Music Experts Believe Despacito Could Boost Spanish Language Uptake

It’s hard to put into words just how addictive Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee has become. This global music sensation became the first song ever to reach over three billion views on YouTube, and is hard to get out of your head once you hear it.

You might be surprised if you think that you’ve never heard the song yourself, as there are millions of people who feel that they haven’t heard it yet, only to be hit with a wave of recognition when they actually do hear the song.

There appears to be some new worldwide smash each summer, but Despacito has a unique appeal and language that gives it untold popularity and reach. The song is primarily in Spanish, which makes it the first Spanish-language song to reach the top of the US Hot 100 for over 20 years. If you guessed that the last song to do this was the Macarena in 1996, then give yourself a pat on the back.

While the lyrics of the song are so fast-paced that most people who don’t know the language will be mouthing along, music experts feel that the global reach of the song could positively benefit the Spanish language, which is already the second most popular language in the world after English.

Despacito was the most-streamed song on the music streaming platform Spotify each day for fourteen weeks straight, before finally being surpassed just last week by the song “Mi Gente” (My People), which just so happens to be another Spanish song. Mi Gente is by J. Balvin and it looks like it could go on to be another global success.

This isn’t all either; there are currently eight Spanish or Latin songs in the Spotify Top 50 right now, which the company says is the highest proportion ever. The head of Latin Culture at Spotify, Rocio Guerra, believes that there has been a domino effect. Spotify – and similar platforms – give everyone around the world access to the same songs at the same time, so it’s increasing the global reach of Latin artists.

Guerra believes that the more songs there are on the global chart, the more people become accustomed to listening to songs in different languages.

Latin as a genre is third on the Spotify streaming chart, coming behind pop and hip-hop. Latin-style music – and an increase in smatterings of the Spanish language itself – are becoming more popular in songs as well; utilised by artists such as Rihanna and Ed Sheeran.

After the Macarena exploded in 1996, there was a sharp increase in the demand for Spanish courses among language schools. There’s no data yet to show if Despacito has had the same effect, but there are plenty of signs the song has opened the ears of millions of people to the unmistakable beauty and rhythm of the Spanish language.