{"id":555983,"date":"2026-07-18T11:45:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/555983\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T11:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:45:38","slug":"why-spanish-is-becoming-more-common-in-k-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/555983\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Spanish is becoming more common in K-pop"},"content":{"rendered":"

K-pop agencies deepen engagement with Latin American fans through language, festivals, localized promotions<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot Screenshot of music video for “Boompala” by Le Sserafim (Source Music) <\/p>\n

Spanish lyrics are becoming increasingly common in K-pop as agencies continue to expand their presence in Latin America, a region that has emerged in recent years as an important overseas market for the industry.<\/p>\n

Recent releases have showcased the trend across a wide range of artists.<\/p>\n

Le Sserafim\u2019s \u201cBoompala\u201d features the lyrics \u201csaving the shame for manana (tomorrow),\u201d while Aespa\u2019s \u201cLemonade\u201d includes the Spanish phrase \u201cmuchas gracias mi amor (thank you very much, my love).\u201d<\/p>\n

Ateez\u2019s \u201cBad\u201d from its latest EP, \u201cGolden Hour: Part 5,\u201d incorporates multiple Spanish phrases, including \u201cTu me tienes loco\u201d and \u201cLa Victoria,\u201d meaning \u201cYou drive me crazy\u201d and \u201cThe victory.\u201d The EP\u2019s side track, \u201cMamacita,\u201d incorporates Spanish lyrics alongside flamenco guitar and intricate Latin percussion.<\/p>\n

Although Spanish has appeared in K-pop before, including GFriend\u2019s 2015 hit \u201cMe Gustas Tu\u201d and Nmixx tracks such as \u201cO.O,\u201d \u201cDice\u201d and \u201cSonar.\u201d Still, its growing prominence in recent releases reflects shifts in K-pop\u2019s global marketing strategy.<\/p>\n

\"Music Music video screenshot of “Bad” by Ateez (KQ Entertainment) <\/p>\n

One of the biggest drivers is K-pop\u2019s growing focus on Latin America.<\/p>\n

As competition in major overseas markets such as China, Japan and Southeast Asia intensifies, entertainment companies look to Latin America as a new source of growth. The region has long been home to a passionate K-pop fan base, but historically has received fewer promotional campaigns and artist activities.<\/p>\n

The timing also coincides with broader challenges facing the industry.<\/p>\n

According to Circle Chart, K-pop album sales declined globally from 115 million in 2023 to 85 million in 2025, fueling concerns over slowing growth. However, demand for K-pop has continuously risen in Latin America.<\/p>\n

\"Fans Fans hold up photos, posters and light sticks as BTS meets with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace ahead of the group’s “Arirang” tour in Mexico City on May 6. (Reuters) <\/p>\n

Data from the Korea Customs Service indicated that exports of recorded media \u2014 including K-pop albums \u2014 to major Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile and Brazil increased steadily between 2023 and 2025. Exports to Argentina alone nearly doubled during the period, rising from $98,000 in 2023 to $182,000 in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe combination of growing consumer demand and relatively limited promotional activity in Latin America has made the region one of K-pop\u2019s most promising untapped markets,\u201d music critic Lim Hee-yun told The Korea Herald Thursday.<\/p>\n

Rather than relying solely on world tour stops, agencies have increasingly begun developing localized strategies aimed at strengthening ties with fans across the region.<\/p>\n

JYP Entertainment and Live Nation are set to launch \u201cStraycity,\u201d a new festival built around the agency\u2019s boy group Stay Kids, in Bogota, Buenos Aires and Mexico City in September. Stray Kids is also set to headline Rock in Rio, becoming the first K-pop act to headline one of the biggest music festivals in Brazil. Ateez, NexZ and Hwasa are also set to perform at Rock in Rio.<\/p>\n

\"Nmixx Nmixx performs “Tic Tic” with Brazillian pop star Pabllo Vittar at the Brazilian Carnival Sao Paulo in February. (JYP Entertainment) <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Nmixx became the first K-pop group to perform at both Sao Paulo\u2019s Carnival street festival and Chile\u2019s Vina del Mar International Song Festival, where the group not only performed some of their sets in Spanish but also communicated with fans in the language.<\/p>\n

The industry’s growing investment extends beyond touring. Hybe has also expanded its regional presence through Hybe Latin America, which debuted the Latin American boy group Santos Bravos in October 2025, reflecting broader efforts to establish a longer-term foothold in the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs agencies devote greater attention to Latin America, Spanish has become more than a stylistic flourish in K-pop lyrics,\u201d added Lim. \u201cWhile fans across the region have long embraced Korean-language music, the growing use of Spanish reflects an effort to connect more directly with one of the industry’s fastest-growing and enthusiastic global audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"K-pop agencies deepen engagement with Latin American fans through language, festivals, localized promotions Screenshot of music video for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[88603,57436,235059,93,61,60,6521,173550,68755,126687,278,235060],"class_list":["post-555983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-aespa","tag-ateez","tag-boompala","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-k-pop","tag-latin-american","tag-le-sserafim","tag-lemonade","tag-music","tag-nmixx"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}