Ellen Pinch -
Being a Modern Languages student, it has always been an inevitable part of our teaching that we’ve been encouraged to discover artists and add new songs to our playlists in the languages that we’re studying. Musical immersion is one of the most natural and efficient ways to translate a new culture into your everyday life, after all. I started learning Spanish when I was six or seven years old; it’s been the longest language constant in my life, having later on picked up German, Portuguese and Catalan to very differing abilities (not to mention a few casual linguistic detours into other languages courtesy of our favourite ever-persistent Duolingo Owl).
I’ve always been so grateful for my languages, and being able to understand the lyrics has opened doors to so many new artists and songs that have become the soundtracks to various important moments in my life. It is exactly this which has made it so almost impossible to trawl through my Spotify and pinpoint the best of a very big bunch of songs. Having said this, of course you don’t need to understand a word of a song to be moved by it - there is an entire world of music out there waiting to be explored, no translation required. Here are some of my favourites:
Arguably one of the most acclaimed Spanish artists of the past decade, having performed on stages across the world, Rosalía has become a defining voice in contemporary global music. Her most recent album, Motomami, released in 2022, is a bold, genre-defying collection known for its frenetic energy, experimental production, and chaotic charm which reflects Rosalia’s creative directive. Yet, moving past the hit singles, Como un G offers a stark contrast to the rest of the album, stripping away the noise to reveal an explicit new sense of vulnerability.
Como un G is a ballad that speaks to the ache of unconditional love, but also loss. It is intimate, introspective and delicately powerful. For me, it has become a comfort song, one I return to for its grounding qualities, its melancholy being strangely soothing. The vocal delivery and minimal production lets the emotion breathe, making it, for me, one of Rosalía’s best and most powerful performances across her career.
Catalan is my newest language and quite possibly the coolest. Catalan rap is having a moment in the spotlight and music written in Catalan is having a resurgence with the younger generation thanks to artists like Mama Dousha, Mushkaa and Lil Dami. It takes its inspiration from traditional Hip Hop but, this track is sharp, satirical and most importantly you won’t be able to get it out of your head.
I came across this song when I was applying to come to Newcastle to study Portuguese. It encapsulates the wonder and excitement of learning a new language that I was experiencing during that process. Having not understood much back then, I now realise the beauty in its lyrics and represents that learning journey of the last four years.
German was hard. Really hard to wrap my head around. There were five people in my A Level class in Y12 so we shared two hours a week with the older class. The joy that they found in this song and its wacky visual accompaniments was a memorable turning point for me. Forget cases and compound nouns, German music is funky and generally overlooked, oh, especially German rap which is brilliant in every way.
Aarya Shenoy -
5. 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' - Roopkumar Rathod
For those unaware, every Bollywood movie is a musical, and the songwriting is usually epic. Having grown up with a Bollywood education every morning in the car on the way to school, I can safely say that 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' is a classic – and one everyone should listen to. It’s a love song that comes from a slightly wacky movie, but it makes me believe that the love we see in these movies can be found in real life. You don’t need to understand Hindi to understand the music - the drums are the life of the song, supported by whimsical bells and a romantic violin line. Give it a listen and you won’t be disappointed!