Music
I’m sure we can’t go a day without music, it’s almost as if our daily lives run on it. One of the best ways to learn a language (the fun way) is to find music you like since research is showing how constant exposure to a language can improve listening skills. In this section, I’m sharing Spotify playlists with some of my favorite artists from each language I know in case you don’t know where to start. These playlists are based on what I have a preference for, but you’re more than welcome to check out Lyrics Training (mentioned below) to find more music you enjoy. I also encourage you to make friends who speak these languages natively and even ask what they’re listening to for more recommendations.
Lyrics Training
I think this is a fun website to play around on and there’s also an app you can use on the go as well. This is a tool for you to find out what music is current and popular in a particular language while learning the lyrics. All the songs can even be searched by genre and the latest lyrics are posted in front of you immediately when you log on. There’s also a karaoke version where you can just read the lyrics while the music video is playing in the background. It’s like playing a game and learning at the same time!
Song of the Moment
Tropicale by Francesca Michielin
I found this artist on YouTube music when I was looking for some new Italian songs to listen to and I found this one and can’t stop listening to it! I also recommend another song I love from her Vulcano.
My Favorite French Artists
The first time I started listening to French music was in French class during my high school years. My teacher exposed us to music as a tool to keep us engaged which I think is a smart way to making learning fun. I pretty much love anything that sounds good, but I’m obsessed with artists like Lomepal, Roméo Elvis, Angèle, Aya Nakamura, Maitre Gims, and Shy’m for the most part. Other artists listed on my playlist have been found through personal exploration. Not all of these artists are strictly French, some of which are Belgian, I do know that Maitre Gims is from the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). I found Emilie-Claire Barlow on Pandora back when I was in college because I do love jazz (I mean…that’s what I was named after) and we now follow each other on Instagram!
My Favorite Spanish Artists
The first artist I fell in love with was Alvaro Soler when I first heard his song La Cintura. His music is so fun to listen to (especially during summer road trips) because he always gets me dancing. Melendi was added to my list as another Spanish singer after hearing his song Dejala que Baile. I was watching Elite (A Netflix series that takes place in Spain) where I was intrigued by the Mexican artist, Danna Paola because her song Final Feliz was in the soundtrack for the first season. There are also many other artists I found through exploring my Spotify daily mixes as well as recommendations from friends. Since there are so many countries that speak Spanish, I did mix it so you have exposure from all over the Spanish speaking world.
My Favorite German Artists
As for this language, almost all of my discoveries were through Lyrics Training. The first song I remember listening to was Lieblingsmensch by Namika who is German born and is close to her Moroccan heritage. One of her earlier albums Nador was named after the city of Nador in Morocco. I fell in love with her music primarily because I love seeing artists write really amazing songs while sharing who they are and where they come from through their music. I feel like music is good when it makes me want to know them as a person rather than as just a fan. During the time she released Que Walou, she did a mini vlog series on her Youtube Channel, which is definitely worth checking out! I do like Max Giesinger and I found out that he and Alvaro Soler know each other considering that Alvaro can also speak German really well!
My Favorite Italian Artists
When I first started learning Italian, I didn’t really know where to start, but I did stumble upon Federica Abbate’s Finalemente and later on was obsessed with Pensare Troppo Mi Fa Male, and several other songs. I also stumbled upon Annalisa. Although I do like a lot of her older songs, but my Italian roommate at the time told me to stop listening to her because she’s considered pop music and she hates pop music…so we won’t tell her I still enjoy listening to Annalisa on occasion. However, I did include a playlist that she sent me based on her own personal recommendations. Her exact words were “By the way, here’s a nice playlist with actually good Italian songs and not that crap by Annalisa you’re listening to!” One of the things I love about her is how she’s never afraid to speak her mind.
My Favorite Portuguese Artists
The first Brazilian artist I started listening to was Luísa Sonza. I found her on Lyrics Training because it’s my go-to when I learn a new language and I don’t know where to start when it comes to music recommendations, and I did like Pior Que Possa Imaginar in which I further explored more of her music from Boa Menina. That was pretty much the extent of the artists I listened to, and later on through Spotify, I was able to find more artists like Jão, Vitão, and Ludmilla just to start with. A friend of my from my church who is from Brazil did give me a playlist of her own personal recommendations that I’ve included as well.
My Favorite Dutch Artists
I didn’t start learning Dutch until the beginning of 2019. I had just spend the previous year learning Spanish and German at the same time, and I was picking it up pretty well, and for 2019 I thought, “If I can learn 2 languages at the same time, why not 3 this year?” So I started learning Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. It wasn’t super hard to pick up Dutch since I had English and German under my belt, but once again, I resorted to Lyrics Training to see what artists I could find which is how I came across Kris Kross Amsterdam. They’re a group of 2 brothers and a friend who produce music and their name was inspired by an American hip hop group in the ‘90s known as Kris Kross. The first song I heard from them was Hij IsVan Mij with Maan, Tabitha, and Bizzey which lead me to further explore their music as well as the other artists affiliated with them. One thing that bothers me is that Blijf Bij Mij with Ronnie Flex and Maan is not on Spotify! It’s one of my favorites! I’ve also included a playlist from a Dutch friend of mine if you’re looking for recommendations outside my personal taste.