Semester two of the academic year: we call it the “spring” semester, but truth be told, this five-month life experience spans a variety of ~szns~. Here are the Latinx songs that are perfect for each.
1. Paty Cantú and Juhn: “#Natural”
~New Year’s resolutions szn~
It’s January, and your body is a temple. Sticking to your New Year’s resolutions, you’re on an all #Natural diet, and feeling beautiful and sexy. With its feisty lyrics and playful music, Paty Cantú’s song is your anthem, and you march into the semester empowered and confident.
2. Charly Black and Daddy Yankee: “Gyal You a Party Animal – Remix”
~Welcome back szn~
Though your syllabus week is virtually non-existent, you decide to take advantage of this *relatively* low stress time to let loose. You request “Gyal You a Party Animal” at every party you hit this weekend—the song’s upbeat rhythm puts everyone in a good mood, and earns you major creds for music choice.
3. Shakira and Maluma: “Clandestino”
~Secret someone szn~
You’ve started seeing someone, but you’re keeping it on the down low for now—gotta avoid having the relationship scrutinized by nosy friends when it’s still just a “thing,” right? Two of Latin Pop’s sultriest voices intertwine on “Clandestino” (“Undercover”), making it the perfect song for when you meet up with Bae in secret.
4. Bad Bunny and Drake: “MIA (feat. Drake)”
~The height of cuffing szn~
The time for keeping your relationship undercover has passed. Like Drake singing “Dile que tú eres mía” (“Tell him you’re mine”) in his hit song with Bad Bunny, Bae tells you to let all those other boys know you’re taken.
5. Nacho and Manuel Turizo: “Déjalo”
~Sad boi hours szn~
Of course, for every happy couple there is at least one distraught individual suffering from unrequited love. Like Nacho and Manuel Turizo, your best guy friend is convinced that he could treat you better than your current Bae – he probably has “Déjalo” (“Leave Him”) playing on repeat… half because it’s so relatable, and half because it’s so catchy.
6. Arcangel and Bad Bunny: “Original”
~Midterm szn~
Midterm szn means papers galore, and the pressure is on to *be original*. You turn on Arcangel and Bad Bunny’s song to remind yourself that you are in fact *the most original*. The song’s intense vibe and aggressive lyrics get you pumped up and ready to knock out that 15-pager in no time at all.
7. Juan Magán, Belinda, Manuel Turizo, Snova, and B-Case: “Déjate Llevar”
~Spring Break szn~
It’s finally time for your well-deserved spring break. You leave midterms and relationship problems behind at Georgetown as you head to the airport. “Déjate Llevar” (“Let yourself go”) plays in your headphones, and you are soothed by the song’s lyrics and mellow reggaetón beat.
8. Thalia and Natti Natasha: “No Me Acuerdo”
~Georgetown Day szn~
Time flies, and just like that, it’s Georgetown Day. The day is gloriously carefree, but waking up the next day is not so great. As you and your friends recount yesterday’s embarrassing escapades, you find yourself wanting to quote Thalia and Natti Natasha and say “si no me acuerdo, no pasó” (“if I don’t remember it, it didn’t happen”).
9. Álvaro Soler, Flo Rida, and Tini: “La Cintura (feat. Flo Rida and TINI) – Remix”
~Formal szn~
Formal szn is here, and it soon becomes apparent that Bae needs some help with his dance moves. Like Álvaro Soler in “La Cintura,” he’s endearingly lost without you. You play Álvaro’s hit song on repeat as you get ready—its bubbly beat and cute, relatable lyrics set the mood for a great night out.
10. Danny Ocean: “Me Rehúso”
~Goodbye szn~
It’s the end of the semester, but you and Bae are not ready to say goodbye. You both have Danny Ocean’s iconic lyrics—“me rehúso a darte un último beso” (“I refuse to give you a last kiss”)—playing on your car stereos as you leave campus, smiling as you think back on the semester’s memories and look forward to seeing each other again.
There you have it: an entire semester’s worth of ~szns~ summarized in ten songs. But why stop at ten? Use this list as a springboard, and check out Spotify’s “¡Viva Latino!” playlist to dive deeper into Latinx music in 2019.
