Spanglish duets — a song with Spanish and English lyrics — have become a growing trend in the music industry in recent years.
Though artists such as Shakira and Beyoncé teamed up for fiery collabs, Romeo Santos and Usher were two of the first artists to not shy away from singing in both languages, as heard in the 2011 song “Promise.” In 2017, Justin Bieber dropped his verse in Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” featuring Daddy Yankee, which inspired a revolution of bilingual collaborations and fusions of musical styles.
Last year alone, Benny Blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez and J Balvin teamed up for “I Can’t Get Enough,” Kane Brown recruited Becky G for his “Lost in the Middle of Nowhere (Spanish Remix)” and Karol G dropped “Tusa” alongside Nicki Minaj, to name a few.
Now, with 2020 coming to an end, we’ve noticed more and more artists from different parts of the world and genres teaming up with Latinos. Listen to some of those Spanglish collabs below.
“Blinding Lights (Remix),” The Weeknd feat. Rosalia
The Weeknd and Rosalia really surprised fans when they announced a collaboration was on the way. Little did they know that the Spanish songstress was jumping on the remix to “Blinding Lights,” adding her flamenco-pop-tinged vocals to the track and an enchanting verse toward the end.
“Hawai (Remix),” Maluma & The Weeknd
The Weeknd teamed up with Maluma first, however, singing for the first time in Spanish on the remix of “Hawai.” Marking their first-ever collaboration, The Weeknd kicks off the remix by singing in English before flaunting the infectious chorus completely sung in Spanish.
“Tears of Gold,” David Bisbal & Carrie Underwood
Jumping on the bandwagon was David Bisbal, who recruited country star Carrie Underwood for the bilingual “Tears of Gold.” In the danceable pop track, both Bisbal and Underwood not only flaunt their vocal chemistry but also their English and Spanish-singing skills.
“Del Mar,” Ozuna X Doja Cat X Sia
Ozuna teamed up with Doja Cat and Sia for his hip-shaking, almost fantasy-like single “Del Mar,” part of his 2020 studio album ENOC. On the track, Ozuna sings in Spanish while Doja raps in English. Sia does both: singing a couple of lines in English and others in Spanish.
“Un Dia (One Day),” J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy
Fusing the best of both worlds, the Spanglish bop laces seducing melodies of dream pop and flairs of dancehall and reggaeton. In his verse, Bad Bunny even samples part of Tito El Bambino and Jadiel’s 2007 “Sol, Playa y Arena,” adding a touch of old-school reggaeton.
“Bigger Love (Remix),” John Legend feat. Mau & Ricky
Adding their touch of Latin finesse, Mau & Ricky teamed up with John Legend for the “Bigger Love (Remix).” “I don’t know if we’re the best for the job but we for sure will be the quickest and the most efficient and the most hungry and excited for it,” Mau tells Billboard. “We’re just so grateful because, to be honest, John is one of the artists that we admire the most so this is crazy and we still can’t believe it.”
“Mamacita,” Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna & J. Rey Soul
After teaming up with J Balvin on “Ritmo,” the Black Eyed Peas recruited Ozuna and J.Rey Soul for April’s “Mamacita,” a catchy bilingual bop that samples Madonna’s 1987 hit single “La Isla Bonita.” “Mamacita,” which forms part of BEP’s upcoming Translation album, hit No. 7 on the Hot Latin Songs chart (dated June 6), becoming the second top 10 for the Peas, the 22nd for Ozuna, and first for J.Rey Soul.
“No Me Ame,” Anuel AA, Rvssian & Juice WRLD
Nearly six months after his death, Juice WRLD made a posthumous appearance in Anuel AA’s April 17 release “No Me Ame,” in collaboration with Jamaican producer Rvssian. Recorded before Juice WRLD’s death, the melancholy song features Anuel rapping in Spanish and Juice in English.
“Illuminati,” Lil Pump & Anuel AA
On April 24, Lil Pump and Anuel AA dropped the hellish Spiff TV-directed video for “Illuminati,” featuring the two artists surrounded by death, fire, and plenty of serpents. “Illuminati” and its accompanying video, which marked Pump’s first new release since summer 2019, were released through Tha Lights Global.
“Gotta Be Patient,” Michael Bublé, Barenaked Ladies & Sofia Reyes
During quarantine, Michael Bublé teamed up with Barenaked Ladies and Sofia Reyes for “Gotta Be Patient,” a playful doo-wop about having patience amid the global health crisis. “It has definitely been a highlight of my career! Wow,” Reyes previously said to Billboard of the collaboration, which dropped on April 27.
“Que Maldicion,” Banda MS feat. Snoop Dogg
Banda MS and Snoop Dogg dropped “Que Maldición” on May 1, proving that regional Mexican and hip-hop music are a perfect union between two cultures. Proposed by Sergio Lizárraga, founder of Banda MS, the bilingual collaboration meshes banda and rap music with chill rhythms.
“X,” Jonas Brothers feat. Karol G
In true Jonas Brothers fashion, “X” is a catchy dance-pop meshed with flairs of Latin-alt rumba. “She said oh oh oh, kiss me like your ex is in the room,” they sing on the tune released May 18. The bilingual track features English and Spanish lyrics with Karol G’s flirtatious verse telling the boys to not be afraid of trying something new.
“El Tejano,” Lauv feat. Sofia Reyes
San Francisco-based artist Lauv and Mexican-American songstress Sofia Reyes teamed up for “El Tejano,” part of Lauv’s debut studio album, How I’m Feeling. The bilingual pop song, which was released on May 19, has hints of cha-cha and rumba, showing the best of both worlds.
“Hechicera,” Carlos Vives & Jessie Reyez
Teaming up for Carlos Vives’ new album Cumbiana, Jessie Reyez forms part of “Hechicera,” a song, which according to Vives, is about a very powerful woman. “In Colombia, they teach us about Bachué, the goddess who emerges from the water, and I wanted to find a woman who personified her. I wanted Jessie to sing in English, but she wanted to sing in Spanish as a question of pride,” he told Billboard of the song.
“One World, One Prayer,” The Wailers feat. Skip Marley, Farruko, Shaggy & Cedella Marley
Jamaican band The Wailers released their inspirational track “One World, One Prayer” on May 22 with powerful lyrics that focus on unity, love, and inclusion beyond cultural differences. Produced and written by Emilio Estefan about two years ago, “One World, One Prayer” is an urban-tinged bilingual reggae song in collaboration with Farruko, Shaggy, Cedella Marley, and Skip Marley.
“TKN” – Rosalia & Travis Scott
After hitting up the studio together more than a year ago, Rosalia and Travis Scott dropped their highly awaited collaboration, “TKN,” on May 28. Fusing Middle Eastern melodies with urban beats, the track is about a trustworthy and fierce leader. Scott brings his deep vocals to the tune, singing some lines in Spanish.
“No Mañana,” Black Eyed Peas & El Alfa
BEP dropped “No Mañana” featuring Dominican artist El Alfa on June 13. The track, produced by will.i.am and co-producer Johnny Goldstein, has propulsive beat twists and turns fused with Alfa’s rapid-fire cameo and dembow catchy melodies. “Let’s party like there’s no mañana,” says its chantable hook.
“Ayy Macarena,” Tyga & Ozuna
In February, Tyga recruited Ozuna for the “Ayy Macarena (Remix).” Ozuna’s 30-second rap verse is about a man who makes the ladies swoon with his luxurious lifestyle. He also mentions late Tejano icon Selena, saying he’s looking for a girl with her features. Both artists teamed up once again for Scott Storch’s “Fuego Del Calor” out in May.
“Lento,” Lauren Jauregui & Tainy
Lauren Jauregui teamed up with renowned producer Tainy for “Lento,” a song that she mentioned in a previous Billboard interview “just gives people this taste of, like, that sensual energy that I really love to tap into.” But for Jauregui, the bilingual song “was more about me making love to the music. ‘Cause the music is what I go out for. Getting into a vibe is why I go out.”
