Whether you speak Spanish or not, Spanish-language music can make you dance or hum along to its catchy melodies. Spanish or Hispanic music is becoming more and more popular, especially given the Latin rhythms from South and Central America and Spain.
In this article, we’re going to discuss using music as a tool to learn Spanish faster and better. Along the way, we'll build a collection of popular Spanish songs that you can listen to to help with your Spanish. Make sure you add these tunes and songs to your Spotify or iTunes playlist.
🎵 DTMF - Bad Bunny
DTMF stands for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which translates to I Should Have Taken More Photos. It is quite a recent song that was released by the famous Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny. It is refreshing with an upbeat tone, where the lyrics talk about the universal dilemma of communication and love. Paired with Bad Bunny's natural rapping voice, it exudes authenticity with a sense of nostalgia.
"DTMF" made its debut on Spotify's daily global chart on January 5, achieving this milestone with just eight hours of tracking. Two days later, it broke into the top ten with 4,755,519 streams.
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🎵 Despacito - Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
We couldn’t ignore this tune even if we tried. Despacito is the most popular song of 2017, and its success can still be felt today. The song left its mark on music history and was played on almost every radio station. The title means “slowly” or “softly” and describes the physical attraction between two people.
Listening to this song is a good opportunity to practise a few Spanish words. Additionally, Luis Fonsi’s voice will want you to get up and dance right from the first line.
May 2025
🎵 A Puro Dolor - Son by Four
While it's undeniable that Spanish songs are known for their catchy rhythms and lively dance steps, they are also famous for emotional ballads with heart-wrenching lyrics that will leave you wanting more. A Puro Dulor (The Purest Pain) is one such example.
Released in 2000, it became a chart-topping success due to its beautiful melody and the harmonies of the members of Son by Four, a Puerto Rican band. It was also a popular song among the Latin community, including in Mexico and Venezuela, as it was the theme song of the hit Spanish series, Mis 3 Hermanas (My 3 Sisters).
🎵 Bailando - Enrique Iglésias ft. Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona
With Enrique Iglésias singing this song in 2014, Bailando couldn’t be anything other than a hit across Latin America and the world. With its alluring rhythm and easy-to-remember lyrics, this Spanish-language song even has an English-language version with Sean Paul.
This song, like a lot of music, is about love and physical proximity. Bailando certainly sealed Enrique Iglésias's position as one of the most famous Spanish celebrities of all time.
Bailando was the first Spanish music video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube and swept major awards at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2014.
🎵 Vente Pa' Ca- Ricky Martin ft. Maluma
Vente Pa' Ca, which translates into the colloquial Spanish phrase "Come Over Here" is one of the most popular Spanish songs released in 2016. This global hit features a cross-generational collaboration between Latin pop superstars Ricky Martin and Maluma — appealing to both old school Latin flair and urban reggaeton edge.
Great record that just makes you want to dance"
The Guardian's review on Vente Pa' Ca
Vente Pa’ Ca” received widespread praise for its upbeat, danceable rhythm and catchy lyrics, making it easy for even non-Spanish speakers to sing along. The song marked Ricky Martin’s return to his Latin roots, showcasing his powerful, sultry vocals that mesmerized longtime fans — reminiscent of his greatest hits like “María,” “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” and “She Bangs.”
🎵 Camarero – Andra & Descemer Bueno
Camarero, which translates to waiter a story of disappointment in love set to surprisingly upbeat, utterly danceable music. Released in June of 2019, Camarero pegged millions of YouTube views.
As you listen (and watch), you realise that the song is not all doom and gloom. Andra and Descemer go on to attest that, if you can only dance and sing, life’s burdens will seem lighter.
The female singer of this song, Alexandra Irina Maruta, known as Andra, is neither Spanish nor Latina but Romanian! Still, her Spanish accent and rolled Rs are spot-on, and her delivery is crisp; each word is identifiable even to the minimally trained ear.
Her partner in collaboration, Descemer Bueno, is a jazz and bachata musician of Cuban origins. He sings his fair share of the song with equal fire and should you be inclined to watch the video, you’ll see that his dance moves are just as well defined.
🎵 La Tortura - Shakira ft. Alejandro Sanz
Columbian singer Shakira needs no introduction. She’s had plenty of global hits over the years, including Hips Don’t Lie and Loca.
This song, La Tortura (which means The Torture) from 2005, is completely in Spanish and tells a complicated and passionate love story. It’s a mix of Latin pop and reggaeton. Its dialogue-like lyrics depict the torture that a woman feels after a lover leaves her for another person, and who now returns to beg for her forgiveness.
🎵 La Camisa Negra - Juanes
The Colombian singer is famous for their song “La Camisa Negra” (The Black Shirt). This song is about a man grieving over his relationship, which is why he’s wearing a black shirt.
The beautiful music lures you in with its mix of Colombian folklore and Latin pop. The song was problematic in Italy because black shirts were often worn by the fascists. However, that didn’t stop the song from being successful elsewhere.
Meanwhile, don't forget to explore more of Spain's history while learning the language.
🎵 Ella Baila Sola by Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma
Ella Baila Sola, which translates into She Dances Alone created history to become the first regional Mexican song to enter the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, signalling a profound impact of this genre in the Latin music industry.
What sets this song apart is its raspy vocals by Armado and Pluma, as well as the integration of instruments such as trombones, tololoche and charchetas to make the song rich and well accepted by the global audience.
Less than nine months after being released in 2023
🎵 Te Regalo by Carla Morrison
Te Regalo, which translates to "I Give You," is a heartfelt acoustic indie ballad that really pulls at the heartstrings. Mexican singer-songwriter and guitarist Carla wrote and produced the song in 2017, and it was warmly received by Spanish-speaking listeners.
Praised for its simple guitar and piano arrangement, Te Regalo stood apart from the mainstream, which at the time was dominated by strong beats of pop and reggaetón.
🎧What Music Should I Listen to Learn Spanish?
It would be hard to give a good answer to this question without knowing your musical tastes and your level of Spanish. All of the songs in this article are great for learning Spanish, but you probably know a few Spanish-language songs that aren’t on this list.
Songs to Help You Learn Spanish
| Song Title | Artist(s) | Why We Like It |
|---|---|---|
| Yo Perreo Sola | Bad Bunny | Words are clearly spoken; song is not so fast |
| La Vida Es Un Carnaval | Celia Cruz | Has a flavour of past eras; lyrics aren't too complex |
| No Te Vayas | Mayel Jimenez | Slow pace, easy to follow |
| Grande Amore (Spanish version) | Il Volo | Slow-paced, multiple voices, heart-melting |
| Amarillo | J Balvin | A crisp rap, easy to pick up on |
| Búscame | Kany Garcia | A bit of Puerto Rican dialect to diversify your pure Castilian teachings |
| El Ropavejero | Los Sepultureros | Traditional Mexican style sung in easy-to-hear tempo and tone |
| Como Te Hago Entender | Roberto Roena | Easy to understand lyrics sung to a Bossa Nova beat |
| Bidi Bidi Bom Bom | Selena | Relaxed pace, clear words and too fun to only listen to once! |
| Suavemente | Elvis Crespo | Fast-paced with excellent rhythm, ideal for the advanced Spanish learner, |
Check them out... and, while you're at it, discover some amazing Spanish tutors through a tutoring platform like Superprof. At Superprof, there are three main types of tutorials available: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.
Face-to-face tutorials are usually the most expensive but also the most cost-effective. This is a bespoke tutorial with a single student.
Online tutorials are similar but the tutor provides the tuition over webcam. With fewer travel expenses etc, the tutor can charge less for their tuition.
Finally, group tutorials tend to be the cheapest of the lot because there are multiple students all sharing the cost of the tutoring. That said, you'll get less individual attention from your tutor.
Another way to learn Spanish would surely be to brush up on your Spanish history!
🎤 Tips for Using Music in Language Learning
The obvious advantage of learning Spanish through music is that your ear will become attuned to the spoken language. It is also a fun and engaging way to learn a new language without worrying too much about the right technique or structure. All you need is to be intentional and creative. Let's explore the following tips to make your Spanish language journey effective in the long run.
✨ Tip 1: Active Listening
The first tip is pretty self-explanatory. As you go through a list of Spanish songs, take your time to focus on the lyrics and pronunciation. Some learners might even listen multiple times, with or without the English translation, to get in a solid listening practice session.
With these sessions, you'll gradually start to understand the true meaning of the lyrics and pick up how Spanish words are naturally spoken by native speakers.
Photo by Zarak Khan
✨ Tip 2: Singing Along
We highly recommend that beginners start by humming the melody and mimicking the original singer's accent to sound as natural as possible in the way they sing the Spanish verses.
For example, songs’ choruses tend to repeat with little to no change of words, so focusing on those lyrics is a good place to start memorising your favourite songs. Join in whenever the artist intones; try to match them word for word and note for note. If you’re a bit more advanced, you might go for repetition, a proven method of language learning.
✨ Tip 3: Lyric Analysis
Another good tip to learn Spanish through songs is to study its lyrics alongside the English translation side by side for vocabulary building. Let's look at the example below, taken from Shakira's La Tortura.
📝 Spanish lyrics
Ay, amor, me duele tanto, me duele tanto
Que no creas más en mis promesas
Ay amor, es una tortura perderte
📝 English translation
Oh, my love, it hurts so much, it hurts so much
That you no longer believe in my promises
Oh, my love, it's a torture to lose you
From this analysis, learners will be able to pick up the following vocabulary, like amor (meaning "my love"), and tanto (meaning "so much"). On the other hand, Duele comes from the verb doler, meaning "to hurt." Then, you can associate these lyrics by saying or writing a sentence like this: "Me duele tanto", when you want to imply something that deeply hurts you.
✨ Tip 4: Playlist Creation
Our final tip revolves around curating personal playlists for regular Spanish listening or speaking practice. You can even curate different Spanish song playlists on Spotify according to music genres, music popularity, different Spanish-speaking regions, and male or female singers to diversify your song selections.
There you have it, a list of iconic Spanish songs across different music genres as well as some practical tips to make your Spanish learning journey effective, engaging and enjoyable. Afterall, the best way to learn a language is to understand the culture and people it represents; in no way is a culture.
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