Selena Gomez is back in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated April 5) as “Ojos Tristes,” with Benny Blanco and The Marias, debuts at No. 4. Thanks to the reimagination of Jeanette’s 1981 classic ballad “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes,” Blanco and The Marias secure their first top 10 on their second visit to the chart.
“Ojos Tristes” opens at No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs –which blends airplay, digital sales and streaming data into its formula– thanks to gains mainly through streaming activity. The song registered 8.2 million official streams in the U.S. in the tracking week ending March 27, according to Luminate. The sum yields a No. 3 start on Latin Streaming Songs, the fifth top 10 for Gomez and an equal first top 10 for Blanco and The Marias.
Gomez’s “Ojos Tristes” samples “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes” by Spanish-British Jeanette, who rose to the spotlight in the 1970s. While the song, composed by Manuel Alejandro, did not enter the charts, the singer-songwriter’s global hit, “Porque Te Vas,” reached No. 25 high on Latin Pop Airplay in 2008.
The bilingual “Ojos Tristes” intertwines nostalgic melodies with a modern sound, where Gomez sings in English and Maria Zardoya, of The Marias, lends her soft vocals to mirror Jeanette’s style for a modern audience.
The collaboration has propelled Blanco and The Marias to secure their first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, after each scored an entry. Blanco reached No. 22 high last December as a featured artist on Myke Towers’ “Degenere.” The Marias, meanwhile, scored a No. 17 peak through their Bad Bunny collab “Otro Atardecer” in 2022.
For Gomez, “Ojos Tristes” gives her a fifth top 10 and first since “Selfish Love,” with DJ Snake, debuted and peaked at No. 6 in 2021.
“Ojos Tristes” also makes inroads across other Billboard charts. It debuts at No. 59 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Plus, it starts at No. 63 on the Billboard Global 200 with 19.5 million streams, and at No. 118 on Global Excl. U.S. with 11.3 million clicks outside the U.S.
Sales too assist on the song’s top 10 debut on Hot Latin Songs, as “Ojos Tristes” registers 1,000 downloads in the U.S. which translates into a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales.
