Since the [invent / advent] of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, music from the USA and UK has dominated global music [chants / charts] . Both countries have benefited considerably from the "[softly / soft] power" of hit songs with English [lyrics / lyricism] . However, the English-language dominance of the music industry is [under / over] threat from songs from non-English-speaking countries. This is according [for / to] the music streaming giant Spotify. The company said English-language music was [loosening / losing] its long-time stranglehold. There has been a [surge / splurge] in demand for songs sung in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and [othered / other] languages. Spotify said the number of non-English songs in the charts more than [doubled / doublet] between 2020 and 2025.
A [prime / prim] example of how English is losing its [matrimony / hegemony] is the worldwide popularity [of / to] the Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny. He sings [exclusive / exclusively] in Spanish and was Spotify's most streamed artist globally in 2025. Meanwhile, Spanish artist Rosalia astounded the music world with her award-winning album "Lux," [at / on] which she sings in 13 different languages. Spotify said three music genres have seen their chart presence [raise / rise] by 30 per cent or more in the past five years. These are Brazilian Funk, K-pop, and Trap Latino. Their [steams / streams] increased by 36 per cent, 31 per cent, and 30 per cent [retrospectively / respectively] . The music website NME said: "The trend is [liked / likely] to continue growing further [onto / into] 2026."
