“Señorita, Adios, Mañana”…Why K-Pop Is Singing in Spanish [HT Focus]

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] Spanish has been appearing frequently in K-pop lyrics.

LE SSERAFIM included Spanish in the lyrics “Saving the shame for mañana” from “BOOMPALA,” released on May 25. “Mañana” means “tomorrow” in Spanish, and this expression heightened the bright and upbeat mood of the Latin house genre, including “Macarena,” which was sampled in the song. aespa’s “LEMONADE” includes the lyric “Muchas gracias mi amor.” NINGNING previously said at a press conference commemorating the group’s comeback in May, “There is a Spanish part this time, so I kept using a translator and checked the pronunciation while recording.” BOYNEXTDOOR’s “ADIOS!” is Spanish from the title itself. The process of shaking off lingering feelings and moving forward at the end of a day that did not go as planned was expressed through the Spanish greeting “Adios.” ATEEZ’s new song “BAD” not only pronounces the chorus lyric “She’s so BAD” in the Spanish-style “받,” but Spanish also appears throughout the lyrics. Words and phrases with Latin sentiment, such as “Tú me tienes loco, toda la noche” (“You drive me crazy, all night long”), “tan lento, ritmo peligroso” (“so slow, dangerous rhythm”), “señorita” (“young lady”), and “La Victoria” (“victory”), are woven throughout the song. This aligns perfectly with the sonic characteristics of “BAD,” which combines elements of Latin pop and Brazilian funk to create the atmosphere of a South American summer festival.

In fact, this is not the first time Spanish lyrics have appeared in K-pop. GFRIEND presented the lyric “Me gustas tú” (“I like you”) in “오늘부터 우리는 (Me gustas tu),” released in July 2015, while NMIXX has steadily used Spanish in various songs since its 2022 debut track “O.O,” including “DICE” and “Soñar.” Stray Kids also incorporated Spanish words and phrases throughout the lyrics of “Chk Chk Boom,” the title track of their ninth mini album “ATE,” released in July 2024, including “Vamos” (“Let’s go”), “Lobos” (“wolves”), “My amigo” (“my friend”), and “La Vida Loca” (“the crazy life”).

Then why have Spanish lyrics been appearing especially often in K-pop recently? The first reason is that Latin sounds have become mainstream in global pop. According to the IFPI Global Music Report 2026, Latin America was the fastest-growing music market in the world in 2025, with growth of 17.1%, and has continued to grow for 16 consecutive years. According to Spotify, Latin music, which accounted for only 8% of all streams 10 years ago, now accounts for more than 27% of global streams. Earlier this year, Puerto Rican musician BAD BUNNY’s “DtMF” topped the Billboard Hot 100. It was the fourth Spanish-language song in Billboard history to top the chart, and the first by a solo artist alone. He was also the first musician to perform an all-Spanish set at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Spanish and Latin sounds are no longer the language of a specific region, but have become one of the common languages of global pop, and K-pop is absorbing that flow.

The second reason is that K-pop groups have begun to target the Latin market directly in earnest. ATEEZ is set to perform at the festival “Rock in Rio” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September, while Stray Kids will hold the new festival “STRAYCITY,” co-planned by Live Nation and JYP Entertainment, in Bogotá, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Mexico City in September. In February this year, NMIXX became the first K-pop group to participate in a Carnival block party in São Paulo, Brazil, performing in front of around 2 million people, and in the same month, the group also became the first K-pop artist to take the stage at Chile’s “Viña del Mar Festival.” NMIXX’s performances there included “Soñar (Spanish Ver.)” and “RICO,” which contains Spanish lyrics. Spanish lyrics are also an expression of familiarity toward this market.

Two forces are working at the same time behind the increase of Spanish in K-pop lyrics. One is the flow in which Latin sounds have become mainstream in global pop, and the other is the flow in which K-pop has begun to directly target the Latin market. The Spanish contained in a single line of lyrics emerged at the point where those two flows intersect.

grace@hanteo.com

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