘cool’ in English] is a song I sing every night, so seeing it reach No. 1 on Latin Airplay fills me with pride. I’m very grateful to ARIA, my team, and everyone who continues to support my music.”
If we take a closer look at activity surrounding Latin Airplay in 2026, 33 songs have hit No. 1 this year, 23 have been collaborations—including 15 duets. But “Chévere” stands apart, as the only chart-topper by two Colombian artists, and just the sixth No. 1 by soloists from the same country. Other same-nation pairings include Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny and RaiNao with “Perfumito Nuevo” and Zion and Chencho Corleone with “Caducaste”; Romeo Santos and Prince Royce, representing Dominican Republic, with “Lokita Por Mí” and “Dardos”; and Mexico’s Xavi and Carín León with “La Morrita.”
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Chévere” also hits No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay, where Castro adds his second champ. Plus, it rises to new peaks on the multi-metric charts Hot Latin Songs and Hot Latin Rhythm Songs, at Nos. 21 and 12, respectively.
“I really love ARIA’s music,” shares Castro. “I sent her a DM because I truly liked what she was doing, and from there, everything came together very organically. The chemistry behind creating ‘Chévere’ felt incredibly natural.”
