LA Music Review | Art, stories and advice
Global, connected and full of surprises!
What happens when you don’t understand the words, but somehow you still understand the song?
For years, English has been one of the dominant languages of global pop music. But that is changing. Listeners around the world are increasingly opening their playlists to songs in Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Filipino and many other languages.
Do we really need to understand every word to connect with a song?
The numbers suggest that listeners are becoming more open to music beyond English. In the United States, English-language music accounted for 87.1% of audio consumption in the first half of 2026, while Spanish-language music reached 9.4%.
And then there is Asia.
Could the next global music discovery come from somewhere we haven’t been looking closely enough?
Spotify’s 2026 RADAR program is highlighting emerging artists from Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and other Asian markets. Spotify also reported that almost half of its 20 most globally streamed RADAR artists in 2025 came from Asia.
K-pop showed the world that language doesn’t have to be a barrier to global success. Now, more artists from Asia and other regions are bringing their own languages, sounds and cultures to international audiences.
And this is where things get interesting for Filipino listeners.
P-pop is part of that growing conversation. Artists such as BINI are reaching audiences beyond the Philippines while keeping Filipino language and culture at the heart of their music. Across Southeast Asia, artists are increasingly finding listeners outside their home countries.
What if the future of global pop isn’t about everyone sounding the same, but about more artists sounding like themselves?
Streaming has made the world feel smaller. A listener in Manila can discover an artist from Seoul, Tokyo, Jakarta or Mexico City with just a few taps.
Sometimes, the first connection isn’t the lyrics.
It’s the melody.
The beat.
The voice.
The emotion.
Maybe music has always been a universal language. We’re simply learning to listen beyond English.
