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Since the start of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, songs from the USA and UK have dominated music charts. Both countries benefited a lot from hit songs with English lyrics. However, the dominance of English-language songs is under threat from non-English songs. This is according to the music streaming giant Spotify. The company said English-language music was losing its stranglehold. There has been a huge demand for songs sung in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and other languages. The number of non-English songs in the charts more than doubled in the past five years.
A prime example of the rise in non-English songs is the popularity of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny. He sings only in Spanish. He was Spotify's most streamed artist in 2025. Meanwhile, Spanish artist Rosalia created an award-winning album on which she sings in 13 different languages. Spotify said three music genres have seen their chart presence rise by 30 per cent or more in the past five years. These are Brazilian Funk, K-pop, and Trap Latino. The music website NME said: "The trend is likely to continue growing further into 2026."
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