In 2023, music lovers in the US, the world’s largest music streaming market, favored non-English languages over English, as per the 2023 Luminate Year-End Music Report. The era of global artists needing to sing in English for international success seems distant, with streaming data revealing a shift.

The report highlights a rising acceptance of non-English music genres, including the once niche “World Music,” now embraced by younger US listeners. English-language streaming content in the US declined by 4.8% in 2023, while Spanish and Japanese music gained traction. These trends signal a global shift in music consumption, with the industry achieving a record-breaking 4 trillion streams in the past year, marking a 34% increase from 2022.

Glowing Ascendance of Regional Mexican Music

As expected, Spanish claims the second spot in music streaming popularity, fueled by the Latin genre’s massive success featuring stars like Bad Bunny and Karol G. In 2023, Spanish-language content experienced a 3.8% rise on US music streaming platforms. Regional Mexican music, covering mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño, and more, emerged as a major breakthrough genre, witnessing a remarkable 60% increase in plays. Artists like Peso Pluma, Eslabon Armado, Junior H, and Fuerza Regida each surpassed 1 billion streams, contributing to the genre’s meteoric ascent. While English remains the predominant global music language at 54.9% of the top 10,000 tracks in 2023, other languages are steadily gaining ground. Following English, the top languages in global music streaming, as per the report, were Spanish (10%), Hindi (7%), Korean (2.4%), and Japanese (2.1%).

Gen Z and Millennials Seek Beyond Borders

Younger generations are driving the surge in interest in international music, as per the report, revealing that 63% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials appreciate “listening to new music to experience new cultures and perspectives.” This inclination is reflected in the popularity of non-English genres, where 95% of J-Pop enthusiasts in the US belong to Gen Z. Multilingual music aficionados also exhibit a preference for community-based social media platforms such as Reddit and Discord. Afrobeats, among the fastest-growing global genres, witnessed a substantial 26.2% increase in the past year. The report indicates its significant popularity in Europe, with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the UK, France, and Portugal leading global Afrobeats streams. Projections suggest continued growth in the international music streaming market, with analysts estimating a record €27.06 billion in global revenues for 2024.