Why is it so Hard to Find Pop Music in Other Languages?

I remember learning hundreds of new words as I was listening to my favourite bands, reading the CD liner notes to understand the lyrics. Music is an amazing language learning tool. It gets your pronunciation into gear, it motivates you to open your mouth and sing, and of course it's fun so you'll be engaging again and again!

languages pop music

Listen to Lindsay Williams and me in Creative Language Learning Podcast episode 57 to discover:

  • Why does pop music matter for language learning?
  • What influence does the industry have for which music gets made and which doesn't?
  • Why is English such a convenient language for pop music?
  • How should you incorporate pop music into your language learning routine...or should you?
  • Where can language learners find music in their own target language?
  • Who are our favourite artists in other languages?

The Biggest Pop Genres That Succeed in Other Languages

Latino pop

Notable collaborations include Despacito with Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, and Bailando with Enrique Iglesias, Sean Paul et al.

K-Pop

European Music and Eurovision

Check out Stromae, KRO, Prince Pi, Indochine, Robyn (in English).

And I am delighted to sign off with one of the amazing "Moskau" performance by Dschinghis Khan: