Whether you live abroad or are just visiting, I think it's always worth getting to know the local music. It's a great way to immerse yourself and you'll always remember your time abroad when you hear those songs again.
I also recommend listening to music when learning a foreign language.LosWhile learning Spanish, I listen to Spanish music. Even when I'm listening to a listening activity on Duolingo, I'm still listening to music. I personally swear by it. It is the best way to immerse yourself in the language and learn many phrases and sayings.
But it's hard to find good music in another language, even with the Internet at your disposal. So I made this list of songs that I think are guaranteed to be good.
First, I'll share two special singers that every visitor to Spain should know about, and then I'll list a few more recommendations, separated by genre. And all but one of these songs are by Spanish artists, as opposed to Latin American artists, to give you an idea of what 'real' Spanish music sounds like.
I got these two recommendations from my adult students when I asked them for someRealSpanish music. They immediately recommended Manolo Escobar.
The first song is “Porompompero”, which is a nonsensical and nonsensical word.
Manolo Escobar was a famous Andalusian singer who created this song in 1962. This song has been covered countless times and if you travel to Andalucia you will surely hear street musicians playing their own interpretation.
My next favorite song of his is "My Car Was Stolen",My car was stolen.It sounds like her car was stolen in the middle of the night, but she could be referring to something else.
You can't go wrong with Manolo Escobar, but younger Spaniards know how to roll their eyes when you mention him haha.
Rosalía is a singer, not a genre, but she is hard to categorize and is very popular right now, which is why she has her own column. I heard their songs in taxis, shops, supermarkets and cars passing by on the street.
She combines pop/hip-hop with traditional flamenco sounds, while her music videos are unusual and often full of symbolism, but always fun. There is also his personal style that combines the street with tradition andhigh fashion.
The first song that really blew me away was "Malamente",Place.
But this song "Even though it's night",even if it's nightbelongs to my favorites.
You can't go to Spain without encountering reggaeton. The style originated in Puerto Rico and most of the best reggaeton artists are Puerto Rican. So even though it's not Spanish in the sense that it comes from Spain, it's one of the most popular genres here.
This is one of the most controversial musical genres in the Spanish-speaking world, mainly because the lyrics can be considered misogynistic. Most of the songs are about parties, drugs, sex, etc. But the beats are still catchy, even if they are a bit repetitive.
The most played reggaeton on my computer is the "Escapate Conmigo" remix,Come with me.Almost all the big names (Ozuna, Bad Bunny, De La Ghetto, Arcángel, Noriel, Almachtig) in the reggaeton world added a verse or two to the remix, so it gives you a nice taste of the genre.
There are many different singers, but thanks to the recognizable rhythm of reggaeton, many songs flow into each other. If you're into it, there are tons of playlists on YouTube that play on endless loops.
For me, it's a kind of guilty pleasure that reminds me of going to bars and the beach.
There are tons of great songs on YouTube that are parodies or elaborate pranks. Either way, each time you listen to them, you'll learn more about what makes them fun.
Here are two songs from the same people. The first one went super viral in Spain and ended up in most national newspapers. It's called "Velaske, am I beautiful?"Velaske, ¿soy hermosa?
The song revolves around a painting called Las Meninas by the famous painter Velázquez, and it is "sung" by the young princess Margarita Teresa. The image itself is incredibly familiar and complex. It represents the painter Velázquez whoyou shouldto paint a portrait of the king and queen, but that's allratheraddressed to the princess It questions the many trappings of royalty and wealth, and the poem mocks it. As well as the deliberate misspelling and distortion of the painter's name (from Velázquez to Velasque),believe, mocking the Andalusian accent, which makes sense given that both Margarita Teresa and Velázquez were from Seville.
Another song by the same people is "Te Coloniso",I am colonizing you. It is a reggaeton parody of Christopher Columbus and his 'discovery' of the new world.
But my favorite comedy composers are Pascu Y Rodri who have a YouTube channel called Destripando La Historia. The name means something similarunravel the story. They take well-known stories from fables and history and turn them into songs with accompanying animations.
I think Batman is a good place to start.
But every song these people put out is pure gold, and the musical style changes to fit the story. look what else they haveYouTube.
These songs are hilarious when you translate them, so I did my best to translate them well.here.
Rock went through the same stages in Spain as it did in the United States. It got off to a slow start and then saw its golden days in the 70s and 80s. Then came blues rock, punk, grunge and all other types of rock.
The first band that was formed in the early 80s... Barón Rojo,rode the baronna hun lagao "Rockers Go to Hell",rockers go to hell.
On the way to 90 we have Heroes of Silence,heroes of silenceand the song "Between two countries",Between worlds.
I'm getting some cool late 80's/early 90's vibes and they're getting the extras to keep the 90's rock alive.
The modern rock era is best represented by Toundra,toendra. This band is a less obscure tool in a way since they have very long instrumentals and few lyrics (I haven't found them yet). Then they combine Spanish style, classical instruments and deep, dark themes. I really doReallike this band, although there are no words to listen to. They've been called the best rock band Spain has ever produced, and they're probably my favorite on this list!
This is another genre that just isn't that popular, and GOOD Spanish heavy metal is hard to find.
The first song I liked is from Mägo de Oz, it's called "Pagan Party 2.0",Paganska zabava 2.0.
This band, and especially this song, always tops everyone's "Best Heavy Metal Bands from Spain" list, and they deserve it.
Folk metal is always fun, and so is this song.I have to remind you that popular music is different all over Spain. Northern folk music has more in common with Gaelic than with Flemish.
Another option I can recommend is Warcry. Especially this song "Huelo el Miedo",I smell fear. A lot of what they have has a slow start, but they always build to a big metal crescendo.
I could be wrong, but I think this music video is a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo…
My second favorite is Medina Azahara. I didn't mean to put them on this list, but the band has a special place in my heart. While traveling through Andalusia, I was looking for information on the archaeological site of Medina Azahara north of Córdoba. It turns out that Medina Azahara is also the name of a hair metal band from the 80s, and one of their songs is called "Córdoba". So I accidentally started listening to some of his songs. But then it took me down a rabbit hole, and before I knew it, Medina Azahara was the soundtrack to that incredible journey.
This is the "Sultan's Favorite", the Sultan's Favorite.
There are tons of indie bands in Spain when you start looking, and the indie scene in Spain is just as diverse as the indie scene in the US, changing every year. Well, to start with, here are two of the biggest names in the independent scene.
The first opening song I liked was by Fuel Fandango called "Toda la Vida",For life.This song is in both English and Spanish, so it's easy to listen to if you don't speak Spanish.
Devolgende je Lori Meyers s "My Reality",My reality.This is one of the most popular submission songs from one of the most popular indie bands, is it still really indie? I don't know, but it's good!
In keeping with the indie theme, the following bands are much less well known, but I still enjoy them for their relaxed sound. They are called Margarita Always Alive,Daisy/Tequila Drink/Žensko ime Always live.
The first song here is Morat, Aitana.I have tois a pop band from Colombia, andfatheris a pop singer/sensation from Barcelona. They collaborated on this song "I feel"I feel, and has been hovering near the top of the charts since April.
It's fun and very summery.
Next up is another collaboration between David Otero and Rozalen, two established Spanish pop singers. I didn't think I'd like it at first, but it's cute so it's on the list.
Right behind, and perhaps surpassing reggaeton in terms of popularity, is hip-hop. There are many hip-hop artists from Latin America, but the local artists certainly hold their own.
The first from this listhavebe bad Rodriguezbad Rodriguez. I met her a long time ago when I was looking for musicians with an Andalusian accent, and I've been listening to her constantly ever since.
This song is called "Gitanas",gypsy women,and it is about women standing up and taking responsibility. It's also dope because it combines hip-hop and flamenco. She tried to show an accurate representation of flamenco in her video to remind people that flamenco is not about being sexy, it's about having an attitude.
Number two on my list is Yung Beef, a singer who at least one magazine called the king of Spanish trap and his song "Mala y Bouge" (which means approx.evil and decadent).
The last one is C. Tagana and a song with everyone's favorite Spanish singer Rosalia.
It's hard for me to get into folk because it's usually a tribute to a culture I know nothing about. It gets harder when you realize that every region in Spain has a different king of popular music, and it's not always sung in Spanish.
I didn't struggle as much as I thought I would to find good folk music. This first song is signed by Acetre and is called "As Pontes",Bridges(in Portuguese).
Acetre comes from Extremadura, an isolated region in western Spain bordering Portugal. People there speak Spanish, but also estremeña (proprietary), and sometimes Portuguese. As far as I know, this song is in Portuguese, but the band is Spanish, so it's on the list.
No list of Spanish music would be complete with flamenco, and the best example I could find is Carmen Linares.
Since this publication is a huge list of Spanish music, you might assume that flamenco would have its own section, but no. It is just another type of popular music brought to Spain by the Roma and common in southern Spain. Nevertheless, it is one of the most popular folk styles and that is why the whole world has heard of it.
The latest popular song is brought to us by Al-Andaluz Project. How it came about is a fun story, and it begins with the medieval German musical group Estampie. Eastampe wanted to revive Spain's medieval musical tradition, and medieval Spain was a strange mixture of Moorish, Christian and Jewish culture. So this group took three singers, a Muslim, a Jew and a Christian, and began to explore the music of medieval Spain. The result is really great.
The name of the song is "Morena",Morena.And it's hard to tell, but she sings everything in Spanish. Keep your eyes open forwinchwhich appears at 2:02.
Well, that's allIt is!
Note that this is just a sample, I had to remove so many bands and so many songs from this list. But I hope it gives you an idea of what the music here is like. Even if you don't learn Spanish, the music is still good!
So which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!