In 2023, about 8.1 percent of the top streamed songs globally on Spotify were sung in Spanish. In total, that was an increase of 19.4 billion streams of Latinx music. In recent years, Latinx music has been spreading and blossoming to become one of the most popular genres in the world. At Berkeley High School, many students also listen to Latinx music.
BHS junior Nico Smok Blanchard said, “I like a wide variety of artists, such as Bad Bunny, Grupo Frontera, and some older artists too, like Diego Torres.” Bad Bunny has amassed over 65 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Grupo Frontera is a Mexican band that plays traditional music, but has fused the cumbia sound to be more modern, and appeal to young listeners. Diego Torres is a Latin pop artist from Argentina, who always keeps the messages of his songs positive.
“I like Latinx music because it keeps me grounded in a way, I’m half Latino so it reminds me of that part of myself,” Smok Blanchard said. For him, listening to music in Spanish can be a good way to celebrate and connect with his culture. While roughly 30 percent of the Bay Area identifies as Latinx, not all aspects of their culture are always represented. For Smok Blanchard and others, listening to music in Spanish helps them to stay in touch with previous generations.
“I mainly listen to music in Spanish, and for me it’s a way to keep connected to my roots a little bit. What I listen to right now is kind of a spinoff of what my parents used to listen to, so I just gravitate towards that,” Rafael Piedra, a Universal Ninth Grade Ethnic Studies teacher, said. Musical traditions that have been passed down for generations carry on, even if they have a newer twist.
“Another reason I enjoy Latinx music is how they use all these different instruments to create a sound, and take things from everywhere,” Piedra said, “You have trumpets, you have guitars, you have accordions, you have beats, and I think it goes to show us how the new wave is bringing things from all these different genres and making it into one.”
As a result of the diversity in California, Latinx music is not solely listened to by people of Hispanic descent. “I see a ton of people who aren’t of Hispanic descent listening to Latinx music,” Smok Blanchard said. In the Bay Area, the mix of people allows for the sharing of many different cultural aspects. This includes all types of music, which is a reason why many different demographics enjoy listening to Spanish music.
One of these people is Tasnim Ait Djebara, a junior at BHS. “I like to listen to a lot of music from different cultures. Part of the reason I like to listen to music from other cultures is curiosity,” she said. While Ait Djebara does not identify as Latinx, she still enjoys listening to Latinx music. She feels it helps her connect, due to the soulful sound and lyrics.
“I listen to Selena Gomez, Amy Winehouse, Anita, Ivy Queen, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Rosalia,” Ait Djebara said. She prefers soul and R&B music, and it is something that calms her and keeps her grounded. “There’s also a lot of emotional expression in music that’s written in Spanish and it’s a language that you can hear a lot of emotion out of,” Ait Djebara said.
Without the diversity of California, this culture sharing couldn’t exist. The beauty of living in a place like California relates to this, and how many are able to share their traditions. For many, Latinx music is something important to them, whether or not they identify as Latinx. At BHS, Latinx music is valued because of the way it helps people connect with culture, and appreciate the beauty of an evolving genre.