English-language music is gradually losing dominance in the world charts. This is evidenced by new data from the streaming service Spotify.
According to the company, last year songs in 16 different languages appeared in the global Top 50 ranking, including Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian, and Arabic. Spotify notes that this is more than twice as many as in 2020.
The most listened-to artist in the world was Bad Bunny, who performs in Spanish.
The company also reported that Brazilian funk became the fastest-growing genre in the world, with its audience increasing by 36%. K-Pop grew by 31%, and Trap Latino by 29%. According to Spotify, each of these genres brought in more than $ 100 million in royalties from streaming last year.
Despite this, English still dominates the global charts. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), 14 of the top 20 albums of last year were in English.
At the same time, more and more artists from other countries are appearing on the list. The list includes South Korean bands Stray Kids, Enhypen and Seventeen, as well as Japanese rock band Mrs Green Apple.
Last week, Spotify’s most popular tracks included Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro (Puerto Rico), Nadhif Basalamah (Indonesia), Tyla (South Africa), Tems (Nigeria), Ryan Castro (Colombia), El Bogueto, Peso Pluma, Neton Vega, and Fuerza Regida (Mexico), and Blackpink, Jung Kook, and Jin (South Korea).
However, the UK is lagging behind this trend. Among the most popular songs in the country last year, only two contained lyrics in a language other than English.
At the same time, both songs – APT, performed by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and Golden, by Huntr/x – were mostly in English, with Korean used only in a few phrases.