Want to learn Spanish but tired of hitting the books? Why not break into song (and dance)? If you’re looking to widen your vocabulary and practice your comprehension skills, we’ve got the all-time best YouTube playlist for you. By listening to and learning these Spanish songs, you’ll be speeding up your learning progress whenever you’re in the mood to jam. 

Here you’ll find the best Spanish songs on YouTube from a variety of genres to add to your weekend queue. Watch out: you may just get Latin fever. 

How you can use songs to practice listening

Songs can help speed up learning. After all, songs show you how to pronounce words and help you with the natural melody of the language. Perhaps the best reason for learning Spanish songs is that you’ll get the social context behind certain phrases. Listening to music can help you understand how words are used in real life. This sure beats memorizing new vocab! Bonus: some of the best Spanish songs are really catchy and you’ll find yourself singing along. (Just try to get Despacito out of your head.)

If you want to maximize learning with songs, you can speed up the process with our tips. Before we get started, remember that listening to songs in Spanish benefits intermediate learners the most, since they can use what they already know as a starting point for understanding the music. Beginners beware: you may want to wait until you have a stronger grasp of Spanish concepts before you listen. Otherwise, you may get frustrated when you can’t understand much. 

The first step to learning a new Spanish song is choosing one that you really like! If you’re not interested in the song, it will be much harder to learn and study. Once you’ve picked the song, you can follow these tips to make the most of it:

• Listen first, then read the lyrics: Listen to the song and try to figure out all the words. Once you’ve listened a few times, you can then check out the lyrics and read them while listening.
• Keep a song dictionary: If you’re not sure what a word means, look it up! You can even keep a song dictionary of new words you learned via listening. 
• Sing along: This isn’t just for kids. Singing along is a great way to practice pronunciation. You’ll also get the natural rhythm of the language. Have fun with it!
• Memorize the lyrics: When you memorize the lyrics, you can sing along and impress your friends. This makes practicing new words much more enjoyable. 
• Pump it up during your commute: Whether in the car, bus or train, you can snag five minutes of practice by listening to a Spanish song on your way to work.

 

33 Best Spanish Songs on YouTube

Here you’ll find 33 songs in Spanish, organized by the most popular music genres in Latin America. Depending on your musical interests, you can head straight to the genres you like. Or you can explore it all and check out the best Spanish songs we’ve selected. Either way, get jammin’!

 

Bachata

Bachata is a sensual Caribbean style of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. It started as an underground movement in lower-class neighborhoods during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The music rejected elitism and focused on the urban reality of the people.

 

Propuesta Indecente – Romeo Santos

Corazón Sin Cara – Prince Royce

Obsession – Aventura

Bolero

Bolero is a genre that favors slow-tempo Latin music in the ballroom style. It arose out of the Cuban trova style and became popular in Mexico in the 1940-1950s with the help of the Mexican cinema scene and the big band movement. Bolero has thrived throughout Mexico and the Caribbean with its romantic and timeless lyrics. While Trio Los Panchos is a bolero legend, Luis Miguel is largely credited with revitalizing the genre with his album Romance in 1991.

Por Debajo De La Mesa – Luis Miguel

Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova, meaning “new wave/trend,” is a Brazilian genre that blends samba and jazz. Popularized in the 1950-1960s by João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, bossa nova is extremely popular today with icons such as Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil. Though bossa nova is typically sung in Portuguese, here Joao Gilberto sings his hit song in Spanish.

Besame Mucho – Joao Gilberto

Cumbia

Cumbia is a popular Latin dance genre that likely originated in Colombia. Since then, it’s spread throughout Latin America with many variations on the central beat. It’s characterized by a simple 2/4 rhythm and influenced by African beats, indigenous flutes and European melodies. Cumbia is one of those typical LATAM rhythms that’s often used for cross-over fusions.

Fuego – Bomba Estéreo

Como La Flor – Selena and Los Dinos

Me Voy – Rombai

Folklore

Folklore means something different for every Latin American region. However, folklore often involves relatively unknown artists from the countryside (often indigenous) who present original lyrics on the guitar. Folklore uses this sense of criollo musical expression to share stories or political statements.

Orejano – Pepe Guerra

Latin Pop

As the name suggests, Latin Pop combines Latin beats with American pop music. This genre is extremely wide and the blend of influences depend on the artist. Typical examples of Latin Pop include Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias. However, the genre has evolved and nowadays artists are fusing Latin Pop with cumbia and reggaeton for lots of cross-over variation. 

La Bicicleta – Shakira and Carlos Vives

Bailando – Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona

Un Año – Sebastián Yatra and Reik

Atrevete Te Te – Calle 13

Algo Esta Cambiando – Julieta Venegas

Latin Rock

Latin Rock is another genre with lots of variation. Typically, Latin Rock combines rock beats with Latin and Caribbean elements. Latin Rock had it’s boom in the 1990s, when iconic bands such as La Vela Puerca and Los Auténticos Decadentes were born. Latin Rock lyrics also generally follow the rock tradition of talking about social issues. 

Ya No Sé Qué Hacer Conmigo – Cuarteto de Nos

Tu Vida Mi Vida – Fito Paez

Clandestino – Manu Chao

La Flaca – Jarabe De Palo

La Guitarra – Los Auténticos Decadentes

Merengue

Merengue is a fast-paced musical genre from the Dominican Republic. It uses a five-beat rhythm called a quintillo. Typically, it’s accompanied by simple instruments such as an accordion and güira. Telling of its versatility, merengue is common in both nightclubs and ballrooms. Merengue’s biggest modern icon is Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra. 

Tu Si Quieres, Tu No Quieres – OMEGA El Fuerte

La Cosquillita – Juan Luis Guerra

Dicen Que Andas Por Ahí – Miriam Cruz ft. Manny Manuel

Reggae

Commonly mistaken with reggaeton, reggae is a genre that originated in Jamaica in the 1960s and was widely popularized by Bob Marley. In Latin America, reggae is fairly similar except for the use of Spanish, Latin background elements and regional lyrics. Reggae is another beat that’s often fused with Latin pop. 

Calma – Pedro Capó

Reggaeton

Reggaeton is a wildly popular dance genre that started in Puerto Rico in the 1990s. It’s a fusion of hip hop and Caribbean beats, with both rapping and singing. Daddy Yankee is largely credited with creating the genre, though it’s spread among artists across Latin America. It’s considered the central hip hop music of Latin America and is often fused with other genres. 

Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

El Perdón – Nicky Jam and Enrique Iglesias

Ginza – J. Balvin

El Taxi – Osmani Garcia ft. Pitbull, Sensato, Dayami la Musa

Criminal – Natti Natasha and Ozuna

Salsa

Salsa is a fast, sexy genre originally from Cuba. It’s influenced by Afro-Cuban dances, including the mambo, rumba, bomba and cha-cha-cha. Typically it starts slow and then changes into a quick salsa rhythm. Salsa was also popularized with Nuyoricans (Puerto Ricans located in New York City), such as the icon Marc Anthony. It’s now spread across Latin America with several fusion variations.

Vivir Mi Vida – Marc Anthony

La Vida Es Un Carnaval – Celia Cruz

Yo No Se Mañana – Luis Enrique

Felices los 4 – Maluma ft. Marc Anthony (Salsa Version)

Tango

Tango is a music-dance genre from Argentina and Uruguay that developed in the 1870s by black performers. It uses strong African and candombe influences, especially the beats. Later, tango evolved to include European elements and transitioned into a middle-class dance thanks to Carlos Gardel in the 1920-1930s. During the big band craze in the 1940s, tango took on new popularity as well. 

Por Una Cabeza – Carlos Gardel

Other ways to speed up your Spanish learning

These 33 best Spanish songs on YouTube will help speed up your learning. After you get the earworm from listening to so much Latin music, you can also boost your Spanish in other ways. If you’re looking to improve speaking and pronunciation, you can try some of our language tips for quick improvement:

• Record yourself speaking (or singing!): Often the trickiest part is learning how to speak a language. As you learn your favorite Spanish songs, try recording yourself to make it easier! You can use apps like WhatsApp or your phone camera to record audios of yourself. Try sending one to a friend or family member for motivation! 
• Watch movies in Spanish on Netflix: You can double your listening practice by watching the best movies in Spanish on Netflix. Grab the popcorn and start soaking up the language. Try putting on Spanish subtitles and listen and read at the same time. 

• Practice real-life conversation with a friend or teacher: Find a native speaker to practice with on a weekly basis. This could be as simple as getting coffee with a Spanish-speaking friend. Or, if you want a more effective approach, try Verbalicity and get a professional Spanish teacher to accelerate your learning.

Take charge of your Spanish learning by finding fun and rewarding ways to boost your vocabulary and practice pronunciation. Listen to Spanish songs on YouTube, watch movies in Spanish on Netflix, practice conversation and more! Make the most of your learning by exposing yourself to as much media in Spanish as possible. Every little step can make a big impact on your learning!