Non-anglophone artists can thrive in this ecosystem. I’ve seen it for myself: in 2018, I reviewed London shows by Balvin, pop-reggaeton golden boy Maluma, Monsta X and BTS. The venues heaved with excited young Londoners, who sang along, lofted flags and generally did their nut over being in the same room as their heroes — all of which is par for the course at pop shows. What was different was that almost none of the songs were in English, and most of the fans couldn’t understand the lyrics.
When I moved to France in the 1980s, and got to know some French music, I often discussed music with people I met. I asked many people whose command of English was limited why they listened to songs in English. They all said the lyrics didn’t matter.
However, when they told me about certain French artists I should check out, they often said, “And the lyrics are great.”
Music in other languages has always been an edge case in English-speaking countries, because of the cost of releasing and promoting records in those countries. So many artists would sing their songs in English, with a hope of getting international airplay, having a single noticed, and then release an album in the US or UK. Now, with streaming, there are no borders, and there’s no reason for these artists to deny their cultural heritage.
Source: Pop 2.0: how globalised music created a new kind of star | Music | The Guardian