One thing about me is that I love listening to music from artists all over the world. I find that when I listen to songs in different languages, I get to hear some unique things that I don’t typically hear in English songs! So, if you are like me and want some new recommendations, or if you don’t really listen to music in different languages and want to start, here are a few of my favorites.
1. Tocar Voce, Duda Beat (Brazilian-Portuguese)
This song is one of my favorites, simply because of how unique the song’s structure is. The song opens with an almost fashion-runway type sound. It then takes a complete 180 into a trance-like middle section, which is just hypnotizing. It is a very addicting song to listen to, because it almost feels like it sounds different every time!
2. Lo que me tu me das, Juanpalitoschinos (Spanish)
Juanpalitoschinos is a Mexican duo that focuses on mixing the genres of Japanese City Pop with traditional Latin American Indie music. I enjoy this song in particular because I love how chill and lowkey it is, but it is still fun and joyful at the same time. Additionally, the bass line is just so addicting; I really recommend you to listen to this with headphones to get the full experience.
3. Ichidaiji, Polkadot Stingray (Japanese)
I love how bright and happy Ichidaiji is, and the guitar solos in this song are actually insane. Additionally, even though I am unable to sing in Japanese, I always find myself singing along especially at the chorus– it is just so fun! I truly believe this is the best song to listen to if you need a pick me up at any point of the day.
4. Love Song, Fruit Planet (Mandarin)
Love Song by Fruit Planet is just so groovy, and everytime I hear it, I just want to dance. Additionally, I love how this song so seamlessly incorporates the use of the suona, a traditional double reeded wind instrument from China, into a really fun disco track!
As an Indian-American, I grew up listening to Hindi music and I am aware of many of the big names in the industry. However, the main reason why I want to recommend a smaller Hindi artist like Shevya instead is because of her music style. The instrumental of Nasha in particular is inspired by R&B songs from black artists from the US, but her singing style reminds me a lot of my favorite Bollywood singers. I just love the cultural blend you can hear in her music; it makes her just so unique and a delight to listen to, regardless of where you come from.
Though K-pop has become super popular thanks to artists like BTS and BLACKPINK, there are still many underappreciated artists that more people should listen to. One of these artists is LUCY, a Korean band who actually has a violin player as a part of their lineup! LUCY dabbles in a lot of different genres, such as rock, pop, RnB, and classical music, all while bringing their own charms to the table. To be honest, it was really hard to recommend just one song, since I am a huge fan of their discography. But for the purposes of this article, I will just recommend Wonder because it’s a very easy-going and fun song to listen to, but it also has a very catchy chorus and is accompanied by super cool violin parts that you just don’t hear in pop music often!
And, those are just a small selection of some of my favorite songs from all around the world! Let me know what you think!