Spotify’s Top 50 chart leaves no doubt that the dominance of English-language songs is becoming a thing of the past. The chart now includes tracks in no fewer than 16 languages, and the presence of non-English songs is growing at breakneck speed, having doubled since 2020.
For many people, stepping outside English, especially when it is their mother tongue, is a complicated step. But, as the slogan of a popular snack brand puts it, ‘once you pop, you can’t stop’. Music is perhaps the most pleasurable gateway into other languages and cultures. It is no coincidence that enrolments in Spanish have shot up on Duolingo, or that K-pop has sparked an unprecedented boom in learning Korean. Music opens up whole worlds.
The numbers back up that perception. According to Luminate’s 2025 report, in the United States Spanish-language music racked up 120.9 billion streams, putting it neck and neck with Country as the second most-consumed genre.
According to data from the Instituto Cervantes, a quarter of the songs in YouTube and Spotify’s charts are already in Spanish, which is the language of 21% of the 500 most streamed tracks on the Swedish platform, second only to English. In a year when consumption of English-language music fell by 3.8%, Spanish grew by exactly the same percentage.
There is still a way to go before the Anglophone hegemony is broken: English still dominates 75% of that same ranking. And artists who sing in French or Italian are still struggling to truly break into the global mainstream.
But something has shifted at a structural level. Eduardo Viñuela, Professor of Musicology at the University of Oviedo, explains it clearly: this is not just an economic phenomenon, although the growing purchasing power of the Latino community, which in the United States, taken together, would have a combined capital equivalent to the GDP of the country’s second-largest state, also matters.
“Those driving this boom are the children of migrants, US-born natives who claim their identity as Latinos: they find in Spanish-language culture a way of giving shape to that identity,” says Viñuela.
Singers no longer use a neutral, sanitised Spanish, as Ricky Martin did in his early days: they use their own slang, their accent, their neighbourhood as the backbone of their music. That creates a connection no algorithm can manufacture.
The turning point, in any case, has a date: 2017. That year, ‘Despacito’ dethroned ‘Gangnam Style’ as the most-watched video in YouTube history and put reggaeton’s syncopated beat at the top of Spotify’s charts for the first time. Since then, the curve has only gone one way: up. These are some of the artists dominating the airwaves right now. Which ones are on your playlist?
Spanish
Spanish is now the second most-sung language in the world, and its music scene is, in Viñuela’s own words, ‘impossible to take in’. Euronews has interviewed the CEO of the Latin Grammys and his verdict is just as clear: ‘International success no longer depends on singing in English’.
Beyond the big names that dominate covers and headlines, there is a dazzling wealth of music on offer, ranging from Mexican corridos tumbados to hybrid neo-folk, via experimental flamenco, auteur reggaeton and electronic music rooted in Latin American traditions.
The stereotype that linked Spanish exclusively with Latin urban beats is, definitively, a thing of the past.
Bad Bunny
There is a reason he is the most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify. Puerto Rican Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is not a virtuoso singer in the classical sense, but he has something far more valuable: a unique ability to capture the Latin American experience with pride, melancholy and humour.
Heir to a long tradition of artists such as Víctor Jara or Silvio Rodríguez, who gave voice to pan-American social consciousness, Bad Bunny carries that torch into the 21st century without losing an ounce of street edge or syncopation. Start with ‘Tití Me Preguntó’, a pure, overflowing celebration, and follow it with ‘Moscow Mule’ to discover his more sensual and experimental side. This year, 2026, he delivered the headline performance at the Super Bowl.
Rosalía
Most of the major artists singing in Spanish come from Latin America. Rosalía is the great Spanish exception – and what an exception. The Catalan singer has built one of the most distinctive careers in contemporary music, fusing flamenco, pop, R&B and electronic music on her album ‘Lux’ with a boldness that has no equal.
This blending of genres and roots is not new in the history of Spanish-language music – flamenco itself was born from the encounter between Roma and Moorish cultures on the fringes of 15th-century Andalusian cities – but Rosalía takes it into territory that is entirely her own. To get to know her, start with ‘Con Altura’ and then dive into ‘Malamente’, the track with which she won the Latin Grammy and which shows where it all comes from.
Shakira
She is hardly a new discovery, of course, but the Colombian has spent three decades as a force of nature and deserves a place on any self-respecting list. She belongs to that school of pop singer-songwriters who developed the so-called Miami sound in the late 1990s, alongside Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias, paving the way for everything that followed.
Beyond her English-language hits, her catalogue in Spanish is outstanding: ‘Suerte’, ‘La Tortura’ and the more recent ‘Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte’ all prove that when she sings in her own language, Shakira is unstoppable.
Karol G
Colombia is also home to Carolina Giraldo Navarro, Karol G, one of the fifty most-streamed artists on Spotify. She has achieved what few have: breaking into the global mainstream without abandoning Spanish or diluting her sound.
‘Provenza’ is one of the most beautiful and personal songs of her career, a love letter to Medellín. And ‘Mañana Será Bonito’, the album that finally catapulted her to the top, shows that urban pop in Spanish can be every bit as complex and emotional as any other.
Peso Pluma
Mexican artist Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija perfectly embodies the other trend Viñuela highlights as decisive: norteño music and corridos tumbados, genres with deep roots in Mexico that have crashed into the global mainstream with unexpected force.
His fusion of norteño brass band music with trap sounds just as good in Guadalajara as it does in Madrid or Los Angeles. Start with ‘La Bebe’ or ‘Ella Baila Sola’, then dive into his album ‘Génesis’ to understand why half the planet is talking about him.
Feid
Colombian artist Feid is the great seducer of today’s reggaeton. With more than 5 billion streams in 2025, his catalogue is a mix of sensuality and flawless production. He does not have one gigantic viral hit, but an enviable level of consistency. Try ‘Normal’, his collaboration with Young Miko, or ‘Brickell’ to step into his nocturnal, sophisticated universe.
Rauw Alejandro
Puerto Rico is not just Bad Bunny. Rauw Alejandro has spent years building one of the most eclectic catalogues in Latin urban pop, blending reggaeton, R&B and electronic pop with remarkable ease.
The Boricua school, which also includes Ozuna and Anuel AA, has, in Viñuela’s view, permanently changed the scale of cultural consumption in Spanish. ‘Lokera’, his collaboration with Jhay Cortez, is pure adrenaline, but anyone wanting to discover his more intimate side should listen to ‘Hayami’.
French
French is one of those languages that, paradoxically, still has yet to truly take off in global pop despite the enormous richness of its scene. There are, however, some encouraging signs.
Angèle
Belgian singer Marie-Angèle Lobé Dictus, better known as Angèle, is one of the brightest voices in today’s Francophone pop. Her pop is sophisticated, ironic and catchy in equal measure, and her lyrics display a rare intelligence for the genre.
‘Nombreux’, her reflection on fame and loneliness, is one of her most candid songs. And ‘Tout oublier’, her duet with her brother Roméo Elvis, is one of those tracks that stay with you for good.
Aya Nakamura
The Franco-Malian artist is, statistically, the most listened-to French singer in the world, a fact that has sparked both pride and some mean-spirited controversy in France. Her blend of Afropop, dancehall and R&B in French is utterly addictive. ‘Jolie’ and ‘Sucette’ are two great entry points for anyone who has yet to discover her: rhythm, attitude and a larger-than-life personality that needs no translation.
Stromae
You cannot talk about music in French without mentioning Belgian artist Stromae, one of the most original musicians of the last two decades. His dark, conceptual electropop tackles themes such as depression, loneliness and loss with a rawness that is as unsettling as it is moving. ‘Santé’ shows his more festive, accessible side, but ‘L’enfer’, in which he spoke openly about his suicidal thoughts, is one of the bravest moments in recent music.
Korean
If there is one phenomenon that has decisively proved that music in another language can conquer the world, it is K-pop. Hallyu, the Korean wave, has brought with it a genuine interest in the language: Korean courses on Duolingo grew by 22% last year. The end of English’s monopoly on the charts, researchers note, owes a great deal to this domino effect.
Stray Kids
If BTS opened the door, Stray Kids have knocked it down. The group from JYP Entertainment is one of the most powerful acts in K-pop today and, unlike many of their peers, they write and produce almost all their own music.
Their sound is darker and more experimental than that of many other groups in the genre. Start with ‘특(S-Class)’ to see what they can do, and then move on to ‘MIROH’ to understand their philosophy.
Seventeen
Thirteen members, three units, one vision. Seventeen are probably the most self-sufficient group in K-pop: they write their lyrics, choreograph their performances and produce much of their music. ‘Left & Right’ is the perfect entry point, bright and straightforward, while ‘Clap’ captures their most festive, irresistible side.
Blackpink
The biggest girl group in K-pop remains an unstoppable force. ‘Pink Venom’ is a ferocious statement of intent, with hard-hitting production and an uncompromising attitude, while ‘Lovesick Girls’ reveals their more melodic, emotional side.
BTS
The pioneers of the global K-pop phenomenon are back after their break for military service. Their catalogue is vast and varied, but for anyone wanting to go beyond their best-known hits, ‘Spring Day’ is a melancholic masterpiece that shows why this group transcends labels. ‘Boy With Luv’ is pure joy distilled into three minutes.
Portuguese
Brazilian funk was the fastest-growing genre in the world last year, with its audience up 36%. Brazil, which has spent decades exporting bossa nova and samba across the globe, now has a new generation of artists storming the international charts from a completely different starting point.
Ludmilla
Ludmilla started out in the favelas of Rio and today has millions of listeners around the world. ‘Rainha da Favela’ is her calling card, but ‘Cobra Venenosa’ shows that her reach goes far beyond funk and that she can tackle pagode with equal mastery.
Anitta
No one has done more to internationalise Brazilian music than Anitta. ‘Envolver’ was the first track by a Brazilian artist to reach number one on Spotify’s global chart. To understand where she comes from, listen to ‘Funk Rave’ and let the dancing do the rest.
Japanese
Mrs. GREEN APPLE
Japan has spent decades producing music of immense quality that rarely crossed its borders. That is starting to change. This Tokyo pop-rock band has broken into the international charts with exuberant melodies and an emotional punch that needs no translation. Listen to ‘Magic’ or ‘Soranji’ and you will see that Japanese can sound as universal as any other language.
Arabic
Elyanna
The Palestinian artist, born in Nazareth, is 24 and has already joined Coldplay on their world tours. But beyond those collaborations with Anglophone pop, it is her music in Arabic that deserves all the attention. ‘Ala Bali’ is a disarmingly beautiful ballad, and ‘Mama’ shows her at her most vulnerable and most powerful.
Saint Levant
The 25-year-old Palestinian artist has built a social media phenomenon from the diaspora, mixing Arabic, French and English in a project that defies any easy label. ‘5AM in Paris’ is a perfect example of that irreverent, magnetic fusion. One of the most interesting and necessary artists of the moment.
Italian
Italian is perhaps the language with the biggest outstanding debt in global pop: a tongue of extraordinary musicality that rarely transcends its own market, with a few exceptions.
Måneskin
Eurovision rarely produces global stars. Måneskin are the great exception. The Roman quartet have shown that rock in Italian can fill stadiums all over the world. ‘MAMMAMIA’ is an explosion of unbridled energy and cheeky humour, while ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’ presents them in their most international guise without sacrificing an ounce of attitude.
Ultimo
Far less well known outside Italy, Niccolò Moriconi, aka Ultimo, is one of his country’s most-streamed singer-songwriters, with an intimate, emotional pop-rock style that strikes a visceral chord with his generation. ‘Piccola Stella’ and ‘Giusy’ are two examples of a sensitivity rarely found in today’s pop.
The conclusion is simple: the world is far too big, and far too full of music, to stick only to Anglophone songs.
Data bears it out, and the listeners who have already taken the plunge have no intention of going back.
English will continue to dominate the charts for years to come. But for the first time in decades, its monopoly is starting to crack.